Sheetal’s Tuver na Baakda ma Dhokli

Sheetal’s Tuver na Baakda ma Dhokli are whole wheat flour dumplings stewed in a dried pigeon-pea-bean curry We’d love to travel to places outside of Italy, finding and following the real food heroes, the grandparents, who leave their legacies and stories through baking, making, and shaping but we’re not quite ready for that yet! So, to kick us off, we asked you, our extended Pasta Grannies family, to share your stories, family histories, and hand-me-down recipes as part of our Pasta Grannies Goes Global competition. We loved Sheetal’s recipe not only for the rich flavours, but the rich vivid story that came with it. We hope you enjoy it too.

Ingredients

For the Dhokli

- ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons chickpea flour
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- a pinch of carom seeds
- a pinch of sesame seeds
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon oil
- water to knead the dough

For the Tuver Na Baakda

¾ cup dried tuver/pigeon peas beans
1 medium onion, pureed
2 medium tomatoes, pureed
4 cloves garlic, paste
2 teaspoons ginger-chili paste
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons coriander and cumin powder
1 teaspoon red chili powder
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
1 tablespoon oil
salt to taste

Method

Preparing the Pigeon Peas

Wash and soak the pigeon pea beans for 7–8 hours or overnight.

Dhokli Dough

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients listed under Dhokli (except water). Gradually add water and knead into a semi-stiff dough. The dough should be firm but pliable—not too hard, not too soft.

Cover the dough and let it rest for 10–15 minutes.

Pinch off marble-sized portions of dough and shape them into desired forms. Cover the hard formed dhokli and keep aside.

Cooking Tuver na Baakda ma Dhokli

Drain the soaked pigeon peas and transfer them to a pressure cooker. Add 3 cups of water and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes after the pressure builds up. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to release naturally before opening the lid.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan.

Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and asafoetida, followed by the pureed onions. Sauté for a minute, then add the ginger-chili-garlic paste. Cook for another minute before adding the pureed tomatoes.

On low heat, cook the mixture until the oil begins to separate—this should take about 7–8 minutes.

Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander-cumin powder, and salt. Sauté the masala for a minute, then pour in the cooked pigeon peas along with their cooking liquid. The quantity of water should be enough to allow the dhoklis to stew and cook through—adjust as needed.

Stir well and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.

Once boiling, begin dropping the shaped dhoklis into the curry, one at a time. This ensures they cook evenly and don’t stick together. As the dhoklis cook they will rise to the surface of the curry.

As the dhoklis cook, the curry will thicken and become creamy. If it becomes too thick for your preference, add a bit of hot water to adjust the consistency. Cook for few more minutes and remove from fire.

Serve:Tuver na Baakda ma Dhokli is best served piping hot with a drizzle of peanut or sesame oil. We love eating it as is for the first helping, and later pair it with short-grained rice.

Optional: To serve, we like to sprinkle some Methia Masala (Gujarati pickle spice mix) or dry ginger-garlic chutney for an extra kick of flavour.

Sheetal’s Tuver na Baakda ma Dhokli

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