Gujarat is a beautiful swath of land not unlike an alligator's head that sweeps into the Arabian Sea and kisses Pakistan's southeast border.
I wanted a really special, very authentic dhokla recipe to share with you rather than many quick versions around the web made with chickpea flour. I turned to my friend, Roshani, whose family moved here from Gujarat when Roshani was just a little girl. Her mom, who lives in Houston, immediately sent me two recipes for dhokla-- one for the more ubiquitous yellow version, made with chana dal or bengal gram dal, and the other a white version made with udad dal or black gram dal.I made the white version and, to make it healthier, I replaced half the rice in the recipe with brown rice. The dhokla was delicious, and neither Desi nor I could have enough of it.
Keep in mind that this recipe makes a ton of dhokla, so halve it if you are just making it for one or two people. I steamed the dhokla in a round baking dish that fitted into my pressure cooker base, but if you have an idli mold you can use that too, although you will of course end up with idli-shaped dhokla rather than little square pieces.
Thanks Roshani and mom, for a great recipe.
Brown Rice Dhokla
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1 cup white rice
- ¾ cup udad dal
- ¼ cup chana dal
- 4-5 green chillies, minced
- 1 12- oz package of silken soft tofu
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ½ tsp Eno Fruit Salt (you can find this at any Indian grocery store-- it's primarily meant to fight indigestion)
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp oil to sputter the mustard seeds
- 2-3 tsp mustard seeds
- ½ cup finely chopped coriander leaves
- ¼ cup shredded coconut
- A pinch of cayenne pepper to sprinkle on the dhokla (optional)
Instructions
- Soak the rice and the dals together for about 8 hours or overnight.
- Drain, then blend with some water to make a rather smooth paste. You will need a fairly powerful blender for this, like a Vitamix or one of those hardy Indian blenders. I just put it into my dosa grinder which does a great job.
- Add the tofu and lemon juice and salt and blend a little more until everything's nicely mixed.
- Set aside for 2-6 hours to ferment. I would recommend two hours if you don't want your dhokla sour-- Desi and I prefer it that way.
- Grease a baking dish or any dish with sides at least 2-3 inches high. Heat about 1 inch water in a pan that the dish will fit into and let it come to a boil.
- Pour the batter about 1 inch deep in the greased dish. Now add the Eno Fruit Salt and stir gently, in a single direction, until just mixed. You will start to see the dough bubble and fluff up right before your eyes.
- Carefully place the pan inside the boiling water, reduce to a simmer, and sprinkle some cayenne on top. Cover the pan with a snug lid, and let the dhokla steam at least 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove, allow it to cool a little, and then cut into squares.
- Heat the oil and sputter the mustard seeds. Pour over the dhokla pieces. Sprinkle the coriander and coconut on top.
- Serve warm with some coconut chutney or on its own.
thank you for the recipe I love the healthy ingredients!
How many trays do you make from one recipe? it seems a lot of batter for one tray? and is the 1/2 teaspoon fruit salts (ENO) for the whole batter or only for each tray?
Much Appreciated,
Many thanks xxx
Hi vaishali,
I was just wondering what the non-vegan substitute for the tofu would be? i want to make this for husband but he's not a big fan of tofu. I'm thinking just plain yogurt? how much...for your recipe? thanks...my mouth is watering looking at your picture...
btw, i love your blog and you're such an inspiration 🙂
Akta
Hi Akta, you are really sweet-- thanks for your kind words about the blog! 🙂 You can substitute with yogurt-- use 1 cup of yogurt whisked with half a cup of water. You could also try soy yogurt if it's available where you live. Happy cooking!
Also, quick note, you can't really taste the tofu in the dhokla, so if you use it your husband wouldn't even know it's there. 🙂
I made these and they came out yummm!!! Lovely recipe.. I have posted it on my blog today.. Please share your valuable comments.. http://nivedhanams.blogspot.in/2012/09/brown-rice-dhokla.html
Sowmya
Hi, I saw your recipe and was intrigued by the addition of tofu, very unsual. Since I had it in my fridge I thought to try it....I have just finished making the dhokla and they were great! Only thing is, that I had to add more than 1tsp of Eno and steam them for 20/25 mins. Also added a tsp of oil to batter for extra softness, came out amazing!
Sree, cut down the soymilk to 8 ounces, since it is more fluid than tofu. Otherwise, I would assume it will work. Good luck!
Hi Vaishali,
Love your blog.
Can i use "soymilk + vinegar" instead of "silken tofu + lemon juice" ?
Thnx.
Sree.
Amazing Recipes and so simple thanks for share.
**knock knock**
Another recipe/story?? Please??!!! =)
**knock knock**
Another recipe/story?? Please??!!! =)
I just attempted dhokla in the microwave today and failed miserably! I wish I had seen your recipe! It looks delicious and unique, and I cant wait to try it.
A vegan dhokla!!! Wow! Gotta try this out.
Vaishali,
As a Gujrati myself I love Dhokla, but can not say I have tried brown rice dhokla, why not, this is much healthier way to eat it.
I will tell to my dad who has Diabetes so, now he can eat dhokla without worrying! You are so creative.
Preeti
Tofu in dhokla! Wow, so intriguing I want to give it a try right now. Saving this link for sure.
Oooh- I've never tried these, and they sound amazing. Wish I could reach in and try one 🙂
these look super cool and sound very hearty! 🙂
Woww brown rice dhokla sounds wonderful also healthy..
Oh I love dhokla! in fact I love Gujarti food, the sweet taste and the hint of heat, they play so well with flavors!
The dhokalas look soft and fluffy. Love the addition of Brown rice in it.
Gujarat for me is all about eating sweet dal, theplas, dhoklas and the gorgeous mirror work cholis. Hope the communal violence don't change all these 🙂 Lovely read.
Yummy recipes you have here. Just became a fan of yours. I like the description of you blog 🙂
amargisplatter.blogspot.com
Vaishali,
A vegan dokhla - you have outdone yourself. Bookmarked to try.
Tibik