The most pleasurable things in life are usually at no cost, be it the air we breathe or the love of friends and family. It was a bright sunny day in Bengaluru, when excitement brewed inside me as I woke up in the Nirgun Mandir guest house and was served a refreshing cup of ginger tea.

Dal dhokli

Chennai:

I had been invited to lunch at Lalit Sanghvi’s place, who knew of my weakness for simple, good, heritage recipes and food. To give you a brief about him, Lalit and his best friend Bina Mehta are an unbeatable team at managing and organising some of the classiest and best events across the country. The duo has wandered through South India like nomads without any agenda, and made it their home eventually.

At the lunch, which I was a part of, the spread they had laid out on the table was a visual and literal treat, which left me wanting more. One dish that stood out and captured my fascination was the dal dhokli. Bina had outdone herself, cooking the flavourful dish. Dal dhokli is basically a Rajasthani and Gujarati dish. It is widely believed that the Marwaris, who migrated to Gujarat, invented the dish. While the dish remains popular in the Marwar part of Rajasthan, it is the Gujaratis, who have made it a staple in their homes. Many like Lalit and Bina, who migrated to the south, have brought the allure of the dish along.

Considering that I have fairly been familiar with Gujarati food throughout my life, I found out about dal dhokli very late — when I did taste it though, my first reaction was, “Wow!” This humble dish was a real revelation because the thought that something so simple could taste so good left me spellbound. I immediately asked Bina for the recipe. She told me that dal dhokli consists of two main parts — the dhoklis, which are pieces of thinly rolled out dough and the dal in which these are boiled until cooked. The overall result is thicker than soup and substantial enough to be eaten as a main dish. This is truly a comfort food especially when one is feeling under the weather.

Dal dhokli

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Servings: 4

Calories: 330 per small cupful

Ingredients

For the dal

Toor dal (split yellow lentils): 1 cup

Roasted peanuts: 2 tbsp

Onion: 1 big, chopped

Tomato: 1/2 cup, diced

Curry leaves: 6

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Asafoetida: 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder: 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder: 1/2 tsp

Garam masala: 1 tsp

Tamarind taste: 1 tbsp

Jaggery: 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Water: 1/2 cup

For the dholki

Oil: 1/4 cup

Atta (fine, whole-wheat flour): 2/3 cup

Spinach leaves: 1 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder: 1/4 cup

Red chilli powder: 1 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Sugar: 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Method:

Soak the toor dal in hot water for 15-30 minutes. Rinse several times and then pressure cook it until tender. Set aside.
To make the dumplings, finely chop the spinach. Add the rest of the ingredients for the dumplings and knead together to make a firm dough. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and set aside.
To make the dal, heat oil in a large saucepan. Temper with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida and stir for a few seconds.
Add onion and stir until onion is translucent.
Add ingredients from turmeric to garam masala and stir for a few seconds.
Stir in the tomato, cooked dal, tamarind paste, jaggery and salt and bring the dal to a boil.
Taste and adjust for balance of sweet, salty and sour.
Keep the dal simmering. If it gets too thick, add water.
Now, make the dhoklis. Divide the dough into four parts.
Using some extra flour roll out each part as thinly as possible, then cut into diamond shapes, or any shapes you like.
Add the dough shapes to the boiling dal and cook them for 5-8 minutes, or until the dough is tender and cooked through.
Let the dal dhokli rest for 5 minutes, and then serve the stew piping hot, drizzled with ghee.

Kitchen Tips

As a thickener for soups, I add some toasted oats instead of flour or potatoes.
I use a lot of fresh coriander in my soups as a garnish to boost flavour.
To a plain carrot soup, add a touch of ginger and it becomes really tangy.

— Chef Ramaa Shanker is the author of Festive Offerings to the Gods: Divine Soul Recipes