Dhokla

The batter is rice and chana dal, fermented at least four hours before it is steamed.

Vegan.

Ingredients

• 200 g rice
• 100 g chana dal, split chickpeas
• a 3 cm piece of ginger
• 3 green chillies
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 15 curry leaves
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 40 g coconut, grated, to finish
• 20 g coriander leaves, to finish

Method

1. THE BATTER IS RICE AND CHANA DAL, FERMENTED AT LEAST FOUR HOURS BEFORE IT IS STEAMED. Its article gives the whole sequence: dried rice and split chickpeas SOAKED OVERNIGHT, ground, and the paste FERMENTED FOR AT LEAST FOUR HOURS, then the fermented batter STEAMED FOR ABOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES and cut into pieces. The rice is the thing to hold on to. Khaman, as on its own page, is the dish this is mistaken for, and khaman's own article draws the line exactly there: dhokla is a fermented batter THAT ALSO CONTAINS RICE. No rice and no ferment, and you have made the other one.
2. TWO TO ONE, RICE TO DAL. Two hundred grams against a hundred. More dal gives something closer to khaman; more rice and it will not rise.
3. THEY ARE SOAKED SEPARATELY AND GROUND SEPARATELY. Rice wants grinding slightly coarse, the dal smooth. Ground together, one of the two is always wrong.
4. FOUR HOURS IS THE MINIMUM AND WARMTH DECIDES THE REST. Its article says at least four. In a cold kitchen it will want eight. It is ready when it has risen and smells sour, not when the clock says so.
5. THE SPICES GO IN AFTER THE FERMENT, NOT BEFORE. Its article's order: fermented, THEN spices are added -- chilli, coriander and ginger. Salt and chilli early slow the culture down.
6. IT IS STEAMED IN A GREASED TRAY, NOT A MOULD. About fifteen minutes, in a shallow tray so the slab is two or three centimetres deep. A skewer comes out clean.
7. IT IS CUT WHILE WARM AND SEASONED AFTER CUTTING. Its article is specific: the CHOPPED PIECES are seasoned with sauteed mustard or cumin seeds, green chillies and curry leaves. So the tempering goes over the cut squares, which is how it gets between them.
8. THE TEMPERING IS POURED WITH A LITTLE WATER IN IT. A splash into the hot oil at the end makes enough to run down into the cuts rather than sitting on top.
9. ITS ARTICLE NAMES WHAT GOES WITH IT. Deep-fried chillies and a coriander chutney, garnished with fresh coriander or grated coconut.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under India · All recipes