Khaman Dhokla – Gujarat’s Golden Snack with Traditional Secrets & Modern Twists

Khaman Dhokla – Gujarat’s Golden Snack with Traditional Secrets & Modern Twists

Some dishes do more than satisfy hunger — they carry the warmth of tradition, the joy of sharing, and the brilliance of regional wisdom. Khaman Dhokla is one such timeless treasure.

Soft, airy, delicately spongy and glowing in its sunshine-yellow hue, Khaman Dhokla is one of Gujarat’s most loved culinary gifts to India. In the bustling streets of Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot and Vadodara, steaming trays of freshly prepared dhokla are an everyday delight. Cut into neat squares, bathed in fragrant tempering, crowned with coriander and coconut, and served with lively chutneys, it is breakfast, teatime snack, travel food and celebration — all in one plate.

Its beauty lies in its versatility. It can be made instantly in a jiffy using besan (gram flour), or in the traditional style by soaking and grinding chana dal, which gives it a richer and heartier texture. It may be steamed in a classic dhokla steamer or conveniently prepared in a microwave oven for the modern kitchen.

Simple in ingredients, elegant in taste - this is Gujarat’s golden legacy.

🌼 Ingredients

For the Batter:

Gram flour (besan) – 1 cup

Semolina (optional) – 2 tablespoons

Sugar – 1 tablespoon

Ginger-green chilli paste – 1 teaspoon

Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon

Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon

Salt – to taste

Water – ¾ cup (approx.)

Oil – 1 tablespoon

Eno fruit salt – 1 teaspoon

For Garnish:

Fresh coriander (chopped) – 2 tablespoons

Fresh grated coconut – 2 tablespoons

🌼 Method

In a mixing bowl, combine the gram flour, semolina, turmeric, sugar and salt. Add the ginger-green chilli paste, lemon juice, oil and enough water gradually to form a smooth, flowing batter without lumps. Allow this batter to rest briefly so the ingredients settle beautifully together.

Meanwhile, grease a shallow plate or dhokla tin lightly and keep a steamer ready with boiling water.

Just before steaming, add the Eno fruit salt to the batter. Sprinkle a teaspoon of water over it and gently fold. The batter will instantly turn frothy and light. Without delay, pour it into the prepared plate and steam until cooked through and spongy to the touch.

Once done, allow it to cool slightly before cutting into elegant squares.

🌼 Tempering

Oil – 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon

Green chillies (slit) – 2

Curry leaves – 8 to 10

Water – ½ cup

Sugar – 2 tablespoons

Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon

Heat the oil in a small pan. Add the mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Add the slit green chillies and curry leaves. Pour in the water, sugar and lemon juice and allow it to simmer briefly into a fragrant sweet-sour mixture.

Pour this warm tempering generously over the dhokla pieces so every square absorbs the flavour beautifully.

Finish with fresh coriander and grated coconut.

Serve warm or at room temperature with green chutney and dates-tamarind chutney.

🌼 Traditional & Popular Varieties

Nylon Khaman

The most popular market-style version — feather-soft, extra light and melt-in-the-mouth.

Vati Dal Khaman

Prepared from soaked and ground chana dal rather than besan, offering a richer and denser texture.

Amiri Khaman / Sev Khamani

Crumbled khaman tossed with spices and topped lavishly with sev, coriander and pomegranate.

Sandwich Dhokla

Two layers of dhokla with green chutney in between — colourful, flavourful and festive.

🌼 Modern Variations

Gujarati kitchens have joyfully reinvented this classic in many delicious ways:

Green Dhokla

Green Peas Dhokla

Tomato Dhokla

Schezwan Dhokla

Pizza Dhokla

Makai Dhokla

Cheese Dhokla

Paneer Dhokla

Sandwich Dhokla

🌼 Street-Style Serving Variations

Rasawala Dhokla

A Surat favourite where khaman is served with a warm lentil-based rasa, transforming it into a wholesome meal.

