Dal Dhokli is a rustic peasant dish that has many variations across states in India. It is a one-bowl meal featuring homemade pasta squares in a bowl of dal.

"We would have this for lunch on Sundays at home, when I was a child,” Manju tells us. “It is best eaten freshly made. In my recipe, we use a lot of garlic – we eat plenty of that in the desert. The dish comprises both dal and roti, and is topped with finely chopped onions, chilli and coriander. And lots of ghee,” she adds. Chopping the veggies quickly, she tells us the best thing about these rustic dishes, is that there are no rules. “The only thing that matters is that is tastes great.” Read the complete story of Manju’s Dal Dhokli here.

Manju’s Rajasthani Dal Dhokli

Ingredients
Roti
500 g wheat flour
20 ml refined oil or ghee
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin
2 tbsp oil
 
Dal
1 cup of yellow dal
10 ml ghee
2 cups water
 
Tadka
1 pod of garlic
2 green chillies
1 onion, roughly chopped
4 tomatoes, grated
10 ml ghee
1 g asafoetida
5 g cumin
3/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chilli power
3 tsp coriander powder
2 tbsp water
1 tsp salt
 
Method
Set aside the 2 tbsp of oil and knead together all the remaining ingredients for the roti. The dough should be a bit hard, and not as soft as for regular rotis. Knead well for 10 minutes. Add water to bind as required, and add the 2 tbsp oil toward the end, for a finer finish.
Make the dough into small balls in the palm of your hand, and flatten with a rolling pin to about a 5 mm thickness. Slice into squares and coat with oil.

Cook the dal with 2 cups of water and 10 ml ghee for 3 whistles in a pressure cooker.
 
For the tadka
Roughly grind the garlic and chopped green chillies in a mortar and pestle.
Heat the ghee in a pan.  Add the asafoetida and cumin, then slowly add the onion and fry till translucent. Add in the garlic and chilli.
Mix the spice powders with a bit of water to make a thick paste, and add to the pan. Add more water as it evaporates to let the spices fry for longer without burning – it draws out the flavours better. When the ghee separates, add the tomatoes and allow to cook until homogenous. The tadka is ready. Now add to the dal and mix well.
Drop the roti-squares into the dal while cooking on low flame. Check for salt, and pressure-cook for 2 whistles.
Take off the flame and allow to cool. Add a bit of water to the dal, to bring to a consistency of your liking. Spoon the dal and dokhlis into a bowl, and garnish with finely chopped onion, coriander, a squeeze of lime and a spot of ghee.
Serve hot.

This recipe is a #1000Kitchens favourite!

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