Everyday meals
Dhokla
A soft, fluffy steamed cake made with semolina. A favorite snack or quick breakfast.
- Prep
- 15 minutes
- Cook
- 15 minutes
- Makes
- One 8-inch cake, about 8 servings
From Ayurveda: Breaking the Rules Without Breaking the Principles
Dhokla is traditionally made with a fermented batter of soaked dal and rice. In Newfoundland, my mother had an impossible time fermenting at colder temperatures, so a friend helped her adapt the recipe to use semolina flour instead. Now she prefers it this way, and semolina is pacifying to most constitutions.
The batter uses dry flour, so move it to the steaming pan as soon as it is mixed or the cake will dry out. A standard steamer insert in a regular saucepan works well. Black mustard seeds have an aroma reminiscent of curry leaves, but brown or yellow will do.
Ingredients
For the taste mixture- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup semolina flour
- 1/2 cup full-fat yogurt
- 1 teaspoon salt
- A pinch of ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Eno (or 1/2 teaspoon each baking soda and baking powder)
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil (safflower, avocado or pure olive)
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 4 to 5 curry leaves (optional)
Method
- 1Grease an 8-inch stainless-steel cake pan with ghee or oil. Fill a large pot with about an inch of water and bring it to a boil over high heat.
- 2Whisk the taste mixture ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
- 3In a large bowl, mix the semolina, yogurt, salt, turmeric, sugar, red pepper flakes, ginger and lemon juice well.
- 4Add the Eno and immediately pour the batter into the prepared pan. Work quickly from here, since the batter dries out if it sits.
- 5Set the pan in a steamer insert, lower it into the pot of boiling water, and cover.
- 6Steam over high heat for 10 minutes. If a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, move the pan to a cooling rack. If not, steam for 5 minutes more and check again.
- 7Slowly pour the taste mixture over the warm dhokla, covering the whole surface.
- 8For the vaghaar, heat the oil in a small pan over high heat until it shimmers, about 1 minute.
- 9Add the mustard seeds and wait until they pop, about 30 seconds. Add the sesame seeds and curry leaves, if using, and cook 30 seconds more, until the sesame seeds brown slightly. Do not let them burn.
- 10Spoon the seeds evenly over the dhokla and discard the curry leaves. Let it cool.
- 11Cut into 2-inch diagonal pieces. Serve with coriander chutney, if you like.
