Dhokla

This fail-proof dhokla recipe is indeed fail-proof! I had bookmarked it a long time back but couldn’t try it because I didn’t have citric acid. The recipe calls out that it is important to have citric acid. I had tried other dhokla recipes without citric acid and they didn’t come out that well. Actually they were also without Eno. So hard to say if one is more replaceable than the other. Nonetheless, I’m glad that this turned out just perfect. DH and I both like dhokla and we both like snacks which is why I’m always on the lookout for healthy snacks. Since dhokla is a healthy snack, I always wanted to get it right so that I don’t have to depend on ready mixes. Not just for their availability at home but also because of high sodium content in ready mixes. I halved the recipe called out and it was great for 2 of us (probably a little extra but it was so yummy that we ate all of it!). You can see how nice and spongy it has come out!

I made the dhokla in a rice cooker. I put around 3/4 cup of water in it. Put in the utensil with the dhokla batter – make sure you elevate this so that water doesn’t get in during steaming. When the rice cooker turned off the dhokla was done. I modified the recipe just a tad.

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Besan (Chickpea flour/ Gram flour)
• 3/4 tablespoon Sooji (Semolina)
• A pinch of Hing
• 1/2 tablespoon Sugar
• Salt to taste

Wet Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon Crushed ginger and green chilies (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon Citric acid
• 1 teaspoon Oil
• ~1/4 cup water (get pouring consistency)
• 3/4 teaspoon Eno (fruit Salt)

For tempering

• 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
• Curry leaves (I skipped these since I didn’t have them)
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• ~1/4 cup Water
• 4-5 small Green Chilies
• 1 1/2 tsp Oil

Method:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients.
2. Add all the wet ingredients except Eno to the dry ingredients.
3. Beat the batter (with a whisk) well to incorporate air.
4. Get your steamer ready. If you’re using rice cooker, add the water to it’s bowl.
5. Grease your dhokla mold with some oil.
6. Now add Eno to the batter and mix well.
7. Pour the batter into the mold and steam. After adding Eno, you shouldn’t keep the batter. If you want to make multiple rounds, add Eno to the batter for one round, steam it and then repeat.
8. Let the dhokla cool for half an hour and then take out of the mold.
9. Cut it into pieces – cut like you would cut cake with a back and forth action and not a up and down stroke.
10. Prepare the tempering:
1. Heat oil in a small pan.
2. Add mustard seeds, chillies. and curry leaves.
3. When mustard seeds splutter, add the water.
4. Now add sugar.
11. Now pour the tempering over the dhokla. Dhokla should be all wet.
12. It’s all yours to devour!