My older daughter has “Gujarati week” starting tomorrow in her school. I think it’s a great idea to celebrate such events in school so kids are aware of their rich and varied Indian culture. This is something we made for her to take in her tiffin.
Dhokla is a light and healthy snack. It is made of Gram flour which makes it full of protein. It is steamed, so less oily and quite yummy. Kids enjoy it a lot.
To make this tasty treat you’ll need:
For Batter 350gms Gram flour (Besan) 1cup Curd (Stirred) 1tsp Green Chilies paste 1tsp Ginger paste Salt to taste 1tsp Soda bi-carb / Eno fruit salt 1 Lemon juice 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder 1tbsp Oil
For Tampering Few Curry leaves 1tsp Mustard Seeds 2tsp Oil 2-3 green chilies (vertically slit)
For Garnishing 1 cup freshly grated Coconut Coriander leaves (chopped)
Here’s how to make it:
1. Mix together besan, turmeric powder salt and curd. Bring to a thick consistency like cake batter stirring all the time to avoid lumps. Cover and set aside for 4 hours.
2. After 4 hours, add ginger-chilly paste to the batter.
3. Now in small bowl take a tsp. of soda bi-carb or eno, 1tsp oil and lemon juice and mix well.
4. Add this to the besan mixture and beat vigorously to make the batter light and fluffy.
5. Grease a deep plate well with oil.
6. In a thick pan or rice cooker, add water and start heating. Place the plate with the batter in this pan, cover and steam well. Make sure you remove the weight (whistle) when using cooker. Alternatively you could use idli cooker, so dhokla will come out in the shape of idlis :)
7. After 10 mins, open the lid and poke one knife into Dhokla to see if it’s done. If the knife comes out clean, take it off the heat. If not, continue steaming for another 5 mins.
8. Remove and let cool.
9. For tampering, heat oil in a pan and when hot add rest of the ingredients one by one. Once mustard seeds splutter, take off the heat and pour onto Dhokla pieces.
10. Garnish with grated coconut, Coriander leaves and serve with tomato sauce / ketchup and lots of love!
