Instant Khaman Dhokla

Hello dearies!!!! How are you all, is it getting crazy with the holiday shopping out there? My end has been kind of slow, but exciting. This Thanksgiving, I had an unusual downpour of dinner invitations which were turned into potlucks mainly because we had time and we all love to cook, a hit combination. Its so not fair that one person does all the work and rest all simply enjoy the food. Since It was a potluck, we all had to make one or max 2 items from the menu. This dhokla recipe has always been a hit and I have been mostly asked to get them for many parties. I have now stopped aksing if I should be getting dhokla, as I take it anyways, knowing everyone will love it.

Initially in my accidental cooking days, we made a lot of dhokla with GITS ready to make packages. Maine banaya GITS se was so for us. The story goes as, we were all in Junior college i.e. 11th Std. A age where we were bottomless pits, just out of school, free to kill time, bunk classes, bunk college and not worry about anything. We were a bunch of 8-10 kids hanging out together, either in college campuses and anyone homes basically whoever had a parent free home was our hangout place. Such a friend was P, her mom worked in a bank and was out from 9AM to about 7PM, perfect timing for us. College became our meeting place, once all gathered, we kind of decided whose pad to hit. P's home was always stocked up with such GITS packages and food, so her home was our most favorite. There was also a chat vendor, just outside her building,. so it really made it easy for us. A heaven actually so to say. We landed up at the stall before he was even set to open for business.

Dhokla and P's home was always a sweet memory in my college years. Now she is settled in Australia, but the memory is with me. She taught me how to make the dhokla from GITS which I in turn taught my mom. Till then my mom was grinding, fermenting and doing it the old fashioned way. They say kids when they grow up have  a personality of their own. I am anxiously waiting for my Donut to grow up and teach this old mama a few tricks of the trade. He has already started by teaching me how to use the iPad and the technology gizmos, which I admit are beyond me.


Source- Spicy Aroma 

You will need;
1 cup Besan (Gram Flour) 
1/4 cup Fine Sooji / Semolina / cream of wheat
3/4 cup Curd 
A little amount of water to mix everything 
Salt to taste 
1/4 tbsp Turmeric/Haldi power
1 Tspn Grated Ginger 
2 Green Chillies Crushed
1/2 Tbsp ENO fruit salt 

Tempering
2 Tbpsn Oil
1Tspn Mustard/Rai Seeds
1 Tspn Cumin.Jeera
1 Tspn Hing/Aesafodita

Cilantro and coconut to garnish

In a bowl, whisk the besan, sooji with the curd, add water to make a thick flowing paste, add the turmeric, salt, grated ginger and green chili paste and salt and mix well. Keep aside for 10-15 minutes. Take a dhokla stand, grease each plate with some oil or oil spray. In a cooker add water and keep on medium heat. When the water in the cooker starts boiling, take the dhokla mixture, add the ENO fruit salt and stir once. Pour the ready batter in the greased dhokla plate and arrange the stand. Check the water level in the cooker. The water should be enough to aid steaming, but not touch the last plate of the dhokla batter of the stand. Cover the cooker with the lid with no pressure, cover the pressure shoot with a steel cup or small bowl instead. Steam for about 10-12 minutes. While that steams, take a small wok, heat the oil for tempering, add in the mustard seeds, let them crackle, then add in the jeera and lastly the hing. Switch off the gas ASAP as the Hing will burn. Add a tspn of water to that when a little cool.

Check the dhoklas after 12 mins, if the knife comes out clean, they are done. Remove the plates from the stand, cut into desired shapes. Take  a bowl or dish which you need to serve them on, remove the dhoklas, add the ready hot tempering over the dhokla pieces, garnish with cilantro and coconut and serve hot or at room temperature.