Khaman Dhokla
Fermented Savoury Chickpea Cake
I first tried this savory snack in London, UK. A very special area of west London known as Southall, famous for it’s sumptouous Indian textiles (my raison d’etre: I wanted sari material for my home, not person) and the best curries outside of India, possibly in the world (my real excuse)
Dhokla is a savoury snack made from fermented chick pea or yellow-split pea batter steamed into a cake, then garnished with an aromatic oil of mustard seed, curry leaf, dried red chilli and asafoetida, also known as hing
My dhokla was light and airy with lots of body, a marvellous lactic tang, and a rounded sweetness. And it was wonderfully moist, a sharp-sweet fruity sauce of dates and tamarind rounding it off to perfection
This taught me two things :
- Indian cuisine is highly regional and to enjoy the best food it’s best to stick to the local fair
- Dhokla can be made the instant way with chickpea flour and citric acid without having to wait for an overnight fermentation. The result, though tasty and, with a little effort, moist enough, to my mind simply illustrates the vital importance of making dhokla the proper way
METHOD SUMMARY
You’ll find the step-by-step recipe below. Here’s a summary of the main points of the dish. The spices mentioned are the most commonly used, but you’ll find plenty of variation with just a bit of research, and you’re always free to try your own
- chickpeas are soaked overnight then ground to a smooth batter with a drizzle of oil and only just enough water to allow the process of liquidizing
- spices can be added: try a pinch of fenugreek (dried leaf or seed), another pinch of hing and a quarter teaspoon of turmeric. A scan teaspoon of sugar, honey or maple syrup encourages fermentation and adds a hint of sweetness
- the batter is allowed to ferment for 12-36 hours, depending on the ambient temperature
- adding a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda at the last minute definitely helps the batter to rise and be fluffy
- the batter is steamed for 15-25 minutes in a cake tin of your choice, covered with a tea towel to stop water dripping onto your cake
- once done splash on some water with your fingers while still hot – this prevents the dhokla from feeling claggy and sticking to the throat
- cut the dhokla into squares with a sharp, wetted knive
- a tarka (aromatic oil) is prepared by popping black mustard seeds in hot oil, along with half a teaspoon of whole cumin, a pinch of hing, a handful or curry leaves, fresh or dry, and a couple of dry red chillies or some red chilli powder to your taste
- the hot tarka is poured over the still hot dhokla
- enjoy dhokla warm or cold as a snack or starter with some coconut, date-tamarind or other sweet-cour chutneys: try pommegranite-molasses with agave nectar and grapefruit. Be inventive. Have fun!
- a round or square cake tin
- a steamer with a well fitting lid
- 1 cup dried chickpeas soaked overnight
- 1 pinch fenugreek (seed or dried herb)
- 1 pinch hing (asafoetida)
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1 level tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (optional)
- 3-4 tbsp neutral oil with a high smoking point
- 1 tsp black mustard or nigella seeds
- 1/2 tsp whole cumin
- 1 pinch hing
- 1 handful curry leaves (10 - 15)
- 2 whole red chillies, roughly torn
- ground chilli powder to taste (optional)
- stir in the turmeric, fenugreek, hing (if using), sugar and salt
- transfer to a covered non-metal bowl and leave in a warm place for 12-36 hours, depending on the time of year, to ferment
- The fermented mixture should be quite fluffy and pleasantly sharp to taste
- Prepare a steamer or put a trivet or saucer in a pan with water and bring to the boil
- Oil a square or round cake tin
- Add the bicarbonate of soda to the batter and stir lightly so you don;t lose the air (CO2)
- Put the batter in the cake tin, place in the steamer and cover with a well fitting lid
- Covering the pan with a teatowel will prevent water from dripping on your dhokla, but this is optional
- steam on a low flame for about 20 minutes
- Remove from the steamer and immediately splash on some water. This stops the dhokla from sticking in the throat
- Heat the oil in a small pan
- Add the chillies and allow to just darken. Follow with the mustard/nigella seeds until they begin to pop, then add the cumin and curry leaves, letting them sizzle for a few seconds. Finally add the hing and extra chilli powder to taste. Remove from the flame immediately
- sprinkle the hot sagar over the still warm dhokla
- allow to cool and enjoy with a sweet chutney such as tamarind and date sauce, or coconut-green chilli and corander chutney
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