Dhokla is my husband’s favourite evening snack and that’s the first answer I get when I ask him what to make for snack time. The kids love dhokla very much too and I hardly get couple of pieces when I make it. Literally every bite is fought for. 😁

Soft and melt in the mouth, this recipe for dhokla has been a keeper for me and over the years, I have made it so many times that I can now make a good dhokla even in my dreams. 😅 That’s the effect of being a foodie’s wife over the years with kids turning out to be foodies too.

The benefit of the three of them loving what I cook is it gets over so fast that I hardly get to eat it which has lead to my weight loss. I eat only what is necessary as compared to earlier when I got a major portion of what I cooked. My Amma will surely kill me for this. Like all mothers, she does not want me to lose weight 🙈.

Anyhow, I can assure you Amma that I am eating as much as I need. Just that the kids make me run behind them so much that there is no chance of getting fat 😂.

Hope you all try and love this dhokla as much as we do. Happy and healthy cooking! ❤️

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Rava/ Semolina/ Sooji

1 Cup Water

3/4 Cup Yogurt/ thick curd

2 Tbsp Oil

1 Tbsp Besan/ chickpea flour

2 tsp Eno fruit salt

1 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder/ Haldi

Salt to taste

For the seasoning:

1 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds/ Jeera

3 Green chillies

1 Tbsp Sugar

Salt to taste

2 to 3 Tbsp lemon juice (depending on how sour you like your dhokla)

1/4 Cup water

Few sprigs of coriander leaves and freshly grated coconut for garnish (optional)

Step by step recipe:

1. Take 1 Cup of semolina in a large bowl. Add 1 Cup water and 3/4 Cup yogurt. Mix well using a whisk.

2. Now add besan, salt, sugar, turmeric powder and oil. Mix again.

3. Add Eno fruit salt and mix well once.

4. Pour into a bowl which has been greased well with oil. Steam for 20 mins or till a knife inserted in the center comes out clear.

5. For the seasoning,

* Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds. Add green chillies and fry for few seconds.

* Now take the seasoning off the pan and add 1/4 Cup water, sugar and salt. Mix well so that sugar dissolves.

* Squeeze lemon juice and mix.

6. Pour over the steamed dhokla. Let it rest for atleast 30 mins so that the seasoning is absorbed well by the dhokla sponge.

7. Cut into squares and serve.

Notes:

* I serve this with mint chutney. Just grind mint leaves with little curd, ginger, green chillies and little coconut with salt. Add coriander leaves too if available. Grind till smooth. Tastes amazing with dhokla.

* The seasoning is very important in the dhokla flavour. Adjust sugar and lemon juice as per your taste. Please be sure to rest the dhokla atleast for 30 mins after pouring the seasoning.

* Eno fruit salt gives the dhokla it’s spongy texture. Though I have not tried this recipe without Eno, the usual substitute for Eno is equal amount of baking soda and lemon juice. So 2 tsp Eno equals 1 tsp baking soda plus 1 tsp lemon juice.

* Don’t add more water than mentioned or the dhokla won’t get the right texture. For 1 Cup semolina, 1 Cup water and 3/4 Cup thick curd gives it the right batter consistency.

* Be sure to insert a knife in the center to see if the dhokla has cooked properly after steaming.

* You can also steam this as Idlis. Just remove the Idlis in a large bowl and pour the seasoning and rest the Idlis till the liquid absorbs.

* The batter rises atleast double while steaming. So make sure to steam in a bowl in which the batter reaches only half of its height.