Sooji dhokla|rava ka dhokla|instant semolina dhokla

Being a fan of gujarati food I am a fan of dhokla.

dhokla is a steamed gujarati snack which is served with spicy green corinader chutney or mint chutney or mint coriander chutney



Dhokla or Dhokra is a vegetarian food item that originates from the Indian state of Gujarat. It is made with a fermented batter of gram flour (chickpeas). Dhokla can be eaten for breakfast, as a main course, as a side dish or as a snack. It can usually be bought from a sweet shop.

 

 

There are different kinds of dhokla prepared with different ingredients and ratios of chickpeas. Some of the popular kinds of dhoklas are:

 Khatta dhokla
 Rasia dhokla
 Khandhavi dhokla
 Cheese dhokla
 Toor dal dhokla
 tirangi dhokla/Sandwich dhokla
 Rawa dhokla
 Mixed dal dhokla
 Green peas dhokla 
 Khaman dhokla

Khaman is a similar gram flour-based food that is never confused with dhokla. Whereas dhokla is made with rice and chikpeas, khaman is made from chickpeas only. It is generally lighter in color and softer than dhokla, to make dhokla small proportion of baking soda is added while in khaman more baking soda is added to make it more fluffy spongy and porous.
Rice and chickpeas, or besan in some recipes, in the ratio 4:1 is soaked overnight. The mixture is ground and this paste is fermented for four to five hours. This is spiced by adding chilli pepper, ginger, and baking soda.

Different lentils like black grams, also known as urad dal, can also be substituted for chickpeas.

The essential ingredient is rice and its colour is mostly dark yellowish.
Todays dhokla is an instant version made from rava or sooji or semolina & it doesnt needs any fermentation .



Ingredients

 Semolina/rava/sooji -1 cup
 Sour curd(dahi) -half cup
Green chilli chopped -2
 Lemon juice-1/2 t.s
Ginger - 1 tsp (grated)
Turmeric-1/4 t.s
Chilli powder-1/4 t.s
salt-as per taste
Tadka/tempering
Whole green chillies-4 (slit)
Sesame seeds (til) -1/2 t.s 
mustard seeds(rai)- 1 tsp
Curry leaves-8
Green coriander-2 tbls
 Eno fruit salt/eating soda -1 t.s
Coconut - 1 table spoon (grated) (it is optional )




method:
1.In a mixing bowl take curd & whisk it well with a whisk .

2. Next add semolina,turmeric,salt, chopped green chillies,lemon juice and chilli powder and make a semi thick batter with water.Allow batter to rest for 15-20 minutes.

3.add 2 tbsp  oil in a small pan,add  mustard seeds,pinch of asafoetida,,when mustard crackle switch off gas  ,add 2 tbsp of water in it and then add this to the semolina mixture ,mix well


4.Now take a cooker andadd 2 glass of water in it. Keep the cooker on the gas .Grease the cooker vessel (dabba in which you cook dal /rice)with oil.



5. Add eno powder/soda into the rava mixture and whisk it well. Pour the mixture into the cooker vessel. Now keep a forged stand or any plate into the cooker before placing the cooker vessel in the cooker so it doesn't touch the bottom of the cooker.



6. Close the lid of the cooker and remove the whistle from it.

7. steam for 10 minutes on high flame.

8.Then switch off the gas. To check whether it is properly baked or not, put a fork or a tooth pick into the dhokla. If it comes out clean this means that the dhokla is ready. wait for  5 minutes then take out the cooker vessel ,let it cool  down for 5 minutes .

9.Once the dhokla cools down take it out on a plate with the help of a knife and cut it into pieces of desired shape and size.

10 Heat 2 t.s oil in a small pan ,add  mustard seeds,sesame seeds ,curry leaves,slit green chillies .when done pour over the pieces.

11. Garnish with green coriander and fresh coconut  Serve with mint corinader chutney



Tips: 

•The dhokla mixture should be too thin or too thick. If the dhokla mixture will be too thin or too thick then the dhokla will not rise well.
•Put eno salt into the mixture ands stir it with a spoon. As soon as the bubbles appear immediately put the dhokla in the greased plate to cook. Do not whisk the mixture for long. If you will delay the time to cook the dhokla after adding eno salt to it, then the dhokla will not rise well.
•Dhokla will not rise well if coked on low flame
.as a variation in the batter add shredded ginger, and roasted kaju (cashew), finely diced red chillies and roasted chana daal before steaming  it.
.Add grated veggies like corn ,chopped cabbage,capsicum,green peas,carrots to sooji batter to make sooji vegetable dhokla