Dhokla is a very famous dish from the state of Gujarat in India. In this blog I am going to share, all important tips of how to make soft and spongy instant dhokla.
Dhokla is a snack dish. It can be enjoyed any time of the day. Yes, literally!! Be it breakfast, lunch or evening snack, dhokla can be enjoyed. It is generally served with green chutney. But you can have tomato or any chutney with it as per your choice. I like the combination of crispy jalebis served with dhokla. You can check the recipe of Crispy Jalebi in the sweets section of my blog.
What is Dhokla?
Dhokla is an Indian dish, from Gujarat state. It is a savoury cake, snack dish, which is steamed and then tempered with some spices, curry leaves and green chillies. Originally it is made with rice flour and gram flour and Khamman is made with gram flour. But people popularly understand dhokla and Khamman as same, and hence, the name dhokla is used widely for both versions of this dish. The recipe that I am sharing here, use gram flour (besan). It is a healthy dish. It is quite popular in all over India and also outside India too. Its light and spongy, melt in mouth texture is its main attraction.
Types of Dhokla
Now-a-days there a variety of dhoklas available in market.
- Dhokla – This is the simple original version, made with rice flour, gram flour and curd.
- Khamman – It is made with gram flour and curd only. It is very light and spongy and is commonly known as dhokla only.
- Rawa Dhokla – It is made with rawa (suji/semolina). It is a quick and easy recipe.
- Rasiya Dhokla – It is a dish made with dhokla. Generally, the left over dhoklas are served with ras (curry/gravy) and thus named rasiya dhokla.
- Khatta Dhokla – This version is made with rice and urad dal, soaked over night. Then it is fermented and steamed to make dhokla. This type of dhokla is white in color.
- Moong dal dhokla – As the name suggests, it is made with moong dal.
- Mixed dal dhokla – Again a mix of dals, soaked and then made into dhokla.
- Vrat wala Dhokla – It is made with ‘vrat wale chawal’ or ‘kuttu atta’.
There are many such types of dhoklas. No wonder, even you can invent a new type of it. You just need to know the correct method of making it, and then try out new ingredients to make this healthy snack.
Some other interesting recipes;
- kadai paneer
- Pani Puri
- Aloo Paratha
- Fafda Recipe
- Samosa: Perfect homemade Samosa recipe, market style and crunchy (All Tips)
Tips for a perfect Dhokla
1. Gram flour – It is very important to use a good quality gram flour. I have failed many times by using some local brand gram flours. So the best way is to either, grind the chana dal at home or be very sure of the quality of the gram flour you use, or else the dhokla will not rise.
2. Curd – If you use curd in your recipe, then make sure that it’s sour, as it helps in fermentation of the batter.
3. Baking soda or Eno – These are used when making instant dhoklas, without fermentation. Baking soda and eno helps in rising the batter instantly. Generally, either one of these is used in the instant dhokla recipe.
4. Citric acid or Lemon Juice – These are the common sour agents used by market shops and even home cooks for making dhoklas light.
5. Bowl – Always use a deep bowl for mixing the flour. As it allows whisking of the ingredients nicely.
6. Soaking – This is a main step to get a super soft, melt in mouth and spongy dhokla. Do it right, as per the recipe you are following.
Recipe Video
Ingredients
For Dhokla
- Powdered sugar – 3 tsp
- Haldi (turmeric powder) – 1/8 tsp
- Lemon Juice – 3 tsp
- Oil – 2 tbsp
- Besan (gram flour) – 1cup
- Water – 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp
- Eno – 1.5 tsp
- Salt – to taste
For tempering
- Oil – 1 tbsp
- Rai (mustard seeds) – 1 tsp
- Green chillies – 2, slit (increase as per taste)
- Curry leaves – 12- 15 leaves
- Sugar – 2 tbsp
- Lemon Juice- 1 tbsp
- Water – 1 cup
Chopped coriander for garnish
water for steaming
Method
1. Take powdered sugar, haldi, lemon juice and oil in a deep bowl.
2. Mix them nicely.
3. Add 2 tbsp besan (gram flour) and mix in with the above mixture.
4. Add 2 tbsp water and mix the flour nicely. This is done to ensure that there are no lumps formed in the batter.
5. Now, add the remaining gram flour(besan) and mix, using the water. Make sure there are no lumps in the batter.
6. Whisk this batter for about 7-8 min nicely, in one direction. Whisking is important, as it starts the natural fermentation in the batter. Add salt and mix.
7. Cover and keep it for 15 min.
8. You will see the batter already fermenting without any eno or baking soda. Check the small bubbles forming up in the pic below.
9. Now, heat water in a kadai or steamer and keep a stand in it, for steaming the dhokla. The water should not touch the bottom of the tin/pan in which you will put the dhokla batter.
10. Now , grease the pan and keep it ready for pouring the batter.
11. When you see that the water is hot in the steamer, then add the eno and 2 tbsp of water, and mix it well in the batter. Do this step really quickly.
12. You will see the batter getting light and fluffy. Mix nicely.
13. Immediately, pour it in the greased tin/pan and keep it in the steamer for steaming.
14. Steam dhokla for about 22-24 min on low medium flame. Do not open the steamer or kadai in between. The hot steam will escape out, making the dhokla flat. Check only after atleast 18 min.
15. Once the dhokla is steamed, take out the tin and let the dhokla cool down.
16. In the meanwhile, prepare the tempering / tadka.
17. Heat oil in a kadai or tadka pan. Add rai, green chillies and curry leaves and saute them on a high flame.
18. Add water and sugar. Mix sugar to dissolve completely.
19. Add lemon juice. At this stage you can also add in more salt as per taste.
20. Let this mixture boil and then simmer for a minute or two. You can add more sugar, lemon juice or water as per your requirement.
21. Now, unmould the dhokla, which must have cooled down by now. Again put it back in the tin in which you steamed it. Or keep it in a bowl of the same height as the dhokla. This ensures proper soaking of the dhokla.
22. Cut dhokla in to the desired pieces and pour the tempering syrup on it. Dhokla should immerse well in the syrup. Keep it covered like this for atleast 10 min. Decorate with chopped coriander.
23. For the best taste, after soaking, keep the dhokla covered, inside the fridge for 30 min.
Hope you like this recipe and will try it. You can follow my food stories on Facebook and Instagram too. Would love to read your comments, reply to your queries and get some suggestions, on my blog. Till then, enjoy food “from my palate to yours”.
Wow loved it dear great
Thank you dear… glad you liked the recipe and post.
Do try!!