We ate all the kachoris that I made to go with the salad last night, but we still had lots of salad left, so I wanted to make a simple curry to go with it. One that wouldn't require a trip to the grocery store.

I'd always sort of glossed over this recipe because the idea of making the dhoklis (basically a spicy, wheat-based Indian gnocchi) sounded too labour-intensive to me. But the curry looked very simple otherwise, and it didn't look that difficult to make the little dumplings, so I decided to give it a go.

TF and I both really liked this. The Kidlet wasn't a fan of the dhoklis, but seemed to like the dal part of the curry well enough. That said, I do think I would make some changes next time.

The recipe as written only called for 1/2 c. of pigeon peas for 4 c. of water. This makes a very thin, soupy dal. Which is fine, but I think I would've preferred a thicker, more substantial base. So I think I'd try doubling the pigeon peas next time.

I also had some trouble with the dhokli dough. It called for 1/2 c. of roti flour, 2 Tbsp. oil, and "enough hot water to form a dough", which Iyer said should take ~1/4 c. However, 2 Tbsp. of oil was enough to completely soak and saturate the dough and then I could barely get more than 1 Tbsp. of water in before the dough started getting way too wet. It felt very greasy and was difficult to shape. To the point where I suspect there may be a typo in the recipe. Maybe it was supposed to be 2 tsp. of oil? Or 1 c. of flour, rather than 1/2 c.? I think I might try doubling the dhokli recipe next time, but halving the oil. Hopefully that would make the dumplings a bit less greasy. And it would give even more dhoklis in the finished dish which, I have to say, I wouldn't mind.

Again, not that it was bad like this. I just think it could've been even better!

Dal Dhoklis

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

Dhoklis

• 1 c. roti (atta) flour
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 tsp. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 tsp. bishop's weed (ajwain)
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• ~1/4 c. hot water

Dal

• 1 c. split skinned pigeon peas
• 4 c. water
• 1 tsp. dhania-jeera masala
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2 fresh green Thai chilies, minced
• 1 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
• 1/4 tsp. ground asafetida
• 8 fresh or frozen curry leaves
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Rinse the pigeon peas for the dal very well.
2. Add the peas and the water to a pressure cooker/InstantPot and pressure cook on high for 15 minutes, followed by a 15-minute natural release.
3. Meanwhile, combine the flour, sea salt, sugar, chilies, turmeric, and bishop's weed and mix well.
4. Add the cilantro and oil and mix very well.
5. Drizzle in the hot water until a stiff dough forms.
6. Divide the dough into two equal portions.
7. Roll each portion into a 30cm (12") long rope/log.
8. Cut each rope into 48 equal pieces (96 pieces total).
9. Roll each piece of dough into a ball, then press it with your thumb to make a depression in the centre. Set aside.
10. Once the pigeon peas are cooked, give them a stir. If they are not breaking down on their own, use a blender (immersion blenders work well for this) to purée until smooth.
11. Stir in the dhania-jeera masala, salt, turmeric, and chilies.
12. Add the dhoklis and stir to prevent them from sticking to each other.
13. Bring to a boil and cook for 15-20 minutes.
14. Meanwhile, melt the ghee over medium-high heat.
15. Add the mustard seeds to the ghee, cover, and cook until they stop popping (30-60 seconds).
16. Remove from heat; add the cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafetida, and curry leaves; and mix well.
17. Add the ghee mixture to the dal.
18. Stir in the tomato and cilantro and serve.