Dhokla - 2, Chana Dal & Rice Savoury Steamed Cakes, Sushma's
Dhokla - 2, Dal-Chawal ka
Sushma Agarwal
Dhokla is a kind of savoury steamed cake that is made from a fermented batter, made of various types of lentils, rice, chickpea flour and even bread. It comes from Gujarat region of India originally. These days, it has become a common snack all over India. You need to have a steamer to be able to make it properly. Special dhokla steamers are available from Indian stores but one can adapt by using a sandwich cake tin and a wok or karahi with a lid. To cook this dish, you need to decide a couple of days in advance as ingredients have to be soaked overnight and then allowed to ferment a little. However, one can use ready made dhokla mixes available from Indian stores. Also, you can by-pass the fermenting process by adding ENO fruit salt, available from the chemist.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
For Dhokla Mix Powder:
4 cups Basmati rice*
1/2 cup chana dal-skinless (Bengal gram lentil)*
1/2 cup skinless urad/urd/urid dal (black gram lentil)*
1/2 cup skinless moong or mung dal (green gram lentil)*
*Mix all dals and rice and grind to a powder in a coffee grinder. Keep this in a bag. 1 cup of this mix required for 4 people.
For Dhokla Batter:
1 cup of above dhokla mix
1 cup yoghurt
1/2 tsp. turmeric or haldi powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp. oil
2-4 green chillies(as per taste), finely chopped
1 tsp. ENO fruit salt from the chemist or Indian grocers
1 tbsp. lemon or lime juice
1 tsp. sugar
For tarka or tempering:
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
A pinch of asafoetida
2 whole, dry red chillies, broken into pieces roughly.
1 tsp. white sesame seeds
A few curry leaves (not bay leaves)
1 tbsp. desiccated coconut
Instructions
Make a batter with all batter ingredients.
Ferment it by leaving it in a warm place for a day or two, until the batter rises. This fermentation process can be bypassed by adding 1 1/2 tsp. fruit salt like ENO, just before cooking. It is the bubbles from ENO or fermentation that give dhokla its spongy consistency.
Heat a cup of water in a steamer or a wok. If using a wok, place an upturned, small metal dish (katori) at the bottom. It will allow the steam to rise inside the wok without drowning the dhokla batter in boiling water. If you have a pressure cooker, it is usually supplied with a steaming plate with holes and raised edges. Use this plate for steaming.
Place about an inch of batter in the greased dhokla or cake dish. Place it in the steamer or wok, on top of the upturned dish or pressure cooker plate. Cover the wok with a lid.
Steam cook for 10-15 minutes, until spongy to touch and the mix does not 'come off' on your finger.
Take off the heat and cool.
Mix water and lemon/lime juice. Add and dissolve sugar in it.
Sprinkle over the cooked dhokla.
Cut into diamond or squares. Keep aside.
For tarka or tempering;
Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok, on medium heat.
Add mustard seeds, asafoetida powder, curry leaves, green chillies . Cover, to avoid mustard seeds jumping all over your kitchen, until spluttering stops.
Add dhokla squares and fry gently, turning them over all the time.
Place in a serving dish and decorate with desiccated coconut and chopped green chillies.
Serve warm, with Coriander and Mint Chutney.
Notes
For Microwave oven cooking, see Instant Dhokla.
Also see Chat Selection.