DHOKLA

As you know, this is a Gujarathi dish. If I am right, the original recipe is one in which mixture of dals is used. That requires a little planning and also time. (Plan to post it some time later)! But this is a very quick method and the ingredients except Eno's fruit salt are always available at home. But you can always keep a stock of  a few 5gm. sachets of fruit salt at home.  Fruit salt comes in different flavours, but take care to buy the `regular'  one which  suitable for this. It is available in all medical shops and for those who live outside India,  it is available in Indian Stores. It is important to check the expiry date.

A very tasty, protein filled, non greasy, healthy and any time snack! If you come to know about the arrival of your guests three to four hours in advance, you can make and keep this ready!

So, here are the

Ingredients:

KaDale hiTTu or besan                                          3/4 cup
Chiroti rava                                                            1/4 cup
Sour curds                                                              About 3/4 to 1 cup
Thick tamarind paste                                             1/2 spoon (to be used if the curds is not sour)
Ginger                                                                    1 teaspon (finely grated)
Green chillies                                                         1 or 2 (finely cut)
Turmeric                                                                 1 pinch
Sugar                                                                      1 teaspoon
Eno's fruit salt                                                        5gm (1 sachet)
Salt                                                                         1 level teaspoon

For garnishing:

Oil                                                                           1-2 teaspoons
Mustard                                                                   1 teaspoon
Grated coconut                                                        2-3 table spoons
Coriander leaves                                                      2-3 table spoons (finely chopped)
Ingu/hing/asafoetida                                                2-3 pinches teaspoon    



Procedure:

Mix besan, chiroti rava, salt, turmeric, salt, ginger, green chilies and sugar together. Add curds and mix well till you get a consistency of idli batter. Remember to add tamarind paste if  curds is not sour. Leave it for about three hours. (If you are short of time, you can leave it just for 1 1/2 to two hours).

 Grease a 4"-6"  flat aluminium/steel pan.

Heat water in a pressure cooker on a high flame.  Keep a steel ring or a narrow container to give a bit height to place the pan. Wait till water starts boiling.

Now, the next step is to be done a bit quickly. Cut open the fruit salt sachet and quickly sprinkle over the above mixture.  You can see bubbles of gas (carbon di oxide) coming out. Now stir the contents well very quickly with a spatula and pour it into the greased pan.  It is good to finish the whole process within one minute. Now place the pan in the pressure cooker, close the lid and wait till steam starts coming out uniformly. Then steam it for about 10 minutes on a medium flame. Turn off the flame.

Allow the contents to cool for about half an hour. Take a knife around the Dhokla to make sure that the sides of the Dhokla is not sticking to the wall of the pan. Now reverse the pan on a plate and pat its base.  Transfer it the plate. 

Now your  Dhokla is ready!

Garnishing:

Heat oil and add mustard seeds. When the seeds  sputter, add ingu.  Spread this uniformly on the Dhokla.

Spread grated coconut and chopped coriander.

The Dhokla is ready to serve. Tastes great when hot.

This is usually served with tamarind chutney and or coconut chutney. But if you have enough of salt and chillies, I dont find the need of these.