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.