Dal Dhokli is a homely Gujarati dish that is warm and comforting. This one pot meal is made by simmering wheat flour dough in a sweet and sour Gujarati dal.

A bowl of Gujarati Dal Dhokli placed on a plate.

In our home, Dal dhokli is pretty much always made with leftover Gujarati dal. The dish becomes a filling lunch or dinner and all you need to do is prepare the dhokli dough. It's then rolled into thin circles and cut into diamond shapes. These diamonds are then dropped into hot bubbling dal and simmered until cooked.

My Mum adds a little besan (chana no lot) to the dough and this keeps the dhokli soft and helps thickens the dal.

Often any extra dough is used to make Gujarati thepla which is delicious with keri no chundo.

You can of course, prepare this meal from scratch - simply make Gujarati dal and as it is boiling, add in the dhokli. Finish with an aromatic tempering and you're good to go!

You may also like this Guvar Dhokli nu Shaak.

Gujarati dal dhokli in a big pot with a serving spoon.

Ingredients

Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below.

Prepared Gujarati Dal

Dhokli Dough Ingredients

chapati atta
gram flour (besan)
red chili powder
turmeric powder
oil
carom seeds (ajwain seeds)

To serve

Chopped red onion
Peanut oil
Chopped coriander
Lemon juice

Optional additional vaghar/tempering

If you are making your dal from scratch, you will want to add a vaghar. If your dal is a few days old, you may also want to add a further tempering of masalas to revive the flavours.

Oil
Mustard seeds
Hing
Spices - red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, coriander and cumin powder
Salt to taste
Peas - optional

Hayley's Tips

The dal should be watery before adding the dhokli as the dhokli will absorb a lot of the water.
Do not tip in all the dhokli at once.
Add dhokli in different areas of the pot to prevent them sticking and clumping.
Try to keep all the dhokli similar in size to ensure even cooking.
You can even cook the round dhokli dough on a hot griddle or tawa for a minute on either side before cutting and adding to the dal. This also prevents the dhokli sticking.

Serving Suggestion

Dal dhokli is often served as it is in a bowl as a main dish for lunch or dinner. Top with red onion, a drizzle of peanut oil and lots of fresh coriander.

You can fill out the meal by adding plain boiled basmati rice and Indian kachumber.

Storage

Dal dhokli is best eaten immediately after preparation however, leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 2 days. It will have thickened so you may need to add a splash of water before reheating.

dal dhokli served with plain boiled rice in a bowl.

As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

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