Dhokla

History

Dukkia, a pulse-based precursor of the dhokla, is mentioned in a Jain text dated to 1066 CE. The earliest extant work to mention the word "dhokla" is the Gujarati Varanaka Samuchaya (1520 CE).

Preparation

Rice and split chickpeas (chana dal), in a particular ratio (to achieve the desired texture and taste) are soaked overnight. The mixture is ground, and the paste is fermented for four to five hours or overnight. This is spiced by adding chili pepper, Coriander, ginger and baking soda.

The fermented batter is then steamed for about 15 minutes on a flat dish and cut into pieces. These chopped pieces are seasoned in hot oil with mustard seeds. Asafoetida and chopped green chillies can also be fried and, sometimes, an equal amount of water. The pieces are then removed from dish. Sometimes it is also fried in hot oil with cumin seeds.

It is usually served with deep fried chillies and chutney made from coriander. It is garnished with coriander and often with grated coconut.

Another method is to steam the fermented batter for 10 to 15 minutes on plates placed inside a container that does not allow steam to escape. To avoid steam water falling on the batter during preparation, a cloth may be placed inside the container. The plates are not directly placed on the base, or the batter will burn, so a small stand is used. When the batter is steamed properly, the plates are taken out of the container and then served with raw oil poured over the dhokla, or used as dip. Other ingredients like curd, tomato sauce, garlic paste, or coriander paste may be used in serving, however none of these are traditionally eaten with dhokla.

Types of Dhokla

There are different kinds of dhokla prepared with different ingredients and ratios of chickpeas. Some of the popular kinds of dhoklas are:

• Khatta dhokla
• Rasia dhokla
• Moong dal dhokla
• Khandavi dhokla
• Cheese dhokla
• Toor dal dhokla
• Sandwich dhokla
• Rava dhokla
• Mixed dal dhokla
• Green peas dhokla
• Meetha dhokla
• Besan dhokla
• Khaman dhokla

Khaman is a similar gram flour-based food. Whereas dhokla is made with rice and chickpeas, khaman is made from chickpeas only. It is generally lighter in color and softer than dhokla. To make dhokla, a small proportion of baking soda is added while to make khaman more baking soda is added to make it more fluffy, spongy and porous.

Idada is another variety of dhokla, which is made by using different lentils like black grams, also known as urad dal, instead of chickpeas. Dhokla is very commonly used as a breakfast or as a snack in western parts of India including Madhya Pradesh, though nowadays it's available in every Indian state. It is an easy to cook and easy to digest snack.