Pav Bhaji Dhokla

A playful fusion where dhokla is tossed in pav bhaji masala or layered with spicy pav bhaji filling.

🌼 Sukanya’s Little Tips

If using chana dal, soak it for at least 6–7 hours for softness. Always steam the batter immediately after adding Eno for the fluffiest results. If the dhokla feels dry, sprinkle a little tempered water over it. The final flavour should always carry that signature Gujarati balance of sweet, tangy and gently spiced.

🌼 Final Thought

Some dishes are recipes. Some become memories. Some carry the soul of a region.

Khaman Dhokla is Gujarat’s sunshine served on a plate.

#KhamanDhokla #DhoklaRecipe #GujaratiFood #GujaratiCuisine #IndianSnacks #IndianFoodRecipes #VegetarianRecipes #HomemadeGoodness #IndianStreetFood #SnackTimeIndia

KATHIAWADI LASANIYA KHATTA DHOKLA (KATHIAWADI GARLIC WHITE DHOKLA)

KATHIAWADI LASANIYA KHATTA DHOKLA (KATHIAWADI GARLIC WHITE DHOKLA)
Kathiawadi cuisine hails from Kathiawar in Saurashtra region of India and other areas in Southern Gujarat.
Kathiawadi cuisine is usually spicy, they add onion and garlic in many of their preparations.
What I love about Kathiawadi cuisine is the lack of sweetness in their preparations which suits my palate.
Today I’m going to share with you’ll the recipe of Kathiawadi Lasaniya Dhokla, which packs a punch of flavours and gives your taste palates a jolt.
This variety of dhokla hasn’t been blogged much about.
This is a healthy recipe since it’s made with Broken wheat (dalia).
It’s a no fail recipe provided you follow the recipe given here to the “T”
Do Try this recipe.

Ingredients 

Dalia / Broken wheat - 1 cup
Semolina (Rava / Suji) - ½ cup
Yogurt (Dahi) - 1 cup
Green chilly - 3 (Small size)
Ginger - ½ inch
Garlic – 2-3 pods
Oil – 1 tsp
Baking Powder – ½ tsp
Baking soda – ¼ tsp
Asafoetida (Hing) – ¼ tsp
Salt as per taste

Tempering
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Sesame seeds – 2-3 tsp
Curry Leaves – 1 sprig 

Green chillies - 2 whole with stem slit for decoration 

Oil – 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves – For Garnish

Method
Pound the Green chilli, ginger and garlic into a coarse paste.
Take a big bowl, add 1 cup of Broken wheat(dalia), ½ cup Semolina (Rava/Sooji) and 1 cup thick Yogurt, add salt, asafoetida(hing), chilly-ginger-garlic paste and 1.5 tsps of Sesame seeds.
Add ¼ cup water if the batter is thick.
Mix well.
Keep it aside for 30 min.
Let it marinate in the spices and let the dalia and semolina soak in the yogurt and water.
Meanwhile, prepare the steamer and grease your dhokla plates or any moulds of choice with a little oil.
Check your Dhokla batter, Your batter should be like the idli batter
Add the Baking Powder – ½ tsp and Baking soda – ¼ tsp to the Dhokla batter, mix well and immediately pour the batter into the prepared plates/moulds.
Do not beat the mix vigorously after adding the baking powder and soda. Just whisk it gently so that it mixes into the batter evenly. 

Use an Idli / Dhokla Steamer pot and cook the Dhokla on medium heat for 15-20 minutes.
After 20 mins, take a tooth pick and check. If it comes out clean then your dhoklas are done. Turn off the gas and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes. After which you can remove the stand. Let it cool for a few minutes.
Take a knife and cut into desired shape.
The next step is tempering. In a small pan heat the oil and add the mustard seeds and once they crackle, add the sesame seeds, curry leaves and green chilies and take the pan off the heat.
Drizzle this tempering (tadka) over the dhokla using a spoon.
Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and Serve hot. Enjoy this snack with tea or as a starter.

