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Showing posts with label Dhoklas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dhoklas. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Recipe Index ~ Snacks / Chaats / Street Food

Pottu Minapappu Garelu / Urad Vada
 Punukulu/Punugulu/Puli Bongaralu
Rice Pakora
Sabudana Vada / Sago Vada
Thotakoora Vadalu / Amaranth Leaves Fritters
 
BAKED SNACKS:
Baked Chakli
Baked Dry Samosa
Baked Lotus Root Chips
Baked Namakpara
Baked Nippattu
Baked Plantain Chips 
Baked Punjabi Samosa
Besan Cookies / Chickpea Flour Cookies
Cumin Cookies 
French Fries
Ghugras
Handvo
Khara Biscuits 
Masala Peanuts (Oven Baked)
Masala Peanuts (Microwave Version)
Methi Muthiyas
Millet Handvo
Mixed Dal Vadas
Ooty Varkey
Roasted Chickpeas
Roasted Peas 
Savory Carrot Buns / Rolls 
Savory Carrot Scones 
Spicy Bread Rolls 
Spicy Mexican Brownies 
Spicy Vegetable Stuffed Buns 
Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

 
CHAAT / STREET FOOD:
Aloo Bonda
Aloo Chana Chaat
Aloo Kabli
Aloo Tikki Chole Chaat
Bajra Vada 
Bhel Puri
Biscuit-Corn Chat
Bread Bhel
Chiyali
Jamun Bun
Jhal Muri
Kalmi Vada
Kalmi Vada Chaat
Palak Chaat
Palakhova Bun
Papdi Chaat
Qabuli Chana Chaat
Ram Laddo
Ratlami Sev
Samosa Chole Chaat
Tikki Puri
Uraddal ke Poori
Veg Hakka Noodles
Toasted Corn
Vada Pav
Vegetable Chop / Bhejetebil Chop
White Dhokla
Zafrani Pista Badam Kulfi
Esquites (Mexico)



CHAKLIS:
Baked Chakli
CHIVDAS:
GUGGILLU/ SUNDAL / LEGUME SALAD:

STEAMED SNACKS:

TRADITIONAL INDIAN SNACKS:
'Aakukoora' Pappu Chekkalu
Bhavra
Fried Cashews
Ghugras
Handvo (Baked)
Khandvi (Pressure Cooker Method)

Comments

Posted by Suma Gandlur at 10:45 PM

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Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Live Dhokla

Now here is another variety of dhokla that are supposedly becoming a popular street food in Gujarat and believe it or not, they are called live dhokla. The title itself caught my attention when I saw them on a TV cook show. If I recall correctly, the chef was mentioning that these dhokla are called so because they are prepared live in front of the customers and are served fresh and warm unlike the traditional dhokla and are quite becoming a rage.
My local "Patel Brother's" grocery shop sells freshly made dhokla, samosas, dabeli and similar stuff on weekends and they would be gone like hotcakes in under an hour or so. My husband is a great patron of that store and so I can understand the popularity considering that they are served warm. 
The recipe is quite simple though a bit of pre-planning is required since the batter needs to be fermented. And don't worry, there is no grinding involved here. All you need is a bowl, a spoon and a couple of minutes. The recipe uses flours and so the batter can be whipped up in a jiffy, right before you go to sleep. Unlike the traditional ones, these are thinly made and are smeared with oil as soon as they are steamed. There is no mustard - sesame seed seasoning or garnishing with cilantro or coconut. These dhokla are soft, spongy and are slightly on the tangy side. These thin dhokla bites are a great evening snack / breakfast item when paired with green chutney posted below and a sweet chutney.
 Ingredients:
1/2 cup handvo flour
1/2 cup semolina
1/2 cup corn flour
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup slightly sour yogurt
1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp baking soda 
Water as needed (I added about 3/4 cup.)
Salt to taste
A pinch of asafoetida powder
1 finely chopped green chili
1/2 tsp red chili powder
2 tsp oil

Note:
Store-bought or homemade handvo flour can be used. If preparing at home, use rice and a mixture of dals in the ratio 1:1 and grind them coarsely. You can use basically any variety of skinned dal than can be found in an Indian kitchen. For example: Urad dal (skinned black gram), chana dal (split chick peas), toor dal (lentils), moong dal, masoor dal and/or any other dal. I prepared it using rice, urad dal, chana dal and toor dal.

