Dal Dhokli / Varan Phal / Chakolya

Lately, I have been cooking lots of protein rich beans and dals. Two dal based new recipes were on my mind - Rajasthani Dal Baati and Gujarati Dal Dhokli. My experiment of baking Baati with less oil was a complete failure. But this Dal Dhokli, also known as Chakolya or Varan Phal in Marathi was a hit.
Chakolya is a desi version of whole wheat pasta in a lentil/dal sauce. For the sauce or Amti, instead of the regular Toor Dal, I used Panchmel Dal.

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup
Cayenne Pepper/Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp
Salt

Toor Dal/Split Pigeon Peas - 2 tbsp
Mung Dal/Split Green Gram - 2 tbsp
Masoor Dal/Split Red Lentils - 2 tbsp
Chana Dal/Split Bengal Gram - 2 tbsp
Urad Dal/Split Black Gram - 2 tbsp
Tomato - 1 medium
Tamarind/Imli/Chinch - 1 tsp
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Green Chilies - 3
Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - few sprigs
Curry Leaves/Kadipata - a sprig
Dry Fenugreek Leaves/Kasuri Methi - 1 tsp
Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Methi/Fenugreek Seeds - 1/8 tsp
Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Dry Red Chillies - 2
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt

How to cook Dal Dhokli / Chakolya:

• In a mixing bowl, add whole wheat flour, cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp turmeric and salt. Add water little at a time, and knead to form a firm and smooth dough. Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 4 round balls. Roll each one as thin as chapati. Using a Shankarpali cutter/cookie cutter cut it into diamond shape pieces. You can use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter as well. You can make round circles as well.
• Make sure you place all the cut dough pieces separate, so that they do not stick. These cut diamond squares are called as Dhokli in Gujarati and Chakolya in Marathi.   

• Soak toor dal, mung dal, chana dal, urad dal, masoor dal in water for 15 - 20 minutes so that the dals get cooked well. Wash the dals well and cook them in enough water until soft. Chana dal takes the longest time to cook. Check if chana dal is cooked enough to be mashed. Mash the dals well.
• I have used 5 types of dals, to include more nutrients in our diet. You can use toor dal or mung dal or a combination of both as well.
• Pat the curry leaves dry. Finely chop cilantro and green chilies. Crush the ginger in a mortar pestle. You can finely chop ginger as well. Medium chop tomatoes.  You can add onion and garlic as well.
• In a big pot, heat 2 tsp oil for tempering/tadka/phodni/vagaar. Add mustard seeds, cumin, fenugreek seeds, asafetida, dry red chilies and curry leaves. When mustard seeds pop, add the cooked dals. Now add green chillies, crushed ginger, tomatoes, tamarind, 1/4 tsp turmeric, garam masala and salt. Crush kasuri methi leaves between your palms and add that to the dal. Bring it to a boil. This is the Dal or Lentil sauce for the Dhokli or Pasta.  Some call this dal as Amti too.
• When you are ready to serve, add the dhokli/pasta pieces to the boiling dal and cook for 6 - 8 minutes. Add more water if required. Best way to check if its cooked, is to bite a piece of the dhokli, same as you would do for pasta.
• You can add just half of the dhokli pieces to the dal, if you like more sauce and less pasta. And you can freeze the other half for the next time.

Garnish with cilantro and enjoy hot Dal Dhokli with freshly squeezed lemon juice.