Serving Instructions

· Serve it hot with some oil (Preferably Peanut or Sesame oil). The reason it’s served with oil is because it’s a bit spicy and the oil dip brings down the spice and enhances the flavour of the dhokla

· Serve hot with green chutney and sweet date chutney as preferred

Tips

· Use Roasted Dalia/Semolina. If not roasted and kept. Roast the Dalia and Semolina and keep aside. Wait for it to cool

· For those who do not have an Idli/Dhokla steamer can use the pressure cooker without the weight(whistle) or use plates and place onto a stand in a wok with water and cover and steam cook.


Variations

· You can use Eno fruit salt – ½ tsp instead of the Baking powder and Baking soda.

METHI RAI KURIA MANGO PICKLE (MANGO PICKLE MADE WITH CRUSHED FENUGREEK & MUSTARD SEEDS)

 

METHI RAI KURIA MANGO PICKLE (MANGO PICKLE MADE WITH CRUSHED FENUGREEK & MUSTARD SEEDS)

This year when I saw raw mangoes arrive in the market I decided to pickle them. Yo(my husband is very fond of pickles) and nowadays the pickles we buy in the market have a pungent flavor to them, no matter which brand you buy, eventually you wear off the brands as you start feeling this. So, I thought better make them at home.  I was not sure whether I should make Avakkai(the south Indian style) mango pickle or the Gujarati style Mango pickle so I asked all my Facebook friends and somehow got tempted to make the Methi Rai Kuria Mango Pickle. I absolutely adore the Mango pickles that my Gujarati neighbor used to make in big porcelain pickle jars during the summer months back in India. Not only would the home made ones have a lot of Masala, but the mangoes would also be quite soft unlike the ones we buy from the shop.

I read on some websites that this pickle is made either with methi na kuria (crushed fenugreek seeds) or rai na kuria (split mustard seeds). I decided to add both because I like the masala more than the mango itself.

If I can make these at home anyone can make it…It’s incredibly easy to make.  The main preparation is the ingredients, once everything is ready, it is only assembly.

 

Ingredients

Cut Mango Pieces – 1 ½ kilo / Approximately 10 teacups of cut raw mangoes.

Salt – 2 teacups

Broken Yellow Mustard ground coarsely – 1 cup

Methi (Whole)  ground coarsely – ¼ cup

Kashmiri Chilly powder – 1 cup

Asafetida – 2 tbsp

Oil – 41/2 cups

Precautions

Before you start the process of assembly you need to take the following precautions.

·         Work in an open space with the windows open.

·         Don’t sit under the ceiling fan lest the masala blows into your eyes and nose.

·         Wear plastic disposable gloves, because some people have sensitive hands and they may find their hands burning with the chilly powder for a long time.

Method

First wash the mangoes, wipe them and then cut them in big chunks, I made slightly smaller chunks. After you cut don’t wash them, just let them dry out on a newspaper in the sun for a while. Meanwhile make your other ingredients ready.

Lightly Roast the whole fenugreek seeds and when cool, crush them coarsely as shown in the picture.

Lightly Roast the Broken Yellow Mustard seeds, this is readily available in the market. No need to grind this, you can use it as it is.

Heat the oil lightly till it is warm (not up to the smoking point) and let it cool. This process is to remove the raw smell of the oil. This step maybe avoided in the readymade pickles available in the market hence the pickles start to give a pungent odor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see in the picture I kept all my ingredients ready.

I mixed the salt, red chilly powder, crushed fenugreek seeds, the roasted broken yellow mustard seeds and asafetida together in a big open plate, After which I added the cut mango chunks.

Ensure everything coats well.

Finally add in the Oil and give it a good mix.

 

You can mix using a spatula or your hand.

 

Once you feel everything is mixed well, slowly, gently take spoonfuls and drop into a sterilized porcelain or glass jar/bottle. Every day keep the jar in the sun for 2-3 hours.

The pickling process starts as the Mangoes start to marinate in the masala.

