Instant Besan Khaman Dhokla

Everything about a weekend is so laid back. Relax and enjoy! Its the same with my cooking. Most weekends we eat out, try some exotic food. Tea is the only reason I enter the kitchen. But today happens to be one of those Sundays when I cooked an Instant brunch for us - steamed savory chickpea flour cakes, popular as Khaman Dhokla or Dhokla in Gujarati.

Ingredients:
Besan/Chickpea Flour/Gram Flour - 1 cup
Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 1/2 cup
Yogurt/Curd/Dahi - 1 cup
Green Chilli Paste - 1 tsp
Grated Ginger - 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric/Haldi - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt

Tempering/Tadka:
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves/Kadipata - 5 leaves
Green Chillies - 2
Asafoetida/Hing - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp

How to cook Instant Khaman Dhokla:

• Grease a steel vessel with cooking spray or oil.
• In a mixing bowl, add besan, turmeric, chilli paste, ginger, salt and sugar. Add yogurt (preferably slightly sour), and mix all the ingredients well. Whisk it well.  Now add semolina and mix again. Add water, little at a time and make a smooth, thick batter. I added about 1/2 cup water. Lastly, add baking soda and whisk the batter again. Dhokla batter consistency is same as idli batter or cake batter.
• Both yogurt and baking soda are essential for the softness of dhokla. Instead of water, you can add more yogurt as well.
• Pour the batter in the greased vessel and steam for 12 - 15 minutes. I used an idli cooker. In case you are using a pressure cooker, remove the weight/whistle while steaming.

• For tempering/tadka, heat 2 tsp oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds pop, add asafoetida, medium chopped green chillies and curry leaves. Turn off the heat and pour this tadka over the steamed dhokla.

Cut out square pieces of steamed dhokla, garnish with chopped cilantro and/or shredded coconut and serve with Coconut Chutney.