Trying Out My Grandma's Recipe- Dal Dhokli/ Dal Pithi

Hey guys! 

I'm back with a new blog post and this time I thought I'd make it something everyone would enjoy reading. I had many requests to write something related to food and since quarantine is still on, it would be better to choose something healthy too. I'm so not a food blogger but I thought I'll give it a try. Well, some of my friends were complaining about unhealthy weight gain and all those things and so, here I am, with a review on my take on my Grandma's recipe of Dal Dhokli (also known as Dal Pithi in Bihar). 

This dish has about 366 calories per serving (~18% of your total calorie needs) of which 131 calories comprise of fat. The ingredients used are lentils, ghee and whole wheat flour with spices and flavors and hence will not shoot up the blood sugar levels. In fact, it's good for weight loss, kids, pregnant ladies and even heart patients and diabetics. However, amount of fats can be reduced for diabetic patients in the recipe as a precaution.

How Do You Make It?

This recipe makes servings for five.

• Warm an instant pot or pressure cooker and add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil or ghee to it. On heating, add 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds and allow to splutter, followed by cumin seeds, curry leaves, turmeric, ginger and garlic. I skipped curry leaves and onions in my recipe. You may add those if you like (best part about it is that you can skip any of these flavors if you don't have it).

• Add 2 diced tomatoes, red chilli powder, salt and 1/2 cup arhar/ toor dal. Mix well. (Some people like to add tamarind paste or even jaggery at this step. I like to skip those, not very fond of sweet in my pulses. So did my granny and since I'm trying her recipe, thought it would be better to stick to it)

• Pour 2 cups of water, stir and let it pressure cook for about 8 minutes. Don't worry, you won't be sitting idle since the dough balls are yet to be prepared. 

• Knead 1 cup of whole wheat flour using water and oil as one would to make chapatis. Also, you may add cumin seeds and spices of your choice in the tiny balls, or even shape those as diamonds or anything you like, sun, moon, stars, whatever. I like to add lots of red chilli powder and some salt in it. So in love with spicy food!

• Open the lid and stir the lentil soup (dal). Add more water (1-2 cups) based on how thick you like your dish and let it boil a bit.

• Add the dough balls and let those pressure cook for 2 minutes. Add some ghee(recommended but optional) and garnish using coriander leaves (chopped cilantro). Serve while hot.

Tips / Personal Suggestions:

- Do not wait for the dish to cool before enjoying unless you like it really thick. Believe me, my experience wasn't so cool as it tends to coagulate.

- You may also try making it in a pan (kadhai) with closed lid. Takes time but works the same. I've tried both ways before writing this blog.

- In place of arhar/ toor dal, moong or masoor dal can be experimented with too.

- You can always experiment by stuffing the dough balls with mashed potatoes or tofu. I liked the potato idea when I tried it once, but I prefer it the normal way.

My Take On This Recipe:

I made it for myself and my family yesterday and several times before. Since it's a dish quite known in Bihar (from where I am), almost everyone liked it. My sister is not so much into spicy food (unlike me) and I added a little too much of the red chilli powder, black pepper, green chillies and whatever spices I found. I often do that but please don't try it if you think you can't bear that much spiciness, go with the normal recipe and suggestions I've provided and I feel you'll like it too. 

Do let me know how it turns out in the comments section and if there are more recipes you'd like me to review!

Thanks for reading :)

Image Source: Internet