Easy microwave recipe for a traditional Gujarati snack food, perfect with chai
Dhokri or Dhokla is a famous savory snack food from the state of Gujarat in India. It is served with chai or as an appetizer. It’s soft, spongy texture is so comforting. It is garnished with a tempering of curry leaves and mustard seeds and often with dried desiccated coconut. Many also serve it with crunchy thin sev on top. It can be eaten with tamarind (imli) or green chutney. There are 2 ways to make it, one is a savory option which has a slightly tart flavor while the other is sweet as it is soaked in a sugar syrup.
This recipe is a shortcut microwave option using Sooji (semolina) instead of Besan (chick pea flour). Sooji or Semolina is a course ground meal of Wheat. Using Eno powder is another great shortcut to make it rise and keep it soft. I do add a tempering on top as the curry leaves and mustard seeds provide flavor, however I skip the soaking with sugar syrup. I prefer to avoid the extra sugar and like is more savory and tart flavor of the yogurt (Khatta Dhokla).
It’s a common snack with chai for a heavier in between meals option perfect for weekends. I remember enjoying it frequently on Saturday’s or Sunday’s in between a heavy breakfast and an early dinner as a light lunch. So here is a quick recipe for a perfect afternoon snack!
Makes a 9″ round pie dish
Time: 10 mins to let it soak, 10-12 mins cooking time in microwave
Ingredients:
- 2 cups Semolina (Sooji)
- 1 cup yogurt (whole or low fat, not greek)
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ginger garlic (adrak lasen) paste
- 1 tsp green chutney (optional)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric (haldi) powder
- 1/4 tsp red chili powder or flakes or 1 diced green chili
- 2 tsp Eno powder
- Tempering: 6-8 curry leaves, 2 tbs oil, 1 tsp black mustard seeds (rai)
- Garnish optional: 2 tbsp desiccated coconut, 2 tbsp chopped cilantro, 3 tbsp thin sev
Method:
- Mix sooji, yogurt, water, salt, ginger garlic, green chutney, turmeric, chili powder, together in a bowl with a whisk. It should look like a thick bhajia batter consistency.
- Set aside for 10 mins
- Grease/spray a microwavable dish with oil (9″ round glass pie dish with 3″ height). To avoid overflow, ensure the dish has at least 1″ inch height above the batter as it will rise during cooking.
- Add Eno powder and quickly stir in well. It will start to bubble. Immediately pour into baking dish. This step needs to be done quickly, after adding Eno, do not let it sit longer than a min. The batter needs to cook while the Eno is still bubbling and activated.
- Microwave uncovered for 10-12 mins. Older microwaves or low watt may take 12, while newer higher watt microwaves may take only 10 mins.
- Check at 10 mins with the toothpick test. Insert a toothpick or a knife in the middle, it should come out clean just like a cake. If it has raw dough then cook longer, 30 seconds at a time. It should rise like a cake, but not change color at all.
- Tempering: in a small frying pan, add oil, curry leaves, mustard seeds and heat till they splutter. Add this on top of the dish when both are hot. Sprinkle coconut, and cilantro.
- Serve hot immediately with chutneys and chai.
- Enjoy!
Tips:
- Do not reheat leftovers for too long in the microwave again. The longer it cooks, the harder it becomes. At most 30 seconds.
- Eno can be found at Indian stores, ensure it is not expired.
- The size of the pan is very important as it impacts the cook time. Too large dish will make a thin layer and cook faster. too small dish will not cook fast enough. Also ensure the dish is not too shallow, as it will rise during cooking. Ideally the height of the raw batter should be approximately 2 inches and the dish should have another 1″ of height so it does not overflow during cooking.