Procedure:
* Mix the flours and turmeric powder in a bowl. (If you don't have turmeric powder, you can leave it out but the dhokla would end up white.)
* Combine yogurt and 1/2 tsp baking soda in another small bowl and whisk. Add this to the above flour mixture and mix well with a spoon. 
* Next add water as needed and mix to make a thick batter (thicker than dosa batter). I had to add about 3/4 up water.
* Cover and let the batter sit to ferment overnight or for about 7 - 8 hours or lesser time if you live in a hot climate. (I prepared my batter around 10.30 pm and prepared dhokla in the morning.)
 * In the morning / just before steaming the dhokla, grease a thali (stainless steel plate with high edges) or a circular cake tin of about 6- 7 inches in diameter. Keep your steamer / pressure cooker ready for steaming by pouring water in the base and turning on the heat.  * Add salt, asafoetida and green chili to the fermented batter and mix well with a ladle.
* Add 1/2 tsp baking soda to 2 - 3 tbsp. of hot water and stir it with a spoon and add it to the batter. Stir the batter vigorously using a ladle in clockwise motion for few seconds. You would notice the effervescence and the batter turns frothy. 
(If you are going to use one thali to steam at a time, my advice would be to work with the fermented batter in batches to retain the action of baking soda. Use half of the fermented batter and add 1/4 tsp baking soda as explained in this step, pour into the container and steam. When ready to steam the next batch of dhokla, use the remaining half of the batter and again add the hot water and 1/4 tsp baking soda. )
* Similar to sandwich dhokla, these are also kept thin and so pour about a cup of batter (about 1/2 cm thickness) into the greased thali / circular container you are going use to steam dhokla. Gently shake the thali / container to ensure that batter is spread evenly. (I used two 8 inch containers and poured the batter at about 1/2 cm thickness and steamed them in my pressure cooker.)
* Sprinkle about 1/4 tsp red chili powder over it. Place it in the steamer / pressure cooker and cover it. Remember to not use a whistle on if using a pressure cooker.
* Steam on medium flame for about 15 - 20 minutes or until a knife / toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. Another way of checking is, removing the lid and trying to touch the surface of the dhokla with wet hands. The surface wouldn't be sticky when done. However be careful with the latter method. This needs experience and caution as there is the risk of burning hand with the hot steam if attention is not paid. I follow this method but follow it at your own risk. :)
* Allow it to rest for a couple of minutes and brush it with about a tsp of oil over the surface using a flat surfaced wooden spatula. Cut into squares using the same spatula or a knife.

These dhokla were served with a green chutney in the show. It is quite simple to prepare. Just bend together finely the following ingredients.

Ingredients for chutney:
1/4 cup daliya / roasted, split chick peas
3 -4  tbsp. cilantro
1 - 2 green chillies
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
A pinch of asafoetida powder
A pinch of turmeric powder
Salt to taste  
1 tsp lemon juice
4 tbsp. yogurt

This is my entry for BM #43 under the theme "dhoklas".
Check here to know what other marathoners are cooking.

Comments

Posted by Suma Gandlur at 8:53 PM

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Monday, August 11, 2014

Sandwich Dhokla


I have become a fan of a Gujarati cook show that I watch on one of Indian TV channels here and I record the shows for future reference. It is a vegetarian show and most of the recipes are unique or the cooks give an interesting twist to a regular dish. I never miss a show and in the process had noted down a few dhokla recipes earlier. I somehow forgot that fact when looking for ideas for this "dhokla" based marathon week and realized too late that I had better choices. 
This soft and spongy sandwich dhokla comes from that show and the viewers of the show wanted to see how thinly sliced dhokla sandwich can be made with out the filling spreading all over. The chutney which is sandwiched between the two thin slices of dhokla is kept on the thicker side and for an even distribution, actually the chef used a rolling pin. 

