Urad Dal and Rice Dokhla

Urad dal and rice dokhla is a traditional Gujarati dokhla which is made from fermented urad dal and rice batter and seasoned with curry leaves, green chilies, mustard seeds (rye) and asafetida. Urad dal and rice dokhla is also known as white Dokhla or khatta (savor) dokhla, which is similar to idly. It became Savor because savor yogurt is added to the batter. Urad dal and rice dokhla is a healthy and light, and a prefect sour snack when served with Dhania chutney or Tamarind chutney. It is not only nutritious dish for the breakfast but it is a great appetizer for the parties. Urad dal and rice dokhla is little time consuming it require soaking the dal and rice than grinding and fermenting the batter before steaming. So if you want to make this dokhla than you need to pre-plan.

Ingredients:

1 Cup of rice
½   Cup of white urad dal (Urad dal without skin)
¼ Cup chana dal
½   Cup plain Yogurt (homemade sour yogurt preferred)
½   Tablespoon fresh fine grated ginger
1   Medium green chili – fine chopped
2    Teaspoons lemon juice
½ Teaspoon salt or to your taste
1½ Tablespoon vegetable oil
1   Teaspoon ENO fruit salt
½ Teaspoon Yeast
water as needed

Cooking measurement conversion
Measurement converter

Rice

Urad Dal

Chana Dal

Yogurt

Grated Ginger

Chopped Green chilies

Lemon juice

ENO Fruit salt

Salt

Yeast

oil

Water

Ingredients for seasoning:

1   Teaspoon mustard seeds (Rai)
1   Pinch of asafetida (Hing)
2   Tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (optional)
4   Medium green chilies-sliced lengthwise, remove the seeds &
membrane to reduce the heat
2 Whole Red dry chilies
2   Tablespoons vegetable oil
8    to 10 Curry leaves (Curry patta)
2 Tablespoons Sesame seeds
2    Tablespoons of water
Slice of Lemon or lemon juice

Mustard seeds (Rai)

Asafetida (Hing)

Red dry chilies

Curry leaves

Chopped coriander leaves

Sesame seeds

Slice Green chilies

Water

Oil

Slice of Lemon

Utensils to steam Dhokla:

1. Dokhla stand with pot

If you do not have Dokhla stand then you need: (See dokhla tips)

2. Large pot with cover (Pot should be big enough to hold the dish for
steaming Dokhla)

3. Round or square 2”-3” deep cake baking pan or a metal plate with the edges.

4. Cake cooling rack.

Dokhla cooker with stand

Large Pot

Pan for steaming Dokhla

Rack

Directions:

1. In separate bowls mix Rice, urad dal and Chana Dal.

2. Wash and soak Rice and Dal mix then soak for 6 to 8 hours or until fully
soaked.

Mix Rice, Urad Dal & Chana Dal

Wash Rice and Dal mix well

3. Once the rice and dal are fully soaked, drain all the water out from the rice
mix and wash. After washing drain all the excess water out.

Soak Rice and Dal's in water

Rice and Dal's are soaked

Wash & rinse soaked Rice and Dal's

Soaked Rice and Dal's

4. Add about 2 tablespoon of water in yeast and let the yeast disolve.

Add water in yeast

Yeast is disolved in the water

5. Now place the Rice and soaked dal in the blender and grind it, using as little
water as possible, drop1 to 2 spoons of water if need to lubricate. Grind till you
get a smooth paste.

6. Grind with switch on and off so that Rice and dal keeps mixing.

7. While grinding in between stop the blender and open the cover and with
a spatula mix Rice and Dal so that dal grinds evenly into a smooth paste.

Add soaked Rice & Dal in the Blender

Grind Rice and Dal

8. Transfer the Rice and Dal paste into a bowl.

9. Add yogurt in the paste and mix it well. Add little water if needed, batter
should be thick like Idli batter. (If you live in cold climate then add ¼
teaspoon of yeast in the batter that will help the batter to ferment)

10. Do not add the salt to the mixture this time because salt slow down the
fermentation process.

Transfer Rice and Dal paste in a bowl

Add Yogurt and mix

11. Add yeast and mix. Yeast will help batter to ferment.

Add yeast and mix

Dokhla Batter

12. Cover the bowl and keep it in a warm place to ferment for 8 to 9 hours.

Cover the bowl

Fermented Dokhla batter

13. Once the batter is fermented add salt and mix

14. Add lemon juice and mix.

Add salt and mix

Add Lemon juice and mix

15. Add green chilies and grated ginger in batter and mix.

Add Green chilies & Ginger

Mix chilies & Ginger well with batter

Dokhla batter consistency

Urad Dal Dokhla batter

16. When ready to make Dokhla, prepare Dokhla cooker to steam Dokhla. (I am
   steaming Dokhla in a pot as I do not have Dokhla cooker)

17.  In a large pot add water up to 1½ “ level of the pot and bring it to boil.
    (See how to prepare steamer)

In a pot add water & boil

Water start boiling

18. Once water starts boiling place the rack in the pot. (If you do not have a rack
then place a stainless bowl upside down)

19. Lightly grease the plates of Dokhla stand or the pan.

Place the rack in the pot

Grease the Pan

20. Just before steaming add ENO fruit salt in the batter. (Add ENO salt on the
amount of batter you are going to use at a time).

