I have fond memories of my mum making perfectly soft white khatta dhokla with peanut chutney. This is a Gujarati dish made from fermented rice and lentil batter and is usually had for breakfast or evening snack. Since dhoklas are steamed, they are low in fat and a healthy snack option.

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 20-25 minutes
SERVINGS: 4
DIFFICULTY SCALE: Medium

INGREDIENTS: 

For the batter:

  1. Rice – 1 cup
  2. Split black lentils/Urad dal – ½ cup
  3. Yellow split peas/Chana dal – 4 tablespoons
  4. Fenugreek seeds – 1 tablespoons
  5. Beaten rice/poha – ½ cup
  6. Salt

For tempering:

  1. Curry leaves – 2-3 sprigs
  2. Chillies – 2
  3. Sesame seeds – 1 tablespoon
  4. Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon

For the peanut chutney:

  1. Roasted peanuts – 1/2 cup
  2. Curry Leaves – 2 sprigs
  3. Corriander leaves – 10-15 sprigs
  4. Curd – 1/3 cup
  5. Chilies – 2
  6. Salt – to taste

RECIPE:

For the dhokla:

  1. Soak the rice, lentils and fenugreek seeds in separate bowls for 4-6 hours.
  2. Soak the beaten fluffed rice/poha for an hour or so.
  3. Grind the ingredients separately till they are a fine paste and mix well in a bowl. The batter should be slightly thick, yet smooth and runny.
  4. Add salt and keep overnight to ferment.
  5. Once the batter is fermented well, grease the pans of an idli maker and add the batter and put it on steam in a steamer for 10-15 minutes until cooked.
  6. Remove the cooked dhoklas from the stand and cut them into small pieces.
  7. Add oil, mustard and sesame seeds in a pan. Once the mustard seeds start to crackle, add the curry leaves and chillies. Add the diced dhoklas and mix well.

For the chutney:

  1. Dry roast peanuts in a pan and allow them to cool and then remove their cover.
  2. Add the peanuts, chillies and salt in a grinder and grind until it turns into a smooth powder.
  3. Add curry and coriander leaves, curd and salt and grind again.
  4. Serve the chutney with the hot dhoklas.