Safed Dhokla

Safed dhokla, literally meaning white dhokla, is one of the most popular Gujarati snacks

 

Dhokla is a really versatile dish. This white variety of dhokla is made chiefly with rice, which means it goes with almost anything. It tastes great with a wide range of dips, sauces, pickles. It is not one of those items that you have to plan the entire menu around, it just blends with most combinations of dishes. It can be a part of a formal meal, or it can be served as a snack. It is easy to whip up in a few minutes if you have the batter ready. You can also use different seasonings to give a subtly different flavor to each batch. This much loved snack has also inspired some unusual food combinations, one of them being ras dhokla, i.e. dhokla with mango pulp.

Clean, wash, and soak three measures of rice to one measure of urad dal separately for 4-6 hours. Grind them separately. Grind the urad dal to a fine paste till it is light and fluffy. Grind the rice slightly more coarsely. Mix the two pastes and let it stand for 5-6 hours or overnight so that it ferments. At the end of that period, either cook the batter or refrigerate till you need it. This batter keeps in the fridge for well over a day. The traditional way of cooking dhokla requires a large container for steaming, a small inverted bowl to be placed in the boiling water, and a flat dish or pan containing batter to place on top of the bowl.  Then a large dish covers the big container. It can easily be cooked in a pressure cooker or in an idli cooker too.

While cooking, prepare the batter in small batches by transferring to another container and adding salt and ground green chillies. Spread the batter thinly in a greased flat pan or a deep dish and season with red chilli powder, ground pepper or chilli flakes. Cover it and cook on medium flame for 5-6 minutes. Use the clean knife test to check if it is cooked. If not, cover and cook some more. Once cooked, remove from the steaming container and let it cool slightly. Cut it into any shape or size of your choosing, remove from the pan using a flat spoon, and serve hot. 

Recipe for Safed Dhokla

1 ½ cups of rice
½ cup urad dal
5-6 Ground green chillies
Salt
Seasonings, such as ground pepper, red chilli powder, or chilli flakes

1.  Clean, wash, and soak three measures of rice to one measure of urad dal separately for 4-6 hours.
2.  Grind them separately. Grind the urad dal to a fine paste till it is light and fluffy. Grind the rice slightly more coarsely. Mix the two pastes, cover and let it stand for 5-6 hours or overnight so that it ferments.
3.  While cooking, prepare the batter in small batches by transferring to another container and adding salt and ground green chillies.
4.  Spread the batter thinly in a greased flat pan or a deep dish and season with red chilli powder, ground pepper or chilli flakes.
4.  Cook by any steaming method on medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Use the clean knife test to check if it is cooked. If not, cover and cook some more.
5.  Once cooked, remove the pan from the steaming container and let it cool slightly.
6.  Cut it into any shape or size of your choosing, remove from the pan using a flat spoon, and serve hot.

Vatana ni Kachori (steamed)

Delicious steamed vegetarian dumplings with fresh green peas and coconut filling

This steamed version of Vatana ni Kachori is a healthy but an equally delicious alternative to the original deep fried version. Unlike the deep fried kachoris, I make these steamed ones as often as I can throughout the season. It contains the same delicious filling and the same delicate outer covering, but with one difference. Steaming makes for a soft outer covering that melts in your mouth, rather like the Chinese style dumplings.

So, for filling, half crush the shelled fresh green peas and roast in a little oil on a low flame for a few minutes. Grind together green chillies, a small piece of ginger, and fresh coconut cut into smaller pieces and add to the peas. Add chopped fresh coriander, lemon juice, garam masala, sugar and salt and keep aside.

Make firm dough using all purpose flour, with some shortening and salt added. Make small loaves about 1 inch in diameter and roll them out in thin rounds. Put a spoonful of filling in the middle and pull the sides up and press them together, roughly forming a shape like the one in the picture above. You do not necessarily need to the trim off too much of the extra dough on the top of the dumpling, as long as you ensure that the opening is properly closed. Grease the steaming basket before you place the dumplings in it. Cook for 6-8 minutes. Since this recipe itself is a departure from tradition, I would suggest trying different dips and sauces. You may be surprised to find out what works!

Recipe for Steamed Vatana ni Kachori

5 cups shelled fresh green peas

4 tbsp oil

2-3 whole green chillies

½ inch piece of ginger

¾ cup fresh coconut cut into small pieces

2 cups fresh coriander

1 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp salt approximately

½ tsp garam masala

2 cups all purpose flour

1.  Half crush the shelled fresh green peas and roast in 2 tbsp oil on a low flame for a 3-4 minutes.
2.  Grind together the green chillies, ginger, and fresh coconut cut into smaller pieces and add the paste to the crushed peas.
3.  Add chopped fresh coriander, lemon juice, garam masala, sugar and approximately 2 tsp salt to the mixture and keep aside.
4.  Mix 2 tbsp oil and 1tbsp salt with the all purpose flour, and add just enough water to knead it into a firm dough, approximately ½ cup water should be enough.
5.  Make small loaves about 1 inches in diameter and roll them out in thin rounds. Put a spoonful of filling in the middle and pull the sides up and press them, making sure that they stick together.
6.  Place the dumplings in a steaming basket and cook for 6-8 minutes. Serve plain or with a dip of your choosing.

Vatana ni Kachori

Fried dumplings with a delicious filling of fresh green peas and coconut

I never make Vatana ni Kachori when I am alone. It is one of those sinfully delicious snacks that you can never have enough of. The very thought of the filling made of fresh ingredients and the delicately crisp crust is enough to make my mouth water. And so, it is a dish that makes me look forward to having people over.

According to me, nothing beats the flavor of fresh green peas in season. It is no surprise then, that green peas feature a very prominent role in many of the seasonal Gujarati dishes cooked in winter. Half crush the shelled fresh green peas and roast in a little oil on a low flame for a few minutes. Grind together green chillies, a small piece of ginger, and fresh coconut cut into smaller pieces and add to the peas. Add chopped fresh coriander, lemon juice, garam masala, sugar and salt and keep aside.

Make firm dough using all purpose flour, with some shortening and salt added. Make small loaves about 1 inch in diameter and roll them out in thin rounds. Put a spoonful of filling in the middle and pull the sides up and press them together, roughly forming a shape like the one in the picture above. Trim off the extra dough at the top of the dumpling and pat it down. Try not to tear or leave any small holes in the dumpling where the filling peeks through, because these are sure to break open when you fry them. Deep fry till the kachoris are golden brown and serve piping hot with ketchup or coriander chutney.

Recipe for Vatana ni Kachori

5 cups shelled fresh green peas

4 tbsp oil

2-3 whole green chillies

½ inch piece of ginger

¾ cup fresh coconut cut into small pieces

2 cups fresh coriander

1 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp salt approximately

½ tsp garam masala

2 cups all purpose flour
Oil, for frying


1.  Half crush the shelled fresh green peas and roast in 2 tbsp oil on a low flame for a 3-4 minutes.
2.  Grind together the green chillies, ginger, and fresh coconut cut into smaller pieces and add the paste to the crushed peas.
3.  Add chopped fresh coriander, lemon juice, garam masala, sugar and approximately 2 tsp salt to the mixture and keep aside.
4.  Mix 2 tbsp oil and 1tbsp salt with the all purpose flour, and add just enough water to knead it into a firm dough, approximately ½ cup water should be enough.
5.  Make small loaves about 1 inches in diameter and roll them out in thin rounds. Put a spoonful of filling in the middle and pull the sides up and press them, making sure that they stick together.
6.  Trim off the extra dough at the top of the dumpling and pat it down. Try not to tear or leave any small holes in the dumpling where the filling peeks through, because these are sure to break open when you fry them.
7.  Deep fry in oil till the kachoris are golden brown and serve piping hot with ketchup or coriander chutney.

Churma na Ladoo

Sweet ladoos made of whole wheat flour that can also be served as a snack

In many cultures, foods are associated with specific festivals. In India, the kind of foods that are associated with festivals can sometimes vary a lot depending on location, community, religion, and a number of other factors besides. Sometimes, they even vary from family to family. Making ladoos for Ganesh Chaturthi is however a popular custom. And in my family, I look forward to the Churma na Ladoo that are made for this festival each year, it being one of my favorite sweets. These ladoos keep for days even without refrigeration and are extremely filling.

 

This dish requires careful preparation to get the texture of the ladoos just right. We start out with a mixture of whole wheat flour and rawa, to which shortening is added, and just enough water to make firm dough. The dough is then pressed into loaves that are roughly the shape and size of your palm when you make a loose fist. Leave the grooves that your fingers make in these loaves and do not try to smoothen them out by rolling. The more uneven their shape is, the crumblier texture of your ladoos will be.

Deep fry the loaves in oil on medium heat till they are light brown. Break open the fried loaves into smaller pieces while they are still warm. Broken loaves will look roughly like the ones in the middle bowl in the image. Once they cool down slightly, grind them to a powder that is neither too coarse, nor too fine. Again, it should look a little bit like the powder in the right bowl in the above image. Add melted ghee, ground sugar, cardamom, and nutmeg and roll them into spheres between the palms of your hands. You can take the prepared ladoos and roll them in poppy seeds or serve as they are. 

Recipe for Churma na Ladoo

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup rawa

¼ cup vegetable oil

1¼  cup ground sugar

⅔ cup melted ghee

½ tsp ground cadamom

A dash of nutmeg

Poppy seeds, optional

Vegetable oil, for frying

1.  Sieve together the whole wheat flour and rawa. Add the vegetable oil and approximately 1⅓ cup water. Knead into a firm dough.

2.  Press into loaves using the palm of one hand, the loaves should be the size of your palm when you make a loose fist. Leave the texture of the loaves uneven.

3.  Deep fry the loaves in oil on medium heat till they are light brown, and break into smaller pieces while still warm.

4.  Grind the fried loaves to a powder that is not too fine, but not coarse either.

5.  Add the ground sugar, melted ghee, cardamom, and a dash of grated nutmeg and mix properly.

6.  Press and roll into spherical balls. Spread the poppy seeds on a plate or a piece of paper and roll the prepared ladoos on it or serve plain.