Dhokla Recipe (Steamed Gram Flour Snack)

By
Petrina Verma Sarkar
Petrina Verma Sarkar
Food writer Petrina Verma Sarkar is a native of India with extensive knowledge of the country's regional cuisines.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 05/12/22
Dhokla
Adit_w/Flickr/CC BY-ND 2.0
Prep: 3 hrs 30 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 4 hrs
Servings: 4 servings

Dhokla is a nutritious, steamed vegetarian gram flour snack from Gujarat in Western India, but it is popular all over the country. It is sometimes served at breakfast like coffee cake, often with tamarind and mint-coriander chutneys. Some prefer to make sandwiches of it with chutney in between two slices of Dhokla.

Ingredients

  • 1 (500-gram) bag Bengal gram flour (Besan)

  • 1 1/2 cups sour yogurt

  • 1 teaspoon ginger paste

  • 1 teaspoon green chili paste, add more if you like it spicier

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

  • 1 teaspoon lime juice, or lemon juice

  • 2 tablespoons fruit salt or baking soda

  • Salt, to taste

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola or sunflower cooking oil, for tempering

  • 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

  • 6 to 8 curry leaves

  • 2 green chiles, slit lengthwise

  • 1/2 cup warm water

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh coriander leaves, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Sieve the gram flour. Mix it with the yogurt and keep aside for 2 hours.

  2. Add the ginger and green chili pastes,​ turmeric powder salt to taste, lime juice and sugar and enough warm water to make a batter of pouring consistency. Mix well.

  3. Divide the batter into 3 equal portions.

  4. Prepare the steamer and grease a square or rectangular pan to steam the Dhokla in.

  5. Divide the fruit salt/baking soda into three equal portions and add one portion to a portion of the batter. Mix well. Pour this batter into the greased dish and put it into the steamer.

  6. Cook till done—when you touch the surface of the Dhokla your fingers should come away clean.

  7. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding the fruit salt/ baking soda to each batch of batter just before steaming.

  8. Allow the steamed dhokla to cool slightly and cut into 2-inch squares.

  9. To temper, heat the oil in a wide, thick-bottomed pan and add the curry leaves, mustard and sesame seeds and green chiles. Fry till the seeds stop sputtering. Pour these into the warm water. Sprinkle this mixture all over the prepared dhokla. Keep aside for 10 minutes.

  10. Garnish with the chopped coriander and serve with ​tamarind chutney and mint-coriander chutney.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
647 Calories
18g Fat
88g Carbs
33g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 647
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 23%
Saturated Fat 2g 11%
Cholesterol 5mg 2%
Sodium 2251mg 98%
Total Carbohydrate 88g 32%
Dietary Fiber 14g 51%
Total Sugars 27g
Protein 33g
Vitamin C 29mg 147%
Calcium 232mg 18%
Iron 7mg 38%
Potassium 1347mg 29%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)