Tired of the same old traditional dhoklas? Here’s a new contemporary version of the traditional Gujarati recipe that will appeal to all age groups.
Ingredients (for 4 people)
For dhokla
- 3/4 kg readymade dhokla batter
- 1 teaspoon of ginger chilly paste
- Salt to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
- 1.5 teaspoons of oil
- 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
For bhaji:
- 3 medium sized tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1 medium sized capsicum, finely chopped
- 2 medium sized onions, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon of ginger chilly paste
- 1 tablespoon of garlic paste
- Salt to taste
- 1.5 teaspoons of red chilly chutney (find the recipe below)
- 1.5 teaspoons of Pav Bhaji masala
- 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon of Kitchen King masala
- 1 teaspoon of kasuri methi
- 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon of Kashmiri red chilly powder
- 1.5 teaspoons of lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon of coriander leaves
- 1.5 teaspoons of cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1/4 teaspoon of asafoetida (hing)
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- 1 tablespoon of ghee
Method
For red chilly chutney
Take 4-5 Kashmiri red chillies, and remove their stems. Soak them in water for 15-20 minutes. Drain the water and take the chillies in a mixer jar. Add 4-5 garlic cloves, a finely chopped small onion, and the required amount of salt, and grind it to form the chutney.
For bhaji
Heat oil and ghee in a non-stick fryer pan. Once heated, add cumin seeds to the pan. When the cumin seeds are roasted, add asafoetida to the pan, followed by ginger chilly paste and garlic paste. Mix the contents of the pan properly. Now add finely chopped onions to the pan. Add some salt and stir the onions, and let them cook. When the onions become slightly transparent, add the finely chopped capsicum to the pan and stir. Follow this up with finely chopped tomatoes and let them cook.
Once the tomatoes are cooked, add all the masalas in the pan along with the red chilly chutney, and stir thoroughly. Finally, add lemon juice and coriander leaves. Turn off the gas now, and let the mixture cool down. Your bhaji is ready!
For dhokla
In the readymade dhokla batter, add all salt, asafoetida, ginger chilly paste, oil, and baking soda, and stir the mixture properly. Now split the batter evenly in two vessels. In one of the vessels, add some turmeric powder and stir. Now you have two batter colors: yellow and white.
Next, grease a plate with oil. Take 3-4 spoonfuls of the white batter and spread it on the plate. Now place a pan on the stove, add water to it, and place a cooking pot tray in the pan. Place the white batter plate on the tray. Use another plate as a lid for this plate and let the batter cook. After 5 minutes, once the batter has cooked slightly, remove the lid and spread about 2.5 spoonfuls of bhaji on top of it. On top of this bhaji, add 3-4 spoonfuls of yellow batter and spread it. Sprinkle some red chilly powder on top. Once again place the lid and let the dhoklas cook.
After 8-10 minutes, lift the lid and poke the dhokla with a knife. If the batter doesn’t stick to the knife, the dhoklas are ready. Take out the plate and let it cool. Next, cut out dhokla pieces from the plate. Your delicious dhoklas are now ready. Keep preparing more platefuls depending on how many dhoklas you require. Serve them hot with green chutney!
To read more delicious recipes from Ketaki’s kitchen in English, Hindi, and Gujarati, visit https://ketakikirasoi.com.