The ultimate comfort food, Dal Dhokli is a sweet, spicy, and tangy lentil stew with freshly made whole wheat noodles cooked in the lentils. A hearty one-pot meal from the Indian States of Gujarat and Maharashtra, where it is also called Chakolya or Varan Phal.
This finger-licking delicious and wholesome recipe has complex flavors from tamarind and jaggery, soft melt in the mouth textures from the homemade wheat noodles, and nutty flavors from mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and peanuts.
After overindulging from a vacation or while recovering from an illness, this easy daal dhokli recipe always makes a good detox meal.
In India, pressure cookers are commonly used for cooking lentils and beans. So to make Dal Dhokli in the Instant Pot made perfect sense, with the added advantage of making it a one-pot dish. First make the tadka on the sauté mode, then add the aromatics and lentils and pressure cook the dal. Next, add the thinly rolled and cut pieces of the whole wheat dough and pressure cook it again for a perfectly cooked dal dhokli.
Variations
- Substitute any cooking oil instead of ghee to make this a Vegan Daal Dhokli
- Add 4 cloves and 1 cinnamon stick with the lentils to add warm flavors and aroma, this is especially a good idea during winter
- Stir in 2-3 big handful of chopped spinach just before adding the dhokli
- Traditionally this dish is made using Toor Dal but Mung Dal or Masoor Dal also makes a good substitute
Instructions
Step by step recipe to make Instant Pot Dal Dhokli:
Step 1: Pressure cook dal
- Turn Instant Pot to Sauté (more) mode and heat 2 tablespoons of ghee or cooking oil. Add mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Next, stir in cumin seeds, asafoetida, and curry leaves. Add turmeric, ginger, and garlic. Mix well.
- Add tomatoes, red chili powder, jaggery, tamarind paste, salt, peanuts, and toor dal. Mix well.
- Pour 2 cups of water, give a quick stir and close the Instant Pot with the pressure valve to sealing. Pressure cook(Hi) for 8 mins followed by Natural Pressure Release.
Step 2: Make the dough, roll and cut into squares
- While the dal is cooking, make the dough by mixing 2 cups of whole wheat flour, chickpea flour, salt, carom seeds, red chili powder, turmeric, and half a tablespoon of oil. Use water as needed to make a firm yet pliable dough. I used little more than ¾th cup of water. Add remaining oil and knead the dough well.
- Make 5 balls from the dough. Using the extra whole wheat flour, roll the dough balls into 10-12 inch thin circles. Using a pizza cutter, cut each rolled tortilla into 1-inch squares or dhoklis. Put the cut dough pieces on a platter. Sprinkle a little bit of dry flour before layering the pieces on a tray to avoid them from sticking to each other.
Step 3: Pressure Cook again with the dough squares
- Open Instant Pot after the pressure has released naturally. Turn the Instant pot to saute mode and using an immersion blender (or back of the spoon), gently blend (or mix) the dal for 5 seconds. Stir in 3 cups of water, cook covered with a glass lid, and bring the dal to a gentle boil.
- Add half of the dough squares to the daal and mix gently. Add remaining half dough squares, mix again. Close Instant Pot with the pressure valve to sealing. Pressure Cook(Hi) for 2 minutes followed by Quick Release. Mix the Daal Dhokli, add another tablespoon or two of ghee (recommended but optional), and garnish with chopped cilantro. Enjoy Piping hot!
