Safed Dhokla

Safed (white) Dhokla is a traditional Gujarati Recipe also called as Khata Dhokla. This Dhokla serves as a good substitute for the popular Besan Dhokla as it is light on the tummy. This is a slightly different version from the traditional recipe. I have added a South Indian style Tadka to make it more tastier. 

Approx. Time: 30 min

Yield: Approx. 2 people

Ingredients:

For Batter

3 cups regular rice

1 cup Urad dal

1/2 tspn fenugreek (methi) seeds

Water as required

For Safed Dhokla

3 cups Batter

Salt to taste

1 tspn crushed Black-pepper (or as per taste)

1 tspns Fruit Salt

Water  as required

Oil for greasing

For Tempering

1 and 1/2 tbspns Vegetable Oil

1 tspn Mustard Seeds (Rai)

1/4 tspn Asafetida (Hing)

15-20 Curry leaves

3-4 Red Chillies (Broken into two pieces)

1 tspn Sesame seeds (Til)

Salt (if required)

Pre-preparation:

To make the Batter

Wash Urad dal, Rice and Fenugreek Seeds together. Add enough quantity of water to soak the Urad Dal, Rice and Fenugreek Seeds. The level of water should be approximately 1/2 inch above the level of this mixture. Allow it to soak for 5-6 hours.

After soaking, remove excess water from dal and rice so that it can be used to adjust the consistency of the batter and keep it aside. Now transfer the mixture into a blender and blend it into paste of medium consistency (neither smooth nor coarse). Add some Dal and Rice Water kept aside, if required. Transfer the batter into a large bowl and cover it. Allow it to rest overnight so that the mixture gets fermented. Ensure that the bowl is kept in a warm place for fermentation.

Method:

To make Safed Dhokla

Take a Steamer and add enough water in the base. Cover it and allow the water to boil. Take a plate and grease it with oil. Keep the greased plate in the steamer and close the lid of Steamer.

Now take some batter in a bowl. Mix salt and crushed Black Pepper into it. Then add fruit salt and pour some water over it. The batter will start bubbling. Mix it and immediately pour the mixture in the greased plate placed in Steamer. Cover the lid. Allow it to steam for 15 minutes. Remove the lid. Check whether the Dhokla is cooked by inserting a knife into it. If the batter does not stick to it, then the Dhokla is ready. Allow it to cool and then cut it into small cubes.

Then heat oil in a Pan. Add Mustard Seeds, Asafetida, Curry leaves, Red Chilles and Sesame Seeds and mix. Then add the Dhokla pieces into the pan and toss it. Ensure that the tempering is coated evenly to all the pieces. Stir it for a minute and serve hot. 

You may garnish it with Chopped Coriander and serve it with Green Chutney.

Notes:

1. While storing the batter for fermentation, ensure that there is enough space in the bowl as the batter will rise further. If the bowl is small, then the batter will spill out of the bowl.

2. Generally, the proportion of rice to Urad Dal is 2:1 for Dhokla. However, even 3:1 yields a good result.

3. You may substitute the Fruit Salt with Soda-Bicarb (Edible Soda). However, in that case, you should mix the Soda Bi-carb with a teaspoon of oil and water to prevent red patches on the Dhokla.

4. You can also make a Sandwich Dhokla from this batter by adding a layer of Green Chutney between two pieces of Dhokla.

Step-wise Pictures: