Instant Chick Pea and Sprouted Mung Beans Dhokla (Savoury Steamed Cake)

Dhoklas are a favourite snack amongst most Gujaratis.  Often, they form part of a thali meal as a savoury compliment.  My recipe for making traditional\dhoklas is here.  Dhoklas have been a traditional Sunday brunch in my family for a long time.  It used to be fun making them when we lived together as a joint family.  Now it seems a chore preparing for just the two of us.  That's when I thought I would try out this instant dhokla recipe which worked really well.   This recipe needs to steamed so you will need a steamer.  I tend to use a large wok which I fill with water and keep a metal ring at the bottom and my tray rests on the ring. Close the lid of the wok tightly and it works fine as a steamer.


I am also trying to use up a batch of chana dall (chick pea dall) that I bought as it seemed to take ages to cook and friends told me that it could be because the dall was old.  I soaked the dall, blended it by adding just enough water to enable the blender to grind well.  I froze this in small batches and have been using it to make ondhwo/handvo, falafels and now dhokla.

 I also tried out the microwave version of dhoklas and will share my recipe soon. 

Ingredients for 4 servings:

2¼ cups of blended chana dall (chick pea dall)
1 cup of chick pea flour
1 cup of yogurt
2 tbls lemon juice
2 tsps Eno fruit salt
½ tsp soda bi carbonate

½ cup of sprouted mung beans (optional. often I add mung beans or soaked chana dall to the mixture as it's a good way of adding protein to your food)

1½ tsp salt

4-5 cloves of blended garlic

1 tbls grated or blended ginger

5-6 finely chopped green chillies

1 tsp. chilly powder

½ tsp turmeric
2-3 tbls oil to line the cooking tray

For the tempering:

3 tablespoons cooking oil
2 tsps mustard seeds
2-3 tsps sesame seeds
1-2 chopped green chillies
bunch of coriander
1 tsp chily powder to sprinkle on the dhokla.

Method:

1.  Apart from  the Eno and soda bicarbonate, mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Add one cup of warm water  - a little at a time - to form a mixture that's not too runny.

2.  Once it's mixed, grease a tray.

3.  Add the Eno and soda bicarbonate to the mixture and stir well.  The mixture will rise and is now ready to be poured in a greased tray to steam. 

4.  Sprinkle some sesame seeds and chily powder on the mixture and allow it to steam or 15-20 minutes.

5.  To check that its cooked through, put a knife through the middle of the dhokla.  if it come out dry, the dhoklas are cooked.  Once cooked - allow to cool by removing it out of the steamer and prepare the tempering..

6.  Heat the oil.  Add the mustard seeds  to the oil.  Once they stop popping, add the green chillies to the oil and pour the mixture over the dhoklas.  Some people also like to add half a cup of water with sugar added to it on the dhoklas - but I don't do that as I like the healthier option. Sprinkle the chopped coriander on the dhoklas.

7.  Cut the dhoklas into squares or diamond shapes and serve with any dip.

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