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Instant Dhokla

Dhokla/Khaman is a steamed super-soft spongy cake-like dish made mainly from semolina and gram flour. It is normally served with a delicious spicy sauce. A quick and very easy, healthy snack! 🙂
Print Recipe
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

Ingredients for Dhokla
  • 1 ¼ cups fine semolina
  • 2 tbsp channa flour/gram flour/besan flour
  • 1 ¼ cups warm water
  • 5 tbsp yoghurt
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp garlic paste
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp fresh coriander chopped
  • 2-3 tbsp green chilies chopped
  • 1 tsp Eno salt
Ingredients for Sauce
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1/4 tsp rai/mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp garlic paste
  • 2 tbsp ketchup/tomato sauce
  • 1 tsp tomato paste/puree
  • 1-2 chopped green chilies
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • juice of half a lemon
  • a few limro/curry leaves chopped finely
  • chili powder to taste
  • salt to taste

Equipment

  • 1 An 8" baking pan, greased well (with a tight fitting lid)
  • A big pot that can hold the baking pan without it touching the sides
  • 1 A wire rack on which to place the baking paHot water for the steaming

Method
 

  1. First, prepare the Dhokla.
    Put all the ingredients except for the water in a big bowl, then add warm water and beat very well using a fork. Really whisk it properly at this stage.
    Then, heat 2 tbsp. oil and add a pinch of chopped limro/curry leaves and half tsp. rai/mustard seeds. Turn off the heat and add this oil/tarka mixture into the batter and mix it in very well.
    Now the Dhokla/Khaman batter has to be steamed.
    Put the wire rack inside the big pot and add water into it. Then place the 8″ pan whilst it is still empty on the wire rack. Take care that the water does not go into the 8″ pan, it should be at a lower level but not too low that it will dry out during the cooking process. Turn on the heat and cover the big pot with a tight lid. Heat until the 8″ pan is very hot, it needs to be heated like this before the batter goes into it for best results.
    While it’s heating, add the 1 tsp. of Eno salt into the prepared batter. It will froth very quickly. Carefully remove the heated 8″ pan from the pot, add the batter into it, level it carefully, then put it carefully back in the pot. Cover the pot tightly once more and keep the heat on high. Steam for about 15 minutes.
    Once the 15 minutes are up, open the pot and stick a sharp knife into the Dhokla cake. If it comes out clean, your dhokla cake is ready. If there is still some batter sticking to it, cover again and keep steaming for a few more minutes.
    Once ready, remove the Dhokla pan carefully from the big pot, and place it on a wire rack to cool slightly. In the meantime, prepare the sauce.
    DHOKLA SAUCE
    Heat the oil, add the rai and sesame seeds, followed by the limro leaves, garlic paste, tomato paste, ketchup, salt, sugar, chili powder and lemon juice. Stir for a couple of seconds then add quarter cup of water. Simmer together on low heat for a few minutes, then turn off the heat. Your sauce is done!
    Pour this sauce over the Dhokla. Once the Dhokla has cooled completely, careful slice into it using a sharp knife and remove the pieces.
    Serve warm and enjoy! 🙂