Dal -pitthee (dal dhokli)

Dal Pitthi is a comforting dish, a perfect example of flavourful and nourishing meal from North Indian cuisine, particularly popular in the regions of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, that combines the wholesome goodness of lentils with hand-rolled wheat flour dumplings.

I prepared “Dal Pitthi” with some variations as, dough using a combination of besan (gram flour) and aata (wheat flour), which added a unique texture and flavour to the dumplings.

To enhance the dish further, I added peanuts in the seasoning, which introduced a delightful crunch and an extra layer of flavour to the dal. The combination of these ingredients made the Dal Pitthi even more satisfying, turning it into a hearty and wholesome meal that was both nourishing and delicious.

Dal Pitthi is a great way to experience the authentic flavours of Indian home-cooked food, offering both taste and nutrition in every bite.

Ingredients:

For making dal:

• Toovar dal (split pigeon peas):1/4 cup
• Salt: 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder: half teaspoon
• Tomato: 1 medium size
• Garam masala powder: half teaspoon

For making pitthi:

• Wheat flour (Aatta): ¾ cup
• Besan (chick pea flour): 1/4 cup
• Salt: half teaspoon
• Ajwain :1 pinch
• Chilli powder: half teaspoon
• Oil: 1 tablespoon

For seasoning:

• Ghee: 2 tablespoon
• Ground nut: 4 table spoon
• Cumin seed: 1 teaspoon
•  Mustard seed: half teaspoon
• Chilli powder: half teaspoon
• Asafoetida: 1 pinch

Preparation:

1. Dry roast ground nut, Let it be cool and remove husk, then make powder.

Making dough for pitthi:

1. Take a wide vessel; pour Aatta, Besan, ajwain, and chilli powder, oil, salt. Mix well by rubbing between palms.
2. Add water in small quantity, knead them, if required, put some more water till the dough becomes soft. (The dough can be made in food processor also)
3. Cover and Keep aside, to be used after 10-20 minutes.

Shaping the pitthi:

1. Divide dough into 4 parts, make big lemon size balls.
2. Roll out the ball into thick and big chapati (Indian bread).
3. Cut ~ 2” diameter chapati with the help of cutter or tumbler.
4. Now fold the edges of small chapati from three sides and press little into centre as per photograph shown.
5. Repeat with all dough. Now pitthi is ready. keep aside.

Making dal:

1. Boil dal with salt, turmeric powder, tomato in the pressure cooker on high flame.
2. Bring to full cooking pressure, reduce to low flame and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Allow cooker to cool and open. Now mix dal properly to bring the consistency.

Method:

For cooking dal pitthi:

1. Take wok, put 1 tablespoon ghee, when ghee becomes hot.
2.  Add ground nut, fry till it become golden brown in colour.
3. Add 2-3 cups of water and pour all dal in it.
4. Put dal on full flame till it boils.
5. Add prepared pitthi one by one into the dal.
6. Do not add more than one at a time, otherwise it may stick.
7. Cook for 5-10 minutes, slowly pitthi begins to float it means it is ready.
8. Add ground nut powder and Garam masala powder.

For seasoning:

1. Heat ghee in a  small fry pan, when smoke begins to come, add mustard seed, cumin seed.
2. Allow to sputter for few seconds, Put off the gas.
3.  Add asafoetida and red chilli powder.
4. Spread this seasoning all over.

Dal pitthi is ready to serve with butter milk.

Dal -pitthee (dal dhokli) by Nag Ratna Sahu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.