Urad Dal and Rice Dokhla

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)
½   Cup plain Yogurt (homemade sour
yogurt preferred)
½   Tablespoon fresh fine grated
      ginger or 1 teaspoon ginger paste
1   Medium green chili – fine
      chopped or 1 teaspoon chile paste
2    Teaspoons lemon juice
½ Teaspoon salt or to your taste
1   Teaspoon ENO fruit salt

Cooking measurement conversion
Measurement converter

White Urad dal

Rice

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   Tablespoons vegetable oil
8    to 10 Curry leaves (Curry patta)
2    Tablespoons of water

sliced green chilies

Curry leaves

Utensils to steam Dhokla:

1. Dokhla stand with pot

Dokhla pot

Dokhla stand

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

1. Large pot with cover (Pan should be big enough to hold the baking dish)

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

3. Cake cooling rack

Large pot

Baking pan

Cake cooling rack

Directions:

1. In separate bowls add rice and urad dal and wash, changing water several times until the water appears clear then soak them for 3 to 4 hours or until fully soaked.

Soak Rice in water

Soak Urad Dal in water

2. Once rice and dal are soaked, wash and drain all the water out.

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

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

5. While grinding in between stop the blender and open the cover and with
    a spatula mix dal so that dal grinds evenly into a smooth paste.Transfer the
    paste in a bowl and grind rice.

6. Transfer the Rice paste into a same bowl with dal paste and mix and add yogurt
and mix it well, add little water if needed, batter should be like 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)

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

Mix rice and dal paste & add yogurt

Urad dal & Rice paste

8. Once the batters is fermented, add the green chili and ginger paste or fined
chopped chilies and grated ginger and salt, mix it well, if yogurt is not savor
add lemon juice.

9. Lightly grease the plates of dokhla stand or the baking pan.

Add Green chilies & Ginger

Grease the pan

10. Prepare the steamer for steaming the Dokhla. In a large pot add water up to
     1½ " level of the pan and bring it to boil. Once water is boiled in the pan place
     a rack or a stainless bowl (place the bowl upside down)
     (see how to prepare steamer)

In a pot boil water

Place a rack or a bowl in the pan

11. Just before steaming add ENO fruit salt in the batter and sprinkle 2 teaspoon
       of water over the fruit salt, the bubble will start forming, with the spoon mix
       gently, the batter will start rising. (Add ENO fruit salt in the amount of batter
       you are going to use at a time)

Add ENO fruit salt in batter

Sprinkle water over ENO fruit salt

12. Pour the batter immediately into the greased Dokhla plates or baking 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.

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

Pour the batter into baking pan

Place baking pan in the steamer

14. 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.

Cover the pot

Insert the toothpick to check

15. Take the dokhla stand or baking pan out of the steamer and let it cool down.

16. Once dokhla cool down take a knife or pizza cutting wheel and grease a little and cut into 2” square pieces. Insert the knife under the dokhla and take the pieces out from the baking pan or the stand and place it in plate.

Steamed dokhla

With the cutting wheel cut the Dokhla

Insert the knife under Dokhla pieces to loosen up

Urad Dal Dokhla

Directions to prepare the oil for seasoning:

1. In frying pan heat oil, add mustard seeds and asafetida and fry for 2 to 3
minutes or until mustard seed stop splattering and fried.

2. Add red chilies and fry for few seconds.

Add oil, mustard seeds & asafetida in the pan and fry

Add dry chilies and fry

3.      Add curry leaves and sauté for few seconds.

4.     Add sliced green chilies leaves and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.

5.    Add 2 tablespoons of water and mix with mustard seeds, green chilies and
       curry leaves.

Add curry leaves and fry

Add green chilies and fry

6. Add dokhla pieces in the pan and mix with chilies, curry leaves and mustard
seeds and sauté for few minutes. Turn the stove off.

7. Transfer the dokhla pieces in a serving dish and garnish with coriander leaves.

8. Serve the dokhla with coriander chutney or tamarind chutney.

Add dokhla pieces in the pan and mix

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.

ENO Fruit salt

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:
                                                                                                                                      Dokhla tips                                                Dosa

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)