Shaak Ma Dhokli, Surati Fansi Dhokli

Shak ma dhokli is a Gujarati dish. This particular version I am posting here is a typical Surati dish. My husband's family is originally from Surat. So, my MIL makes typical surati food. This is one of my husband's and his parents' favorite dishes. When I tasted it first time, I didnt like it, because of the very liquidy gravy. In Surat, people eat this dish as is, but I think that the very liquidy gravy needs roti/rice to go with it. The second time I tried this dish, I made some rice to go with it. It didn't taste too bad then:).

I made this last night because we received a lot of green beans in my weekly fruit/veggie container from Full Circle farm. I didn't have other surati green beans to add to the dish, so I added 3/4 cup of frech lentils. The lentils blended well with the dish, and didn't take away the very "Gujarati Taste" from this dish.

Serves about 4
Ingredients
Gravy with Beans
Green Beans (Fansi) 1 lb, Chopped
1 Cup Mixed Surati Greens of Your Choice (Valor, Tuver, Papdi)
1 Teaspoon Oil
5 Cups Water
1 Teaspoon Carom Seeds (Ajwain),
1 Pinch Asafoetida,
Salt to Taste
1 Teaspoon Soda Bicarbonate, or ENO
5 Green Chilies, Finley Chopped,
1 Inch Ginger, Finley Chopped,
1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder,
1 Teaspoon Coriander-Cumin Powder
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Crushed Garlic, Optional

Dhokli (Makes 8-10)
1.5 Cups Whole Wheat Flour,
1 Cup Fresh Fenugreek Leaves (Chopped), OR 3 Tablespoon Kasuri Methi
Salt to Taste,
1 Teaspoon Sugar,
1 Teaspoon Oil,
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder,
1 Teaspoon Coriander-Cumin Powder,
1/4 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder,
1 Cup Water,
2 Pinches Asafoetida

2 Teaspoon Chopped Cilantro, for Garnishing

Method:
Combine all ingredients for the beans gravy, except the garlic in a wide and deep cooking pan. Cook on medium high flame.
While the beans are getting cooked make the dhokli. Combine all dry ingredients required to make dhikli. Add oil and mix well. Now add little water at a time to make dough. The dough should be a bit "loose" in consistency, but you should be able to make small balls out of it. Depending on the brand of the wheat flour, you will need 3/4 to 1 cup of water to make dough. Once the gravy mixture comes to a boil, we will drop the dhokli in the gravy. Since the dough is not very stiff, we wont be able to make the dhokli in advance.

Apply some oil on your palms. Take some dough in your hand, and make ping pong sized ball from it. Drop it in the gravy. Do the same with the rest of the dough. You will be able to make 8-10 dhoklis from the dough. Make sure that the dhoklis don't touch each other in the gravy.

Cover and cook at medium high flame for 20-25 minutes, then check the dhoklis with the help of a knife. If the knife comes out clean, the dhoklis are cooked. Check the rest of the veggies too. If the dhoklis and veggies are cooked, then turn the stove down to low heat. Add the garlic. Stir once with a wooden spoon making sure not to break the dhoklis. Cover and cook for further 10 minutes.
Take off the heat, garnish with cilantro and sever hot.

Note: As mentioned above, this is a typical Surati dish. My husband, and his parents like to eat this dish as is. I on the other hand, like to have this with rice. Try it as is, and try it with rice/roti, and serve accordingly.

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