Dhokla (Gujarati: hk) is a vegetarian food item that originates from the Indian

state of Gujarat. It is made with a fermented batter derived from rice and split chickpeas.[1]
Dhokla can be eaten for breakfast, as a main course, as a side dish, or as a snack. Dhokla is
very similar to Khaman, and the terms are frequently used interchangeably.

Preparation

Rice and split chickpeas (chana dal), in a particular ratio (to achieve the desired texture and
taste) are soaked overnight. The mixture is ground, and the paste is fermented for four to
five hours or overnight. This is spiced by adding chili pepper, Coriander, ginger and baking
soda.

The fermented batter is then steamed for about 15 minutes on a flat dish and cut into pieces.
These chopped pieces are seasoned in hot oil with mustard seeds. Asafoetida and chopped
green chillies can also be fried and, sometimes, an equal amount of water and a little sugar
is added to this oil. The pieces are then removed from dish. Sometimes it is also fried in hot
oil with cumin seeds.

It is usually served with deep fried chillies and chutney made from coriander. It is garnished
with coriander and often with grated coconut.

Another method is to steam the fermented batter for 15 minutes on plates placed inside a
container that does not allow steam to escape. To avoid steam water falling on the batter
during preparation, a cloth may be placed inside the container. The plates are not directly
placed on the base, or the batter will burn, so a small stand is used. When the batter is
steamed properly, the plates are taken out of the container and then served with raw oil
poured over the dhokla, or used as dip. Other ingredients like curd, tomato sauce, garlic
paste, or coriander paste may be used in serving, however none of these are traditionally
eaten with dhokla.

Types of Dhokla
Home made dhokla

There are different kinds of dhokla prepared with different ingredients and ratios of
chickpeas. Some of the popular kinds of dhoklas are:

Khatta dhokla
Rasia dhokla
Khandhavi dhokla
Cheese dhokla
Toor dal dhokla
Sandwich dhokla
Rawa dhokla
Mixed dal dhokla
Green peas dhokla
Meetha dhokla

Khaman is a similar gram flour-based food. Whereas dhokla is made with rice and
chickpeas, khaman is made from chickpeas only. It is generally lighter in color and softer
than dhokla, to make dhokla small proportion of baking soda is added while in khaman more
baking soda is added to make it more fluffy spongy and porous.