Instant Chick Pea and Sprouted Mung Beans Dhokla or Savoury Steamed Cake

Instant Chick Pea and Sprouted Mung Beans Dhokla or Savoury Steamed Cake are a favourite snack amongst most Gujaratis.  Often, they form part of a thali meal as a savoury compliment.  My recipe for making traditional dhoklas is here.  Instant Chick Pea and Sprouted Mung Beans Dhokla or Savoury Steamed Cake have been a traditional Sunday brunch in my family for a long time.  It used to be fun making them when we lived together as a joint family.  Now it seems a chore preparing for just the two of us.  That’s when I thought I would try out this instant dhokla recipe which worked really well.   This recipe needs to steamed so you will need a steamer.  I tend to use a large wok which I fill with water and keep a metal ring at the bottom and my tray rests on the ring. Close the lid of the wok tightly and it works fine as a steamer.

I am also trying to use up a batch of chana dall (chick pea dall) that I bought as it seemed to take ages to cook and friends told me that it could be because the dall was old.  I soaked the dall, blended it by adding just enough water to enable the blender to grind well.  I froze this in small batches and have been using it to make ondhwo/handvo, falafels and now dhokla.

I also tried out the microwave version of Instant Chick Pea and Sprouted Mung Beans Dhokla or Savory Steamed Cake and will share my recipe soon. 

Ingredients for 4 servings Instant Chick Pea and Sprouted Mung Beans Dhokla or Savoury Steamed Cake

• 2¼ cups of blended chana dall (chick pea dall)
• 1 cup of chick pea flour
• 1 cup of yogurt
• 2 tbls lemon juice
• 2 tsps Eno fruit salt
• ½ tsp soda bi carbonate
• ½ cup of sprouted mung beans (optional. often I add mung beans or soaked chana dall to the mixture as it’s a good way of adding protein to your food)
• 1½ tsp salt
• 4-5 cloves of blended garlic
• 1 tbls grated or blended ginger
• 5-6 finely chopped green chillies
• 1 tsp. chilly powder
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 2-3 tbls oil to line the cooking tray

For the tempering:

• 3 tablespoons cooking oil
• 2 tsps mustard seeds
• 2-3 tsps sesame seeds
• 1-2 chopped green chillies
• bunch of coriander
• 1 tsp chilli powder to sprinkle on the dhokla.

1.  Apart from  the Eno and soda bicarbonate, mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Add one cup of warm water  – a little at a time – to form a mixture that’s not too runny.

4.  Sprinkle some sesame seeds and chily powder on the mixture and allow it to steam or 15-20 minutes.