Know Some Interesting Features About Authentic Gujarati Dhokla Recipe

Gujarati people are known as ardent food lovers and thus, they cook various types of palatable cuisines in daily life. They use all simple ingredients that are easily available in all common households, for cooking these foods. Dhokla is a popular Gujarati snack that is widely prepared and consumed in every Gujarati family. Now, it is served in the breakfast tables of many people residing in other parts of India. Khaman is another Gujarati snack that is often mistaken as dhokla by many non-Gujarati folks, due to its strong resemblance to dhokla.

Similarities and dissimilarities between Khaman and dhokla recipe

 Gujarati Dhokla Recipe

• Khaman is made from ground Bengal gram or Chana dal while dhokla is made from a fermented batter of rice and gram flour. Hence, khaman has a bright yellow colour while dhokla is seen in a paler yellow or whitish shade. This colour difference demonstrates the uniqueness of dhokla preparation compared to khaman.
• Khaman has a fluffy and spongy texture that makes it a much softer snack than dhokla. Yogurt or curd is added for making the batter of both khaman and dhokla. However, the batter for dhokla needs to be fermented for a few hours, preferably overnight; whereas fermentation is not needed for making khaman. Fresh chickpeas or gram is soaked in water and ground to make a thick paste, which is immediately steamed for making khaman.
• Semolina and lemon juice are added for bringing the required flavour in khaman while baking soda, red chilli powder, and ginger paste are added to the batter of dhokla. Both these snacks need to be steamed in a pressure cooker or steamer or may be baked in a microwave oven. The khaman is then tempered with asafoetida, curry leaves, and sliced green chillies while the dhokla needs to be seasoned with black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, coriander leaves, and split green chillies fried in oil.

Different types of chutney served with dhokla and khaman

The green chutney is usually served with both dhokla and khaman, which is made by grinding fresh coriander leaves, green chillies, roasted chickpeas, and cumin seeds added with lemon juice, salt, and sugar in limited amounts. Tamarind chutney is another favourite food that is preferred with dhokla recipe, which is made by cooking deseeded ripe tamarind pulp, jaggery, cumin seed and red chilli powder, garam masala and rock salt. Different other delicious chutneys are cooked from various ingredients, like grated raw papaya, pineapple juice, a paste of basil leaves, and roasted fenugreek seeds, along with some traditional Indian condiments.

There are different varieties of both khaman and dhokla, which are all popular in Gujarat and the neighbouring states. Different other ingredients are added to the original khaman and gujarati dhokla recipe, to create the new varieties that are equally popular among all Gujarati and non-Gujarati people.