Gujarati Dal Dhokli Lentil Soup with Dumplings is a delicacy to be enjoyed on a rainy cold day. Having this on cold day or when you are down with cold, warms up your body, clears the sinus and stuffed up feeling and brings in energy in a lethargic body. Various kinds of dal dhokli exist in India. The version presented here is the famous Gujarati Dal Dhokli made in Yellow Pigeon Lentil. This dish is a highly authentic gujarati menu item and a dish found in most rural cuisine in Gujarat.
When this is being cooked, the whole house fills up with aroma of fragrant cinnamon, cloves, lemon and jaggery. This must be in my opinion one of the oldest dish of dumplings from India. It is easily a complete meal by itself. So when you are in the mood of lazing around and also want to have a wholesome meal that is quick and less taxing, try this option. The other version of Dal Dhokli that I have had is from Rajasthan and that too has multiple varieties, which I shall be sharing soon.
This is also very frequently cooked, during the Jain Paryushan when one gives up green vegetables. And the dish is so delicious, you will not feel that you are missing out any green vegetables on that day. The taste of this dal dhokli is sweet, sour, spicy, and is fragrant and slurpy. The trick to fragrant lentils is in the seasoning of the dal lentils which needs to be done at the appropriate temperature and with patience.
A must try recipe for soup, lentil, dumplings and gujarati cuisine lovers!! And a special earth day celebration the Jain way, respecting and protecting earth and omitting the green vegetables, a routinely concept for certain days of the month
Wishing all the readers a Very Happy Earth day, for our dear Planet ,we all call HOME SWEET HOME!
Recipe makes for 3 people
Cooking time 1 hour
Prep time: 20 min
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow pigeon lentils
- 2 tbsp ghee clarified butter
- 2 medium cinnamon sticks
- 1 dried red whole chillies
- 4-5 cloves
- 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 3/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/8 tsp asafoetida powder
- 8-10 peanuts, without the skin
- juice of half a lemon medium sized
- 1 ripe banana
- 5 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup size jaggery piece
- 8 cups of water
- salt to taste
Optional ( To be avoided when making it for Jain Atham or Paryushan Festival)
- 1/2 tbsp finely diced ginger
- 1 1/2 kashmiri green chillies diced
- fresh coriander for garnishing
For the dhokli or dumplings
- 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- pinch of asafoetida
- 1/8 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/8 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp white sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 1/4 cup of water to knead dough
- salt to taste
- dusting flour
Method
- Wash the toor dal yellow pigeon pea lentils thrice, in water, and soak in 2 1/2 cups of water for about half an hour.
- Pressure cook the soaked dal lentils along with water for 6-7 whistles on medium flame and let it cool.
- In a deep pan, put the ghee melt on medium flame.
- Add mustard to the ghee and let it crackle.
- Add cinnamon sticks and let them expand in size.
- Add cloves and again let them expand.
- Add asafoetida.
- Add cumin seeds and let them brown.
- Add the boiled lentils to the seasoning.
- Add salt, water, peanuts, sugar, jaggery lemon , and let it boil on slow-medium flame for about 40 min.
- If using the optional items, add these ingredients to boiling along with water and sugar etc,
Making the dhokli/ dumplings
- Combine all the ingredients for the dhokli to knead into a soft dough.
- The kneaded should feel soft and pliable
- Refrigerate the dough for about 20 min.
- Take a quarter cup size dough ball, and roll it into a circle about 9 inches in diameter, using the dusting flour.
- Using a knife make diamond/square shape cuts and shift it to a broad plate.
- Repeat for 3 more dough balls.
- After the lentils have boiled for about 40 min, add the diamond shape dhokli dumplings to the lentils and boil for another 20 min
- Add banana halves about 5 min before serving.
- Garnish with a spoon of ghee and serve.
Tips
While boiling the dumplings or dhokli, make sure that the lentils are boiling and then add. Also stir in a few minutes, to ensure that the dhoklis are not sticking.
When the dumplings or dhoklis are cooked you will see them floating easily.
Instinct Factor
Why not variate with a different shape of dhokli?
Feel Factor
Wow, a dish from one of the oldest grains known split pigeon peas, and that also cooked following the principles of respecting the environment and earth, and celebrate the earth day, made this super delicious dish rise few notches higher in my view!! The taste is just yum, with the appetite already whetted by the fragrant aroma of the spices, and the tongue getting the taste of spice, lemon, sugar , sweet and slurpy. Would not be surprised if this becomes a frequent item on your quick menu list. Enjoy this truly simple, highly delicious and wholesome healthy Gujarati Dal Dhokli Lentil with Dumplings.
