Khaman-Dhokla - A traditional Gujarati Dish - Split Chikpea flour mixed with curd, fermented, steamed and garnished

Khaman Dhokla

Next is a Gujarati dish named Khaman Dhokla. Its is a famous dish and anyone who has a Gujarati friend can relate to this dish... 
I came to know about this dish from my husband since he was in Gujarat for a few years and had eaten a lot of this... He used to tell me that this is the Gujarati equivalent of Idli since this is a steamed dish :)

I was not sure but decided to try it out since I wanted to prepare a Gujarati dish and since this was the Gujarathi dish one that my husband liked the most (apart from Thepla and Khakhra), I thought I must try this out.
I must admit that this dish tasted really good - I know that it has not come out the way a traditional Gujarati would make it, but still, the fact that I could make it itself is satisfying :)

Ingredients for Khaman Dhokla

Gram flour - 2 cups
Yogurt beaten -1 cup
Turmeric powder-1/2 tspn
Green chillies - 2 
Ginger Paste - 1/2 tspn
Cooking soda - 1 tspn
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsn
Mustard seeds - 1tspn
Fresh coriander leaves
Coconut Scrapled - 1/2cup
Salt as required

Steps to make Khaman Dhokla

Take gram flour in a bowl and add the yogurt and take one cup of warm water and mix it. Add salt and mix again.

Keep it aside for fermentation for 4 hrs. 

Take the green chillies and grind it. Mix with Ginger paste.

When gram flour mixture has fermented, add turmeric powder and green chilli-ginger paste. 

Take a vessel to steam the dhokla (a Idli making vessel or a pressure cooker w/o the weight can be used). 
Pour water in the vessel and heat in medium flame for the water to boil.
Take a thali/wide mouthed vessel and grease the inside of the vessel with oil.

In a small bowl, take lemon juice, cooking soda and one teaspoon oil and mix well. Add it to the batter and mix thoroughly. 

Now, pour the batter into the greased thali/vessel and place it in the steamer. 

Cover the thali/vessel with a lid and steam for ten minutes in medium flame. Turn off the flame and allow the steamer to cool.

When cool, take it out from the vessel and cut it into a squares and keep in a serving plate.

Heat one tablespoon oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds.
When the mustard seeds crackle, add sesame (til), slit green chillies and saute these.  Remove and pour over the Dhoklas.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and grated coconut (grated coconut is optional). 
Dhoklas can be taken as such or with chutney such as coriander chutney or pudina chutney

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