Guvar Dhokli Nu Shaak Indian Curry Recipes

The delicate beans pair beautifully with bouncy dumplings (“Dhokli”) made from chickpea flour, turmeric and ajwain (carom seeds). Each little Dhokli has an indentation in the middle to catch the sauce, just as Orecchiette (the ear-shaped pasta) does.

Video: How to make Guvar Dhokli nu Shaak

What is Guvar in English?

Cluster beans. These long, flat beans are also called “guar”, “gavar” and “gawar” depending on regional language and dialect. It’s a legume from which which “guar gum”, a commercial thickener (similar in application to xanthan gum) is extracted. You will find guar gum in anything from ice cream and baked goods, to salad dressings and soups. These beans are big business. India produces around 80% of the world’s guvar and it’s especially popular in northern and western parts of the country.

How do you clean cluster beans?

It’s extremely simple! Once I bring a bumper crop of Guvar home I follow these steps: It’s important to note that young beans make preparation very simple as they don’t contain many fibrous strands.

What if you have mature beans?

If your cluster beans are more mature (large and wide), you can boil them until tender and then peel off the fibrous strands that run down the long edge of the beans. In this recipe, I choose young beans and cook them from their raw state. If your beans are large and mature, you will need to add the pre-boiled and cooled Guvar towards the end of the cooking time.

How to cook Guvar

Cluster beans require a longer cooking time in comparison to other green beans. They can be slightly tough so be sure to cook them for an ample amount of time.

Guvar and Digestion

Important! Guvar can sometimes be difficult to digest so Ayurvedic teachings almost always advocate the addition of ajwain (carom seeds) and hing (asafoetida) alongside. Don’t forget these two Guvar partners. They’re like the Spongebob, Patrick, and Squidward of Gujarati curry!

What is Dhokli?

Lightly-spiced wheat and sometimes gram flour dumplings. To put it simply, they’re thicker than most pasta shapes but not as robust as gnocchi. Dhokli can be rolled in many shapes. From long strips, squares and diamonds, to discs, buttons and logs. How you roll your Dhokli is down to personal preference and the type of dish you happen to be cooking at the time.

How to serve Guvar Dhokli nu Shaak

My preference is to eat this Gujarati curry with Rotli (chapati) and salad or simply with plain rice. I often eat Guvar Dhokli nu Shaak with a dollop of yoghurt and nothing more. Since the carbs are already there in the form of Dhokli, you really can just eat this one-pot wonder with a spoon. The thickness of this curry depends on personal preference. for example, if you’re eating it with rice, ensure it has a little more sauce. If you serve it with Rotli, you can get away with evaporating some of the water off at the end.