Indian & South Asian · Breakfast · Snack
Dhokla
ઢોકળા (Khaman Dhokla)
Soft, spongy squares of steamed chickpea flour cake with a tangy-sweet flavour, topped with a sizzle of mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chilli. A light, protein-rich Gujarati favourite that works as a snack or breakfast.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 53% · Fat 30% · Protein 17%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 1 1/2 cups150 gChickpea flour (besan)
- 3/4 cup180 gWater for batter
- 2 tbsp30 gLemon juice
- 1 tbsp13 gSugar
- 3/4 tsp5 gSalt
- 1 tbsp6 gFresh ginger, finely grated
- 3 small15 gGreen chillies
- 1/4 tspGround turmeric
- 1 tsp5 gBaking soda
- 1 tbsp14 gSunflower oil
- 1 tspMustard seeds
- 1 tspSesame seeds
- 10 leavesCurry leaves
- 1/3 cup80 gWater for tempering
- 2 tbspFresh coriander leaves, chopped
- 2 tbsp10 gFresh grated coconut (optional)
- 4 cups950 gWater for steaming
Steps
- 1
Pour the steaming water into a large pot or steamer, set a rack inside and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- 2
Brush a 20 cm (8 in) round cake tin with 1 tsp of the oil.
- 3
Finely chop 2 of the green chillies; slit the remaining one lengthwise for the tempering.
- 4
In a bowl, whisk the chickpea flour, 180 ml water, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp sugar, salt, ginger, chopped chillies and turmeric into a smooth, thick pouring batter.
- 5
Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
- 6
Just before steaming, sprinkle the baking soda over the batter, pour the remaining 1 tbsp lemon juice on top and stir gently in one direction until it turns light and frothy.
- 7
Pour the batter straight into the greased tin and place it on the rack in the steamer.
- 8
Cover and steam over medium heat for 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- 9
Remove the tin and let it cool for 5 minutes, then cut into squares.
- 10
Heat the remaining 2 tsp oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds; let them crackle.
- 11
Add the sesame seeds, curry leaves and slit chilli and stir for 20 seconds.
- 12
Pour in 80 ml water and the remaining 1 tsp sugar, bring to a boil and turn off the heat.
- 13
Spoon the tempering evenly over the dhokla squares so they soak it up.
- 14
Garnish with chopped coriander and grated coconut, if using, and serve warm or at room temperature.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use lime juice instead of lemon juice for the same tangy lift.
- Swap the sunflower oil for any neutral oil such as rapeseed or groundnut oil.
- Leave out the grated coconut, or use unsweetened desiccated coconut soaked briefly in warm water if fresh is hard to find.
- For a milder version, replace the chopped green chillies in the batter with a pinch of black pepper and keep just the slit chilli in the tempering.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days; dhokla is softest fresh, so warm it briefly in a steamer or microwave with a sprinkle of water until steaming hot. Freezing is not recommended, as it turns crumbly and dry.
Make ahead
Mix the batter without the baking soda and final lemon juice up to a few hours ahead and keep it in the fridge, adding them just before steaming. You can also steam the dhokla a day ahead, chill it, and add a fresh tempering when serving.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: MustardSesame
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (365 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 201 kcal | 55 kcal |
| Protein | 8.9 g | 2.4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 26.5 g | 7.3 g |
| of which sugars | 7.7 g | 2.1 g |
| Fiber | 4.4 g | 1.2 g |
| Fat | 6.6 g | 1.8 g |
| of which saturated | 0.7 g | 0.2 g |
| Sodium | 780 mg | 214 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
