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Gujarati · Indian

Dal dhokli

Vegetarian

દાળ ઢોકળી

Spiced wheat-flour dumplings cut into diamonds and simmered in a sweet-and-sour Gujarati toor dal until soft. A complete one-pot meal.

Dal dhokli is a Gujarati curry from India, ready in about 1 hour 10 minutes and made with toor dal (split pigeon peas) and whole-wheat flour. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Dal dhokli: wheat-flour dumpling pieces simmered in spiced toor dal, garnished with coriander
Photo: KartikMistry / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
25 min
Cook
45 min
Total
1 h 10 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
368

Plus 30 minutes soaking the dal.

Ingredients

4 servings

For the dal

For the dhokli

For the tadka

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Cook the dal with 400 ml of the water and the turmeric (opens in a new tab) until very soft, then whisk smooth and add the remaining 700 ml water.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile mix the wheat flour, chickpea flour (opens in a new tab), turmeric (opens in a new tab), chilli, oil and salt, and add water gradually to make a firm dough. Rest 10 minutes.

    • 5 min

  3. Step 3

    Roll the dough out thinly (about 2 mm) and cut into 3 cm diamonds.

  4. Step 4

    Bring the dal to a rolling boil with the tomato (opens in a new tab), ginger, chillies, jaggery, peanuts (opens in a new tab) and salt. Drop in the dhokli a few at a time, stirring so they don't stick together.

  5. Step 5

    Simmer, stirring often, until the dhokli are cooked through and the dal has thickened.

    • 15 min
    • medium-low heat
    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  6. Step 6

    Make a tadka with the ghee (opens in a new tab), mustard seeds (opens in a new tab), cumin (opens in a new tab), cloves (opens in a new tab), cinnamon (opens in a new tab), curry leaves (opens in a new tab) and asafoetida (opens in a new tab), pour over, then stir in the lemon juice (opens in a new tab) and coriander.

    • 2 min
    • medium heat

About this dish

Origin
Gujarat, India · Well documentedA very similar dish, varan phal, is made in Maharashtra.More food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Curries · Main courses
Cooking method
Pressure-cooked, Simmered
Taste
sweet & sour, savoury, aromatic / warmly spiced, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo)
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Everyday · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Toor dal (split pigeon peas) · Whole-wheat flour · Turmeric · Tomato · Fresh ginger · Green chilli
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Pressure cooking · Tadka (tempering) · Knife skills

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom ghee
  • Contains: Peanutsfrom peanuts
  • Contains: Wheatfrom whole-wheat flour, asafoetida
  • Contains: Glutenfrom whole-wheat flour, asafoetida
  • Contains: Mustardfrom mustard seeds

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

368 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 425 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 14%
  • Carbohydrate 57%
  • Fat 29%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy368 kcal87 kcal
Protein13.4 g3.1 g
Carbohydrate54.8 g12.9 g
Net carbohydrate45.1 g10.6 g
Sugars——
Added sugars6.5 g1.5 g
Fibre9.7 g2.3 g
Fat12.6 g3 g
Saturated fat4 g0.9 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol13 mg3 mg
Sodium1039 mg244 mg
Salt equivalent2.6 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
730 mg
Calcium
105 mg
Iron
3.9 mg
Magnesium
129 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
62 µg
Vitamin C
15 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
183 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: coriander leaves.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): curry leaves, asafoetida.
  • Jaggery / palm sugar: Brown sugar (FDC 168833) used as a stand-in for unrefined cane jaggery and palm sugar.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Keep the dal thin before the dhokli go in — the flour on the dumplings thickens it a lot.

Common mistakes

  • Adding the dhokli to dal that isn't boiling — they turn gluey and clump.

Serve with

  • Serve in bowls with a spoonful of ghee and a wedge of lemon.

Storage

  • Best fresh; keeps 1 day refrigerated but thickens a lot.

Reheating

  • Loosen with plenty of hot water and simmer briefly.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

Spices bloomed in hot fat

For the tadka

Used in step 6

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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