Dhokla, a Gujarat specialty, is traditionally made with rice, lentils, gram flour. The batter needs to be fermented and then it is steamed like a cake in a plate or square cake mould, cut into squares and seasoned with mustard seeds, sesame seeds and green chillies. These days I use Quinoa in many of my preparations. Quinoa contains protein, and is a good source of many nutrients and dietary fiber as well. . Quinoa has a relatively low glycemic index score of 53, which means it won't rapidly spike up your sugar levels either.
This Quinoa dhokla is a no fuss preparation as it is pretty quick to make and requires no fermentation. The bonus is that it is packed with nutrients! This is a great anytime snack, or even for lunch.
Quinoa Besan Dhokla
Recipe
Ingredients:
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 - 2.5 tablespoons Besan
• 1 cup curd
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger
• 1 finely chopped green chilli
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• Coriander leaves/Cilantro finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp eno or
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Few drops of lemon juice
For tempering/seasoning/chaunk
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• Curry leaves
• 2 or 3 Green chillies slit lengthwise (according to your preference)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp sugar (optional)
Steps:
Roast quinoa for 2-3 minutes on low to medium taking care not to burn it.
After it is cool, powder it and keep aside.
Add curd and mix it well. Add in the besan and continue mixing it real well.
Next add in the coriander leaves, finely chopped green chilli, grated ginger, oil and turmeric. Mix well, adding a little water if needed. Do not make the batter too runny or too thick.
Prepare the plate or mould by greasing with a little oil. Preheat the steamer by bringing the water to a boil, and keep a trivet or inverted bowl to place the plate/mould. Make sure this process is done before you mix in the eno or baking soda.
Just when you are about to steam the dhokla, add in the baking soda, and the lemon juice, to the batter and when it begins to froth, mix it into the batter gently, pour it into the prepared plate/mould and immediately place in the steamer and cook it for 20 - 25 minutes. check with a skewer for doneness.
When the dhokla is steaming, prepare the seasoning. Heat a tablespoon of oil, add in the mustard seeds and sesame seeds and curry leaves, and after the mustard seeds have finished crackling, add in the slit green chillies and stir. Add in 3/4 cup of water and bring it to a boil, add a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar (optional) to taste. It is ready to pour over the dhokla.
Once the dhokla becomes slightly cool (about 5 minutes), pour seasoning (chaunk) on the top and rest it for 15-20 minutes, so it soaks in the flavors. Cut into pieces and Enjoy! :-)
Serve with a green chutney.
Notes:
* You may use an instant pot or pressure cooker for steaming the dhoklas too. If you are using the Instant Pot, please make sure you keep the vent open. I have used both the manual pressure and the steamer function for this and it has worked well. Make sure you put about 2 cups of water and boil it with the sauté function. Change it to the steam or manual setting for 10 minutes to cook the dhoklas.
* If you are using the pressure cooker, do not use the weight and steam for 10 minutes. Make sure the water is at a rolling boil when you place the dhokla plate for steaming. Turn off the gas and open carefully in couple of minutes.
You can unmold the dhokla onto a serving plate and cut the pieces and then pour the seasoning as well. That works too.
Dhokla tastes great with a cilantro green chutney. I usually put a couple of the side pieces of dhokla into the chutney as it gives a nice texture and flavor. I will post the chutney recipe in a separate post.
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