Sandwich dhokla is a popular Gujarati farsan made with a fermented batter of rice and urad dal. In this recipe, I will be sharing three essential tips and the fermentation method required to achieve the perfect soft and spongy texture of dhokla. Despite the limited number of ingredients used in this recipe, it is crucial to execute the steps accurately to attain the best results. I encourage you to give this recipe a try and experience the deliciousness of well-made sandwich dhokla.
The key to making perfect sandwich dhokla at home are
- Firstly, I strongly recommend using small-grain old rice for the dhokla batter. The rice-to-urad dal ratio should be 3:1. Adding soaked poha while grinding the batter helps achieve a softer and fluffier dhokla.
- The batter plays a critical role; ensure it is ground thoroughly and smooth to make the dhokla soft. The batter should be of medium thickness and have a ribbon-like consistency, neither too thick nor too thin.
- To expedite the fermentation process, place the batter in a warm area. I prefer fermenting the batter in a pressure cooker. If you’re in a cold climate, you can warm the oven and place the batter inside or use an instant pot for fermentation.
- Lastly, steam the dhokla over a high-medium flame; avoid steaming on low flame. Dhokla tastes best when served hot and accompanied by tempering.
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Recipe video
Sandwich dhokla recipe | Gujarati sandwich dhokla | sandwich dhokla in cooker
Ingredients
For sandwich dhokla
- 1.5 cup small grain rice
- ½ cup urad dal
- ½ tsp methi dana
- ½ cup soaked poha
- 1.5 cup Water or as required
- Salt to taste
- Pinch of hing
- 1 tbsp sugar - optional
- Oil water mixture - 2 tbsp oil + 2 tbsp water
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- Green chutney
Dhokla tempering
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- Pinch of hing
- Some curry leaves
- 2 chopped green chilli
For green chutney
- 1 cup coriander leaves
- 4-5 green chilli
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 tbsp peanutes
- ¼ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp sugar
- Salt to taste
- Some ice cubes
- ¼ cup water or as required
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine 1.5 cups of small-grain rice, ½ cup of urad dal, and ½ tsp of methi dana (fenugreek seeds). Wash and soak this mixture for 4-5 hours. Drain the soaking water and set it aside; you'll use some of this water while grinding the batter. Also, wash and soak ½ cup of poha (flattened rice).
- Next, place the soaked grains, soaked poha, and some water into a blender. Grind the mixture into a smooth batter with a ribbon-like consistency. Transfer the batter to a mixing bowl.
- In a pressure cooker, whisk the batter in one direction (refer to the video). Cover the cooker with a lid and keep the batter in a warm place to ferment. After 8 hours, the batter should be properly fermented.
- Now, add salt, hing (asafoetida), and 1 tbsp of sugar to the fermented batter. Mix these ingredients well.
- In a tadka pan, mix 2 tbsp of water and 2 tbsp of oil, and heat the mixture. Add ¼ tsp of baking soda and mix well. Incorporate this mixture into the batter; the baking soda gets activated in the hot oil and water mixture.
- Set aside a portion of the batter for the middle chutney layer.
- To make sandwich dhokla, pour 2 cups of the dhokla batter into a greased mold. Steam the first layer of dhokla in a pre-heated cooker for 5 minutes on high flame, without placing the whistle on the lid.
- Meanwhile, prepare the green chutney. In a blender, combine 1 cup of coriander leaves, 4-5 green chillies, 1-inch piece of ginger, 1 tbsp of peanuts, ¼ tsp of cumin seeds, 1 tsp of lemon juice, 1 tbsp of sugar, salt to taste, some ice cubes, and water. Blend the ingredients into a thick paste. Set aside the green chutney.
- Mix 3-4 tbsp of the green chutney into 1 cup of batter. Once the first layer of dhokla is steamed, spread this chutney layer on it. Steam the chutney layer for an additional 5 minutes on high flame.
- Now, spread 2 cups of dhokla batter on top of the chutney layer. Sprinkle some black pepper powder over it. Cover and steam the dhokla for 15 minutes on medium-high flame.
- Once the dhokla is properly steamed, remove it from the steamer and allow it to cool completely. De-mold the sandwich dhokla and cut it into pieces.
- For the tempering, heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, white sesame seeds, hing, curry leaves, and chopped green chillies. Sauté for a minute and then pour this tempering over the dhokla.
- Your sandwich dhokla is now ready to be served with the prepared chutney.
Notes
- Use small-grain rice for the dhokla batter.
- The proportion of rice to dal should be 3:1, meaning 3 parts of rice and 1 part of urad dal.
- Methi seeds enhance the fermentation process.
- Grind the batter into a smooth paste; avoid grinding it too coarse. Also, ensure that the consistency of the batter is ribbon-like.
- Whisk the batter in one direction to incorporate air particles into it.
- The temperature inside the cooker remains constant, facilitating easy fermentation of the batter.
- Steam the dhokla over high flame.
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