Dhokla

Dhoklas

Ingredients

• 500 g besan
• 1½ cup sour yoghurt
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp green chile paste (add more if you like it spicier)
• 2 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp lime or lemon juice
• 2 tsp baking soda
• salt to taste

Tempering

• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 6 – 8 curry leaves
• 2 green chiles slit lengthwise
• ½ cup warm water

Garnish

• ½ cup finely chopped fresh coriander leaves

Directions

1. Sieve the besan.
2. Mix it with the yoghurt and keep aside for 2 hours.
3. Add the ginger and green chile pastes, turmeric powder, salt to taste, lime juice and sugar and enough warm water to make a batter of pouring consistency.
4. Mix well.
5. Divide the batter into 3 equal portions.
6. Prepare the steamer and grease a square/ rectangular pan to steam the dhokla in.
7. Divide the baking soda into 3 equal portions and add one portion to a portion of the batter.
8. Mix well.
9. Pour this batter into the greased dish and put it into the steamer.
10. Cook till done - when you touch the surface of the dhokla your fingers should come away clean.
11. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding the fruit salt/ baking soda to each batch of batter just before steaming.
12. Allow the steamed dhokla to cool slightly and cut into 2" squares.
13. To temper, heat the oil in a wide, thick-bottomed pan and add the curry leaves, mustard and sesame seeds and green chillies.
14. Fry till the seeds stop sputtering.
15. Pour these into the warm water.
16. Sprinkle this mixture all over the prepared dhokla.
17. Keep aside for 10 minutes.
18. Garnish with the chopped coriander and serve with tamarind chutney and mint-coriander chutney.