Every day in the morning open the jar and with a long dry spoon, give it a good stir.

In about 10-15 days the pickle is ready for you’ll to eat. 

I have not used any preservative. The oil and salt are natural preservatives and will help preserve the pickle.

This pickle can be stored for a year but you have to be careful not to use a wet spoon while you scoop out small portions for your immediate everyday servings.

Store this in a cool dry place. Enjoy this lovely condiment with your food.

Tips

·         Preferably use Kashmiri chilly powder as it imparts a lovely red color to the pickle.

·         This pickle can also be made with ½ cup rai na kuria (split mustard seeds) only.

·         This pickle can also be made with ½ cup methi na kuria (crushed fenugreek seeds) only.

·         If you wish, you can use drained baby mangoes in brine, in which case, you should reduce the quantity of salt in this recipe.

TOOVAR LILVA PULAV / PIGEON PEAS PULAV

TOOVAR LILVA PULAV / PIGEON PEAS PULAV
This time when I went for my weekend grocery shopping, I saw bags of frozen Toovar Lilva, all neatly picked, sorted and frozen. The fresh ones are not available so easily in Singapore and seeing such a convenient pack I decided to buy it.
Usually when I buy this I use it in the Surti Undhio. This time I thought I will make something different from it and decided to make a Pulav out of it which is a one pot meal at home on the days when I am lazy to cook and I need to rustle up something quickly.
Here is a recipe of the Toovar Lilva Pulav for people who like some variety in their palette.
The Toovar Lilva Pulav was such a hit in our house that it got over in no time.

Ingredients
Toovar Lilva / Pigeon Peas – 1 cup
Basmati Rice – 1 ½ cup washed and drained
Bay leaves - 1
Cumin Seeds – 1 tbsp
Cinnamon sticks – 1
Clove / Lavang – 1
Turmeric – ½ tsp (Optional)
Asafetida – a pinch
Onion – 1 finely chopped (Optional)
Freshly chopped coriander leaves – 2 tbsps
Oil – 2 tbsps
Salt as per taste

To Be Ground Into A Smooth Paste (using Little Water)
Chopped Coriander leaves – ½ cup
Green chillies – 4
Ginger paste – 1 tsp
Lemon Juice - ½  tbsp
Fresh Green Garlic (Hara Lehsun) – ¼ cup (Optional)

Method
Rinse out 1 ½ cups of long grained Basmati rice and then soak it for a while in water.
I used the frozen pigeon peas, Incase you are using the frozen Toovar Lilva, kindly soak it in some warm water. If you are using fresh ones just rinse the pigeon peas out through a colander and they are ready to use.
Now, take the chopped coriander leaves, green chilly paste, ginger paste, a pinch of salt, Lemon juice and the fresh green garlic and blend to fine consistency in a mixie / blender adding a little water.
(I didn’t use the green garlic & onion in this recipe)

In a wok, put 2 tablespoons of oil, once the oil is heated add in the Bay leaves, Cinnamon stick, clove and the cumin seeds, once you see the cumin getting fried, add in a pinch of Asafetida (I always like to asafetida in my dishes as it has property to remove gases and in this recipe we have beans so it is good to add some), and fry for a minute.
Now add in the finely chopped onions and sauté until transparent. The onion should look shrunk and well fried.
After this, add in the Corriander-green chilly-ginger-lemon juice paste and sauté well. The color of the paste when fried well becomes slightly light.
Ensure that you don’t burn the masala as then the pulav won’t taste so good.
Meanwhile drain the water of the Toovar Lilva by passing it through a colander (if using the frozen ones).
Once, the masala turns into a lighter color. Add in the Toovar Lilva and sauté until the Pigeon peas turn into a lighter green,
After this add in the rinsed and soaked Basmati rice without any water and sauté for 2-3 minutes adding salt as per the taste and mixing everything well.
Once this is done you can put this in a rice cooker and add water according to finger level consistency for example when you put your finger in you will know how much rice is there, that much water has to be added or alternatively add water until the rice is completely immersed and there is another tea-cup of water on top. The water level has to be perfect for a perfect pulav, now switch on the rice cooker and keep to cook position.
I always use the electric rice cooker for pulav in Singapore but you can make it in a non stick wok by closing the lid and keeping the gas on a low flame.
Either way it cooks well. Once the rice cooks, give it a light stir so that everything mixes well without breaking the grains of rice Put the lid back and let it stand for another five minutes. Then turn off the plug.
Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot.
If you want to decorate it some more you can even garnish it with freshly grated paneer.
Enjoy the refreshing Toovar Lilva pulav with any gravy of your choice or just with Papad, pickle and raita, It’s a complete meal.

