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Daal Dhokli - Instant Pot
4.9 from 96 votes

Daal Dhokli - Instant Pot

Daal Dhokli is a hearty one-pot dish combining spiced toor dal cooked with a tangy, sweet, and mildly spiced broth along with whole wheat flour dumplings called dhokli. The dal is flavored with mustard seeds, cumin, curry leaves, tomatoes, jaggery, tamarind, and peanuts, producing a rich, satisfying stew with chewy, spiced dough pieces folded in. Prepared in the Instant Pot, this meal offers comforting, layered flavors and varied textures.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Calories: 351 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

Part 1: Dal
  • 4 tablespoon ghee divided (or 2 tablespoons of cooking oil for vegan option)
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon asafetida
  • 12 curry leaves fresh
  • ½ teaspoon Turmeric ground
  • 1 teaspoon ginger grated
  • 3 teaspoon garlic grated
  • 2 plum tomatoes diced
  • 1 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 2 tablespoon jaggery or brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoon peanuts skip for nut allergy
  • ½ cup toor daal rinsed and drained
  • 2 cups water
  • ½ cup cilantro chopped for garnish
Part II: Dhokli
  • 2½ cups whole wheat flour divided
  • 1 tablespoon besan chickpea flour
  • 1 cup water or as needed
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon carom seeds
  • ½ teaspoon red chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Turmeric ground
  • 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil divided, generic cooking oil

Instructions

Pressure Cook dal
    Cup of Yum
  1. Turn Instant Pot to sauté(more) mode and heat 2 tablespoons of ghee or cooking oil. Add mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Add cumin seeds, asafoetida, and curry leaves. Add turmeric, ginger, and garlic. Mix well.
  2. Add tomatoes, red chili powder, jaggery, tamarind paste, salt, peanuts and toor dal. Mix well.
  3. Add 2 cups of water, give a quick stir and close Instant Pot with the Pressure valve set to sealing. Pressure Cook(Hi) for 8 minutes followed by Natural Pressure Release.
Make the Dhokli
  1. While the Dal is cooking, make the dough by mixing 2 cups of whole wheat flour, chickpea flour, salt, carom seeds, red chili powder, turmeric and half tablespoon of oil. Use water as needed to make a firm yet pliable dough. I used little more than ¾th cup of water. Add remaining oil and knead the dough well.
  2. Make 5 balls from the dough. Using the extra whole wheat flour, roll the dough balls into 10-12 inch thin circles.
  3. Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut each rolled circle into 1-inch squares or dhoklis. Put the cut dough pieces on a platter. Sprinkle a little bit of dry flour before layering the pieces on a tray to avoid them from sticking to each other.
  4. Open Instant Pot after the pressure has released naturally. Turn Instant pot to sauté mode and using back of a wooden spatula or an immersion blender, gently blend the dal for 5 seconds. Add 3 cups of water, mix well, cook covered with a glass lid and bring the dal to a gentle boil.
Pressure cook Dal & Dhokli
  1. Add half of the dough squares to the dal and mix gently.
  2. Add remaining half dough squares, mix again. Close Instant Pot with the pressure valve to sealing. Pressure Cook for 2 minutes followed by Quick Release.
  3. Mix the Daal Dhokli, add another tablespoon or two of ghee (recommended but optional) and garnish with chopped cilantro. Enjoy Piping hot!

Notes

  • For warmer flavors in the dal, cloves and cinnamon stick can be added during cooking.
  • Chopped spinach can be stirred into the dal before adding the dhokli for extra nutrition and color.

Nutrition Information

Calories 351kcal (18%) Carbohydrates 39g (13%) Protein 10g (20%) Fat 18g (28%) Saturated Fat 8g (40%) Cholesterol 30mg (10%) Sodium 1883mg (78%) Potassium 403mg (9%) Fiber 9g (36%) Sugar 8g (16%) Vitamin A 590IU (12%) Vitamin C 45.2mg (50%) Calcium 42mg (4%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 351

% Daily Value*

Calories 351kcal 18%
Carbohydrates 39g 13%
Protein 10g 20%
Fat 18g 28%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 30mg 10%
Sodium 1883mg 78%
Potassium 403mg 9%
Fiber 9g 36%
Sugar 8g 16%
Vitamin A 590IU 12%
Vitamin C 45.2mg 50%
Calcium 42mg 4%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.