home made instant dhokla ; the gujrati steamed bread


Dhokla is a protein rich steamed bread I say. Chickpea flour is a great ingredient to make everyday breads and pancakes of the sweet and savory type. This dhokla makes great use of besan or chickpea flour and gives excellent results with a gujrati style tempering.


Dhokla is nice as an evening snack, breakfast or part of an elaborate Indian meal, quick to make and light on the tummy.

We like this instant dhokla for breakfast when we have guests over, along with some daliya porridge (broken wheat cooked with milk) it becomes a practical filling breakfast that doesn’t take too much time in the kitchen early in the morning. Especially when there are many people to feed it’s always a good idea to have both sweet and savoury dishes so everyone gets something they like.

Apart from this when my energy level drops in the evening, this yellow energizing color perks me up, the sweet and sour flavor with that hot chilly kick in between is surely a mood elevator. I have been advised by a colour therapist to use more yellows and oranges in my daily routine to keep my energy levels up. By those standards this is a recipe which is appropriate to be here. A break from my usual green monotony, I have been posting only green recipes here you see.

Though the dhokla also has it's green chillies to show off ;-)

ingredients for the batter

besan or gram flour 1/2 cup
semolina or cream of wheat 1/4 cup (I have used rice flour too many times with great results)
skimmed milk curds 3/4 cup
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
salt to taste
soda bicarb 1/2 tsp
peanut oil oil 1/2 tsp

ingredients for tempering

peanut oil 1/2 tsp
asafoetida a pinch
mustard seeds 1 tsp
slit green chillies a few
curry patta 4-5 sprigs
lemon juice 2 tbsp
sugar 2 tbsp
water 1 cup
shredded coconut 1/4 cup

preparation

fill water in a deep pan, preferably idly or momo steamer, and grease a flat cake tin.

make a batter mixing all the batter ingredients, except soda bi carb, which has to be added in the end when everything is ready...the steamer is hot and the batter ready...

now add the soda bi carb and give it a quick mix, the consistency should be like that of cake, and immediately pour the batter into the tin, place it into the steamer and steam for 8-10 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

dhokla can be made in microwave but it get all dried up and chewy, small dhoklas come out well in microwave, may be a cup of batter can be microwaved in a plastic bowl with lid for 2 minutes.

let the dhokla cool, cut pieces only when it is completely cold, otherwise the pieces don't come out clean. In the meanwhile prepare the tempering, heat oil in a small pan, throw the asafoetida and mustard seeds into it, when they start spluttering add the curry leaves and green chillies, wait for a minute and pour water in it and sugar and let it boil.

Lastly put in the lemon juice and pour this sweet n sour water over the cooled and cut dhokla pieces....wait for a while till the pieces soak all the water and now it is ready to serve.

Dhokla is a complete protein because it uses a lentil and a grain, which provides a complete range of amino acids, including essential amino acids. Moreover, most kids love dhokla so it’s a good option for growing kids.

You can crumble leftover dhokla and make a Chaat by adding some assorted chutneys, whipped dahi and several etc on top. You can cut large squares out of instant dhokla and make a cut in the middle horizontally, smearing some chutney or layering sandwich fillings between the two layers and make a dhokla sandwich too.

Some people love dhokla dipped in a Chinese style sauce too. Basically this instant dhokla can be treated like any instant bread that can be served in different ways to suit individual taste.

Comments

  1. yummy,Home made dhoklas certainly must be fresh and healthy,we sometimes buy frozen.

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  2. sangeeta ...shokla some time become stiff..hard... wts the key points to make sure it remains soft??
    deepika from meow

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  3. hi deepika

    dhokla can be made either by fermenting the batter overnight or by adding fruit salt or soda bicarb for the instant ones.if you ferment the batter, do it in the greased mold itself n don't disturb it before steaming , just put the mold inside the steamer n cook.it will come out very spongy..........when you make it with fruit salt , ie, eno, pour into the mold immediately after mixing the eno in it n steam , and when you use soda bicarb , wait for about 2-3 minutes before placing it into the steamer........experience will make you perfect.......and yes, the sweet n sour water with tadka has to be enough to immerse all the prepared dhokla into it, the water will be absorbed into the dhoklas finally........this water has to be added when dhoklas are completely cooled down......
    that's it.

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  4. Hey Sangeeta, do you have the dhokla recipe in grams? do you use a normal coffee cup?

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  5. U make everything sound so simple and easy :). Tried it for the first time, taste was yummy, but it was not fluffy... One reason could be that the quantity of baking soda that I used was very less, as I feel that baking soda makes one feel bloated.. Do, I need to churn the mix like we do for pakodis....? Mine was more like the besan ki sabzi types/gatte types...

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  6. Thanks anonymous for trying the recipe..
    i am sorry that your dhokla did not become light n spongy , you have to first make the batter of all the other ingredients and then add the soda bicarb in the end , mix immediately and place in the preheated steamer....that way it will surely get spongy...and the bubbles will not get burst before cooking...
    better luck next time...

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