Dhokla - besan dhokla - khaman dhokla recipe

Dhokla has been on my menu for a long long time now. Honestly, I was always intimidated to make dhokla at home, because it felt like a very tiresome process to me. That was the only reason I never gave it a try in my kitchen for all these days. Being a south Indian, dhokla is not a regular item either at home or even in my neighborhood. Dhoklas were rarely available even as street food near my house. So, dhokla has always been a special treat for us, especially me 🙂

Dhokla is a savory cake-like recipe made using besan (chickpea flour) and other spices, that is steamed to perfection. I used Eno fruit salt for this recipe to bring that lovely spongy texture that dhoklas have.

I was checking some online recipes for dhokla and what I realised was it could be done in no time once we have the eno fruit salt available. Well, you can also use baking soda instead, but I personally prefer adding fruit salt. So, I gave it a try and turned out delicious. So, I am now making it like a snack during weekends, and my husband is so happy with its taste.

So, try this recipe once and you will believe me when I say that it is really easy to make. There is another quicker version made using microwave. I tried it only once and I was not very happy with the texture. I will soon post that recipe too.

You can serve this dhokla with a sweet and sour sauce or ketchup, but I prefer it by itself. Dhokla can be had for breakfast or like a snack. It is healthy as there is chickpea flour in it, but eating too much might upset stomach a bit.

I love preparing snack recipes, especially during weekends. I have already shared many simple snack recipes –

Serves: 2 – 4

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 10-12 mins

Ingredients

Besan or chickpea flour – 1 cup

Water – ¾ cup

Semolina or suji or upma rava – 1 tsp

Lemon juice – 1 tsp

Salt – to taste

Eno fruit salt or baking soda – 1 tsp (If using baking soda, use ¾ tsp)

Curd – 2 tbsp, optional (adjust water accordingly)

Ginger – 1 tsp, finely chopped

Green chili – 1, very finely chopped

To temper

Oil – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Coriander leaves – 1 tbsp, finely chopped

Asafoetida or hing – ¼ tsp

Sugar – 1 or 2 tbsp (depending on your preference)

Water – ¼ cup

Procedure:

Grease a steamer pan or any pan that you want to use for the dhokla with a generous amount of oil. This is very important or else the dhokla will stick to the pan.
I used pressure cooker for my recipe. Pour about 2-3 cups water in the pressure cooker and let it come to a boil. Reduce the flame and let it simmer.
I placed a baking grill stand inside the pressure cooker. Once the batter is ready, we will place the dhokla pan to steam on the stand and cover the lid to steam.
For the batter, take the besan in a large bowl.
Add salt, ginger, chili, lemon juice, suji and curd. Mix well. Curd is not needed when using eno fruit salt. But, if you are using baking soda, addition of curd gives a nice little tangy taste.
I did not add lemon juice to my batter as the eno I used was lemon flavor.
Add the water to make a thick flowing batter. Be careful while adding water as the batter should not become loose.
Take the eno fruit salt and add it to the batter.
Keep mixing the batter real quick as the batter changes texture immediately and becomes frothy.
Mix evenly so that the fruit salt is well incorporated into the batter.
Transfer this batter into the greased pan.
Place the pan in the steamer or pressure cooker.
Cover the pressure cooker lid by removing it’s whistle.
Cook on medium flame for 10-12 minutes.
Check if the dhokla is cooked. Insert a toothpick and if it comes out clean, it is cooked.
Transfer to a plate and let it cool a bit.
For the tempering, heat oil in a pan and once hot, add the mustard seeds, hing and coriander leaves.
Add water (be careful as water will spill out), sugar and let it come to one boil.
Pour it on the prepared dhokla.
Cut the dhokla and serve warm.