How to Cook Dhokla
Serves: 4-6
Preparation time: 10 mins + 2 hours (inactive time)
Cooking time: 45 mins
Ingredients needed to make dhokla:
- 500 gms bengal gram flour
- 3 tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ cup plain yogurt, a tad too sour
- 1 tsp green chilli paste
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp sugar
- Salt to taste
For the tempering:
- 2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
- 6-8 curry leaves
- 12 cup warm water
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
For garnishing:
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Cooking instructions for dhokla:
- Sift the gram flour into a mixing bowl and stir in the yogurt until they are thoroughly combines; let the mixture rest for a couple of hours.
- Stir in the green chili and ginger paste to the above mixture, followed by the turmeric powder, sugar, salt and a splash of lemon juice, and pour enough luke-warm water to blend it into a semi-thick batter.
- Split the batter into 3 equal parts and set aside.
- Lightly oil a rectangular pan of a steamer to cook the dhokla.
- Add a tsp of baking soda in each of the portion of batter and stir them well together.
- Pour one portion of the above mixture into the pre-greased pan and place it into the steamer.
- Steam the dhokla until it is cooked through and a toothpick comes out clear when inserted into it.
- Use rest of the batter to make the dhokla in a similar fashion. Make a point to mix the baking soda to the batter just before you set them up for steaming.
- Set the dhoklas aside for about 5 minutes to cool a bit and slice into 2 ½’’ squares.
- Arrange the squares on a serving plate and prepare the tempering.
- To temper, drizzle oil in a thick bottomed saucepan and wait until it heats up.
- Throw in the sesame as well as mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chilies and stir-fry them until the seeds starts popping up.
- Transfer the mixture immediately to a bowl of warm water and drizzle it over the dhokla squares.
- Let it rest for about 10 minutes to let it soak into the gram flour cakes and top it up with fresh chopped cilantro.
- Serve with tamarind chutney and enjoy!
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
