Anamika Arun recreates her childhood tea time tradition with an easy microwave dhokla.
By Anamika Arun
My mom used to say, “Only when an advantage goes away, you realize its worth”. How true. Growing up in the lanes and bylanes of Indian streets, overflowing with sweet shops, we never knew its worth. After all, while the weekend breakfast table was generously spread with “kachori”, “jalebi” and “imarti”; the tea time was ritually celebrated with a plateful of “samosas” and dhoklas”. And all it took to enjoy this lavishness was a short run by the man friday and a handful of rupees. Ahha, the days gone by! 
Cut to the present day in modern, broader and cleaner lanes in not so familiar and cosy countries, the advantage of the “halwai shops” have surely flown out of the window. And that too without so much a warning, to learn those addictive treats. So while my cousins back home rarely ever attempt achieving the perfect crust of the “samosas” or wonder on how to get the fluffiest “dhoklas”; here I’m left with little choice but to learn it all the way.
Thankfully having a savory tooth, I haven’t spent hours attempting many of those sweets. Rather I spent that time in fruitfully trying my favourite tea time companion – dhoklas. And with the joy of reliving that advantage of my childhood, I found my solace in a microwave recipe of Nita Mehta.
Dhoklas are basically savory cakes of chickpea flour (traditionally) which is steamed to get a fluffy texture. It occupies a real pride of place in its stage of origin – Gujrat, and loved all across the country.
Soft and Fluffy Dhokla Recipe
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Enjoy a quick and easy microwave dhokla, a savory chickpea flour cake, perfect for reliving childhood tea-time traditions.
Ingredients
For Dhokla:
- Besan (Chickpea Flour) – 1 1/2 cups
- Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
- Ginger paste – 1 tsp
- Sugar – 1 tsp
- Eno Fruit salt -1 1/2 tsp
- Cooking Oil -1 tbsp
- Green chilly paste – 1 tsp
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Soda Bi-carb – 1/4 tsp
- Lemon juice – 2 tsp
- Water – 1 cup
For tempering:
- Oil – 2 tbsp
- Green chillies – 2-3 (slit vertically)
- Water – 3/4 cup
- Mustard seeds (rai) – 1 tsp
- White Vinegar – 1/4 cup
- Sugar – 1 tbsp
- Curry leaves – 3 -4 (optional)
Instructions
- Grease a 7-inch round flat microwave-safe dish and set aside.
- In a bowl, sift the besan and mix in the water, oil, turmeric powder, salt, sugar, green chilly paste, and ginger paste to form a smooth batter.
- Add the lemon juice and Eno fruit salt to the batter, and mix gently until the batter is light and frothy.
- Pour the batter into the greased dish and spread evenly.
- Microwave on high for 5-7 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the dhokla to cool slightly before cutting into pieces and serving.
Notes
For a spicier dhokla, increase the amount of green chilly paste. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Serve with mint chutney or tamarind sauce for added flavor.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Category: Snack
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 2
- Sodium: 400
- Fat: 5
- Carbohydrates: 22
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 6
- Cholesterol: 0
i tried making dhokla but it remains uncooked in center nd sides r nearly done n in d process of cooking d center part d semicooked sides become over cooked….help
I tried but after 6 mins only when i took it out from microwave it ws too hard . Why did that happen ?
its really amazing recipe…thnx
its really an amazing recipe. tried it nd it ws really wndeful…….thnx
soon yake some more recipies from here….
wow great recipe can you discover more amazing recipe for micro without conv. mode
Today i make dhokla.it is so testy.thanks for the resipe
will it be sweet cause the amount of sugar is low.
hi anamika ! u kno it didnt turn as good as it was supposed to. maybe my measurments wasnt good all the turmeric powder was floating at the top and it became all red and there was a pungent smell of eno!!! it was quite ugly if u say so and a waste of ingredients. i do wish it would be nice bcuz i was looking very forward to it
thanks for d recipie…………
Hi anamika is it necessary to use both eno salt and sodium bicarbonate , when the purpose of both of them is similar?
if u want soft & fluffy dhokla dont beat it after adding eno in it, just simply add 2 pouch of eno to your batter..
Hey Anamika,
I tried this recipe today and found that my dhokla turned out to be quite dense, not as fluffy as it is supposed to be. How can this be remedied?
Secondly, please advise if ALL the ingredients used should be increased or decreased proportionately, if the quantity has to be more or less.
Thirdly, it would help a great deal if you could also indicate in all your recipes how many people can be served with the portions made.
Thanks and regards,
Taruna
hi anamika….this is great, can you tell me fruit cakes and more recipes that can be made in microwave
Hi Sumna, I’m glad u tried and liked it. will share microwave verison of pound cake soon too!
Anamika!! I tried this today and it turned out great. Too yummy! Thanks for the recipe.
Do you have recipes for pound cakes that can be made in a microwave oven?
Sumna