← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 160 g gram flour (besan), sifted
• 1 tbsp fine semolina
• 240 ml Water
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Ginger, grated
• 1 Green chilli, finely chopped
• ¼ tsp Ground turmeric
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1½ tsp Eno fruit salt (unflavoured)
• 2 tsp Vegetable oil
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 tsp Sesame seeds
• 1 sprig Curry leaves
• 2 Green chilli, slit
• 80 ml Water
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp Coriander (cilantro), chopped
• 1 tbsp Desiccated coconut (optional)

Method

1. Bring 5 cm of water to the boil in a steamer or large pot with a rack. Grease a 20 cm round cake tin.
2. Whisk the gram flour, semolina, water, sugar, salt, ginger, chilli, turmeric, lemon juice and oil into a smooth, lump-free batter that flows like pancake batter.
3. Only when the steamer is ready, sprinkle the Eno over the batter, add 1 tsp water on top and whisk briskly in one direction for a few seconds. It will turn pale and frothy and nearly double.
4. Pour straight into the tin, set it in the steamer, cover and steam on medium-high for 15–18 min, until a skewer comes out clean. Don’t open the lid in the first 10 min.
5. Rest for 5 min, then run a knife round the edge, turn out and cut into squares.
6. For the tempering, heat the oil, pop the mustard seeds, then add the sesame, curry leaves and chillies for a few seconds. Add the water, sugar and lemon juice, bring to a boil and spoon evenly over the dhokla so it soaks in. Scatter with coriander and coconut.

Tips

• Eno (fruit salt) must be fresh and added at the last moment; it is what makes dhokla spongy. Instead, use ½ tsp baking soda with an extra 1 tsp lemon juice.
• Contains semolina (wheat).

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Cook With Manali Hebbar's Kitchen