Dhokla

Dhokla

ढोकळा

Cooked, tested & tasted by: Sandhya Ekbote

Photo credit: Sandhya Ekbote

Ingredients:

• 3 vati coarse besan (gram flour)

• 1 vati curd

•  3/4 tsp  Eno (any fruit salt)

• 3 tbsp finely cut coriander

• 3 tbsp grated coconut

• 3 tbsp oil

• Pinch asafetida

• Salt to taste

• 2 vati lukewarm water

Mirchi pani

• 4 Green chillies, diced in big pieces

• Sprinkle Sugar

• 2 tbsp oil

• 1 tsp Mustard seeds

• Pinch of hing

• Salt to taste

Procedure:

Batter prep:

1. Add lukewarm water to make buttermilk from the curd

2. Add besan to the buttermilk .

3. Stir with a whisk to create a smooth, thick batter without any lumps  and let it ferment overnight.

4. Add 3 tbsp oil, salt and hing to this fermented besan batter. Whisk it with whisk.

5. The batter should be thick yet flow easily off of the whisk.

6. Next add Eno. Eno makes it soft and fluffy.

7. Stir the Eno with the batter briskly and quickly.

8. The End should be mixed evenly with the batter. 

9. The Eno will make the batter frothy, so you need to work quickly to whisk it in thoroughly.

10. Pour the prepared batter into the greased in a dhokla stand pan.

11. Gently shake so that the batter evens out in the pan.

12. Ensure only ¾ inch of the pan is filled with the batter.

13. The cooked dhokla fluffs up to twice the batter height.

Above: Batter prep

Above: Batter ready to be steamed

Steaming:

1. Place the stand in a  pressure cooker. The water should already be boiling or hot when you place the pan with the batter. Remove the vent weight/whistle from the lid and cover the cooker tightly with its lid.

2. Steam for 15 to 20 minutes on a high flame.

3. You can begin working on the mirchi pani for tempering the dhokla while it cooks.

4. Switch off the flame. Insert a knife. It should come out clean if the dhokla is done. If the knife has batter on it, then you need to steam for another couple of minutes.

5. Let the dhokla cool completely. Gently slide a  knife along the edges to release it from the pan. Place a plate or tray on top of the pan.

6. Then quickly invert the pan.

7. If greased well, the dhokla will easily slide out onto the plate.

8. Use a sharp knife to slice the dhokla in squares and set aside until ready to temper.

Above: Pan ready to steam

Above: Steaming arrangement

Above: Loosen the edges using knife

Above: Sliced dhoklas

Mirchi Pani:

1.  First heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a small pan on the stove. 

2. Add 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds and allow them to crackle.

3. When the mustard seeds are crackling, add hing, 4 chopped green chili cut in large chunks.

4. Add 2 - 2.5 vati water and a pinch of sugar. Salt to taste.

5. Boil this and let it cool completely.

6. Dip every piece of dhokla in the mirchi pani .

7. To infuse  flavor and add moisture to the dhokla, dipping in mirchi pani is essential.

8. Garnish with 2 to 3 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves and 2 to 3 tablespoons grated coconut.

Above: Dipping in Mirchi pani

Tips:

• If the dhokla stand doesn't fit in the cooker along with the trivet/ring, take off the trivet. Leave the bottom most pan of the stand empty to use it in the pressure cooker.

• You can use idli stand or cooker pans in absence of dhokla stand. For steaming in  cooker pans, 3 vati besan can be done in 3 cooking cycles.

• For 1 vati besan in cooker pan, in place of eno, you can add ⅛ tsp baking soda and ½ lemon's juice. The  procedure remains the same.

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