Recipe for Bajra nu Lilva Dhoklu

In the Palanpuri Jain community, a common winter dish uses two seasonal items — the millet bajra, and green pigeon peas. Here, Kairvi Mehta shares a treasured family recipe.

Bajra nu lilva dhoklu is more than just a dish.

It is a winter staple in many Palanpuri Jain homes, made when bajra is at its best — warming, earthy, and sustaining.

Bajra nu lilva dhoklu is a dish that combines two quintessential winter items: bajra flour, and winter beans like green pigeon peas. 

The wholesome, hearty one pot meal is modest yet is packed with nutrition. It is made in larger quantities during winters, and traditionally cooked in an iron pan on socal or wood, and served topped with ghee. 

Our Palanpuri Jain community has been cooking this dish over generations (Palanpur is a region bordering Gujarat and Rajasthan). My maternal and paternal grandmothers would make this for us. Today, I follow the same method they did, though on a gas stove.

This dish is traditionally enjoyed fresh and hot during winter evenings, sometimes accompanied by plain chaas.

RECIPE FOR LILVA NU BAJRA NU DHOKLU

Ingredients

1 cup bajra (pearl millet) flour
¾ cup fresh lilva (green pigeon peas), coarsely crushed
1 tsp ginger paste
½ tsp (optional, very mild) green chilli paste
½ tsp ajwain
1 tsp jeera
Hing, a generous pinch
¼ tsp haldi
Salt, to taste
1 to 1½ tbsp oil
Water,as required to make a thick batter

For tempering:

1½ tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp sesame seeds
Hing, a pinch
Curry leaves,optional (often skipped in Jain homes)

Method

Coarsely grind the fresh lilva; it should have texture, not a smooth paste.
In a bowl, mix bajra flour, crushed lilva, ginger, green chilli (if using), ajwain, jeera, hing, haldi, salt, and oil. Add water gradually to form a thick, spoon-dropping consistency batter.
Rest the batter for 10–15 minutes to allow the bajra flour to hydrate.
Grease a dhokla plate or thali, pour the batter evenly, and steam on medium heat for 25–30 minutes, or until cooked through.
Prepare the tempering by heating oil and adding mustard seeds, jeera, sesame seeds, and hing.
Pour the hot tempering over the steamed dhoklu and cut into pieces.

Kairvi Mehta is a professional chef and a twin mom. She shares her journey on Instagram.

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