21. Sprinkle 2 teaspoon of water over the ENO fruit salt, the bubble will start
forming, with the spoon mix gently, the batter will start rising.

Add ENO fruit salt

Sprinkle water over ENO fruit salt

22. Pour the batter immediately into the greased Dokhla plates or pan, fill
about half the height of the pan or plates. Shake the pan or plates
clockwise to spread the batter in an even layer.

Batter start rising

Pour batter in the pan

23. Immediately stack the Dokhla plates and place the Dokhla stand or pan
with the batter in the steamer, cover the lid of the pot and cook on medium
heat for 8 to 10 minutes.

Dokhla batter in the pan

Place the pan in the pot

Cover the pot

Take the cover off the pot

24.  To check if Dokhla is done take a toothpick and poke it in the center, if the
toothpick comes out clean and dry it means Dokhla is done, if not, cook it
       little longer and check again. Turn the stove off.

25.  Take the Dokhla stand or pan out of the pot and let it cool down.

Insert toothpick in Dokhla to check

Steamed Dokhla

26. Once Dokhla coool down take a butter Knife or a plastic knife and grease a
little and gently slid along the edges to loosen the Dokhla.

27.. Place a upside plate on the top of the pan.

Slid a knife to loosen up Dokhla

Place a plate on the top of the pan

28. Invert the steamed Dokhla pan. If pan is greased well and loosen up well the
Dokhla will easily get inverted on the plate.

Invert the pan

Urad Dal Dokhla

29.Take a knife and grease a little and cut Dokhla into 2” square pieces or the
desired size.

With a knife cut the Dokhla

Dokhla is cut into pieces

30. While Dokhla is warm pour the seasoning mixture evenly on the Dokhla
  and let it seep through the sliced edges. With a spoon pour some seasoning
through the edges of Dokhla pieces.

31. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves over Dokhla.

32. Serve Dokhla with coriander chutney or tamarind chutney.

Pour seasoning over Dokhla

Sprinkle Coriander leaves

Urad Dal and Rice Dokhla

Green chutney

Tamarind chutney

Directions to prepare the oil for seasoning:

1 In frying pan add 2 Tablespoon oil and heat.

2. Add 1 Teaspoon mustard seeds and allow them to crackle.

In a pan add oil and heat

Add Mustard seeds & fry

3 Add Red chilies and asafetida (Hing) and fry for few seconds.

Mustard seeds are fried

Add chilies and asafetida (Hing ) & fry

4. Add sesame seeds and sauté for few minutes. Don’t brown the seeds.

5. Add curry leaves and fry for few seconds.

Add sesame seeds and sauté

Add curry leaves and sauté

6. Add sliced green chilies and sauté for few minutes.

7. Add 2 tablespoons of water, be careful while adding water as the mixture
sizzles.

8. Mix water with mustard seeds, green and red chilies and curry leaves and cook
for few minutes.

Add green chilies & sauté

Add water & mix and cook

9. Squeeze some lemon juice and mix.

10. Seasoning for Dokhla is ready turn the stove off.

Squeeze some lemon juice

Seasoning for Dokhla is ready

Tips: See Dokhla tips

1. The day before you plan to make dokhla, soak the rice and dal in the morning
     and grinded in the evening, mix the yogurt and leave it to ferment overnight.

2. Batter must be fermented otherwise dokhla will not be spongy. If the dokhla
    batter does not ferment then add ½  teaspoon of yeast and mix, cover the bowl
    and place it in a warm place till the batter farments.

3. Add few drop of yellow color in the batter, if you want dokhla to look yellow.

4.  Make sure steamer is start making steam before placing the baking dish with
     batter in it otherwise dokhla may not turn spongy.

5. Eno fruit salt could be purchased from any Indian grocery store.

6. After adding ENO fruit salt in the batter don’t keep it idle for a long time,
steam it immediately, otherwise dhokla will not be spongy.

7. If you want to prepare dokhla in batches then prepare batter without adding
ENO salt and divide it into two equal portions. Add ENO salt in one portion
and mix and pour immediately into greased pan and steam. When first batch
is steamed add ENO salt in the other portion and follow the same process.

Please take the time to let me know what you think about my recipe. Your comments would be helpful to me to improve the recipe.

Thank you

Geeta Seth

Other recipes:
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Besan Dokhla                                            Besan cheela (Gram flour pancake)

Moong dal dokhla                                     Idli

Sooji ka dokhla                                        Uthammpam with rice & urad dal
(Cream of wheat or rava dokhla)