Dhokla with green chutney
Nailed it! This took quite a few attempts to get right, but it was worth the effort. My mum introduced me to dhokla after she enjoyed it with her ex-colleague Dipa; mum reckoned herself such an expert after trying it that she became my harshest critic! These are light as air, sweet-and-sour squares, fashioned out of nutritious gram flour, then steamed and spiked with a tempering of green chillies and mustard. I still don’t have a proper Asian steamer – either a Chinese bamboo one or the Indian metal sort – but I loved working out how to turn my existing equipment into one.
Snacks are few and far between for me now, because my main meals are usually supportive enough for my digestion and Agni (see here), but this is hands-down one of my favourites, and was also the inspiration for Rosemary Mung Bean Bread (see here). Enjoy as a side or starter to any meal, served with green chutney andthetarka. PICTURED HERE.
Serves 8
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp sea salt
195g (¾ cup) homemade yoghurt (see here)
250ml (I cup) hot water
220g (1¾ cup plus 1 tbsp) gram flour
oil, for greasing
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (optional – see tip here)
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
FOR THE TARKA
2 tbsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black mustard seeds
10 curry leaves
1 large spring onion or medium onion, sliced
1 green chilli, finely sliced
¾ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp asafoetida
1 medium tomato, skinned and deseeded (see here), cubed
½ tsp sea salt
2 garlic cloves (or in summer use wild garlic leaves), crushed or finely sliced
FOR THE GREEN CHUTNEY
60g fresh coriander
½ tsp sea salt
lcm (½ in) piece of fresh ginger
juice of 1 lime
2 tsp raw honey
6 tbsp water
30g sunflower seeds, toasted
1 green chilli, chopped (optional)
1 For this recipe, you could use an Asian-style bamboo steamer or steamer with inset pan. Set this up over a high heat. If you don’t have one, you can use a pan with a tight-fitting lid that’s large enough to accommodate a 20 or 23cm (8 or 9in) cake tin. If you’re using the pan method, pour in 750ml–l litre (3–4 cups) of water and insert a deep cookie cutter or trivet to act as a stand for your tin. The cutter needs to be tall enough so that the water does not touch the bottom of the tin. Bring the water to the boil.
2 In a medium bowl, combine the turmeric, salt, yoghurt and hot water. Stir. Sift in the gram flour and whisk until thick and well mixed. (At this stage you can cover and leave to ferment for overnight or as long as possible – see tip here.)
3 Lightly grease the cake tin. When the water in the saucepan is boiling, add the bicarbonate of soda (if using) and apple cider vinegar to the batter and whisk until the mixture is foamy and bubbly.
4 Pour the batter into the tin and carefully lower it into the steamer. Cover with the tight-fitting lid and steam for about 20 minutes (or 25 minutes if using the smaller tin) over a medium heat. Test it with a toothpick – if it comes out clean, the dhokla is ready.
5 Carefully remove the tin from the steamer. Place a serving plate upside down over the top of the dhokla and quickly invert the pan, then lift it up, so the dhokla falls onto the plate.
6 To make the tarka, melt the ghee in a pan and toast the cumin and mustard seeds on a medium-high heat until they start to pop. Add the curry leaves, spring onion and finely sliced chilli and stir in the oil for a few minutes. Add the turmeric, asafoetida, tomato, sea salt and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
7 Cut the dhokla into pie-style slices or small squares, and pull the pieces apart slightly, so that the dhokla has room to expand as it absorbs the tarka. Pour the tarka in 60ml (¼ cup) measures all over the bread. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
8 Meanwhile, to make the green chutney, blend all the ingredients apart from the chilli in a blender until smooth. Little by little, add the fresh chilli, if using, until you get the spice level you want. Check the seasoning and add more salt or lime juice if required.
9 Serve the dhokla with the green chutney.
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The traditional method of preparing dhokla involves a night of fermentation to make the batter bubbly and light. I speed up the process by using bicarbonate of soda, as if it were a quick bread. But if you want the ‘slow food’ experience, omit the soda and allow the batter to sit, covered, in a warm spot overnight.