I have seen over the web, sweet chutney / paneer slices used in sandwich dhokla recipes but the chef used only a green chutney for this mess-free sandwich dhokla recipe. The green chutney was prepared thick by grinding cilantro leaves, green chillies, salt and a small quantity of dalia and peanuts.The rice and urad dal for the batter are used in 2:1 ratio just like the idli batter.
Ingredients: (4 - 6 servings)
1 cup rice (I used sona masuri rice but idli rice / extra long grain kind can be used.)
1/2 cup urad dal / skinned black gram
1/4 - 1/2 tsp citric acid crystals
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp of baking soda + 1 to 1.5 tsp baking soda
1 tsp oil + 4 - 6 tsp oil 
(The second set of baking soda and oil quantities mentioned above depend upon the quantity of fermented batter.)
About 1 - 1.5 cup of thick green chutney
Ingredients for seasoning:
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder1 tbsp minced cilantro
 
Method:
* Wash rice and urad dal in two exchanges of water and drain. Then soak the rice and dal in water for about 3 - 4 hours. Take care that the rice mixture is submerged in the water through out the soaking period. In short, soak the mixture in plenty of water. 
* Drain water used for soaking. Grind the mixture into a thick, slightly coarse batter, adding only as much water as needed. I ground my mixture in wet grinder.
* Add citric acid, salt, 1/4 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp oil to the ground batter and mix well.
* Leave it to ferment in a warm place overnight or for about 8- 10 hours. Please note that in Indian kind of tropical climate, fermentation may take less time, especially during summers.

* Keep your steamer / pressure cooker ready for steaming by pouring water in the base and turning on the heat. Grease a thali (stainless steel plate with high edges) / circular cake tin of about 6- 7 inches in diameter.
* In the morning, we add oil and baking soda to the fermented batter again but we do it in batches instead of dumping them at once to the entire quantity of fermented batter. We are going to steam dhokla in batches and we want the action of baking soda not lost in the waiting process. And so we are going to deal with a small quantity of fermented batter at a time. Transfer about a cup of fermented batter to a mixing bowl.

* Add about a tsp of oil and 1/4 baking soda to a small bowl and mix well.

* Add it to the 1 cup fermented batter. Mix quickly with a spoon and you will start noticing the effervescence.
* Pour the batter into the greased plate and shake the plate clockwise gently so that the batter is spread uniformly.
* Here we are looking for thin dhoklas but not the chunky ones and so the batter should be spread in a thin layer. It is spread so thinly that in the below picture, you can notice the bottom of the dish near that arrow mark.
 
* Put the plate in the steamer / cooker base and cover with the lid. Don't put the whistle on if using a pressure cooker.
* Steam on medium flame for about 15 - 20 minutes or until a knife / toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.
* Cool the steamed dhokla slightly, gently run a knife around the edges and unmold it. Cut the disc into two equal halves.
* Spread thick coriander chutney evenly on one side of the half portion.
 
* Place the rough side of another dhokla piece on it. Gently roll using a rolling pin. 
 
I actually steamed 2 thin discs and so spread chutney on one and placed the other disc on it and cut into squares. I forgot to take the pictures when I made the thin discs and so again when I made a thick disc, i just took the pictures to give an idea.
* Cut the disc into square / diamond shaped pieces.
* Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds and sesame seeds. When mustard seeds start to crackle, add asafoetida and turn off the stove.
* Pour this mixture over the dhokla evenly, garnish with minced cilantro and serve.

This is my entry for BM #43 under the theme "dhoklas".
Check here to know what other marathoners are cooking.

Comments 

Posted by Suma Gandlur at 9:15 PM

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