A vegan recipe for brown rice dhokla, steamed, spongy, deliciously savory blocks made of lentils and brown rice.
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.
This is the state where India's most illustrious son, Mahatma Gandhi, was born. A land that was once the playground of Krishna, the charismatic child-god and friend of cows whose antics cram the pages of India's holy and mythological books. The state that is home to the Jain community, a religious group who have -- for centuries and long before the term "ethical vegan" was coined--believed in shunning cruelty to every living creature, including insects.
This is also land of incredible beauty, with beaches that stretch forever, ancient temples that glitter under clear, moonlit skies, and an abundant wildlife that includes solemnly majestic tigers, lightning-fast leopards, and bone-lazy sloth bears. The Rann of Kutch, the exquisitely mysterious gulf that lies between the two alligator jaws, is a bird-watcher's paradise with raptors, bustards, cranes and hundreds more bird species.
As a teen, I had a chance to travel around Gujarat, thanks to my cousin Deepa who fell in love with and married a Gujarati. Raju Bhai's family was from Surat, but at the time of their wedding he was living in Mithapur, a small, neat city created by the Tatas, one of India's biggest industrial families. Mithapur literally translates to "Salt City," and that's what it was-- it was where Tata Salt was manufactured and packed and shipped off to grocery stores around the country.
I often traveled to Deepa's home with her mother, my dad's sister, who lived in Bombay. More often than not, we'd take off for side trips. To Surat, a buzzing city that looked like Bombay on a smaller scale. To Dwarka, the place where Krishna is said to have lived, and which was a major attraction for my deeply religious aunt. To Okha, a port city at the very tip of the state, right where the gulf swims out to the sea.
There's one more thing that make Gujarat special: its food. Gujarati cuisine is rich in vegetarian dishes and chickpea-based snacks, each unique, many extremely healthy. One of these healthy and uber-special snacks is dhokla, a pillow-soft, savory delicacy made with rice and lentils and then steamed. On top goes a tadka of spicy brown mustard seeds sputtered in oil, and lemony-bright coriander leaves. Imagine.
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.
More Vegan Indian snack recipes
Brown Rice Dhokla
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1 cup white rice
- ¾ cup urad dal
- ¼ cup chana dal
- 4-5 green chili peppers (minced)
- 12 oz 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 vegetable oil
- 2-3 tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ cup cilantro (finely chopped)
- ¼ cup shredded unsweeteened coconut
- A pinch of cayenne to sprinkle on the dhokla (optional)
For serving
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.
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..
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