SWEET SHANKARPAALE / SHANKARPALI / SHAKKAR PAARE (SWEET CRUNCHY DIAMOND BITS)

SWEET SHANKARPAALE / SHANKARPALI / SHAKKAR PAARE (SWEET CRUNCHY DIAMOND BITS)
Shankarpaale is a very popular snack in the states of Maharshtra & Gujarat, India. It is traditionally made during Diwali in most Maharastrian households. It’s simple and easy to make. It is rich in carbohydrates, making it an instant source of energy.
The mixture is made into dough and then mechanically cut into diamond shaped units which are deep fried in ghee or butter. Most of the ingredients are available at home easily and no need to specially buy stuff to make this dish.
The North Indians make this a bit differently, instead of adding the sugar into the dough, they make a sugar syrup and after frying the dough bits they dunk them in the sugar syrup and allow it to cool down. Once cool, the sugar forms a white frosted topping. I personally prefer the Maharashtrian version as I find them less sweet and guiltless than to see them loaded with sugar on top.
Being married to a man from Pune and not knowing to make Shankarpaale could be considered as a sin. That’s just a joke. We can always buy these goodies from the Store. But nothing can beat the taste or freshness of the home-made ones.
This dish has a long shelf life and can last you even up to a month if stored well in an airtight container.
This year for Diwali I am preparing Shankarpaale. You don’t need to prepare this only for Diwali. It’s a good snack to prepare anytime during the year. These are bite sized munchies which are enjoyable to gobble anytime during the day or can be had as a tea-time snack.
I made one batch of Shankarpaales which was about 250gms but it got over so soon, that, I had to make another batch, so I made 1 kilo of them for Diwali to share with my neighbors and friends.
The below recipe is for making about 250 gms / ¼ kilo Shankarpaale.

Ingredients
All purpose flour – 1 ½ cup
Semolina – 1 teaspoon
Sugar – ¼ cup
Ghee or butter – ¼ cup
Milk – ¼ cup
Salt – a pinch
Oil for frying

If you want to make about 1kg you need to use
All purpose flour – 6 cups
Semolina – 3 teaspoons
Sugar – 1 ¼  cup
Ghee or butter – 1 cup
Milk – 1 cup
Salt – 1 ½ teaspoons
Oil for frying

Method

Sieve the all purpose flour, add the semolina and salt. Mix well and keep aside.
In a saucepan, take milk and ghee and heat until the ghee melts. Now, add sugar and keep stirring until the sugar melts or up to 1 boil, whichever is earlier.
Let this mix cool down.
Once it’s cool, add this mixture to the all purpose flour, semolina and salt mix and start kneading the dough. The dough should be of the consistency of a chappati but will be soft because of the ghee.
Make a stiff dough that’s easy to roll. Now cover with a moist cloth and let this dough rest for about half an hour (30 minutes).
Make small balls from the dough and roll like a thick paratha. The thicker ones come out soft and crunchy like biscuits and the thinner ones come out crispy like chips. It’s a personal choice how you want it. I like it like a biscuit, so I roll my shankarpaales a little thick. Once you rolled the dough to your desired thickness. Remove the rough edges by using knife or pizza cutter.
Now cut in to desired shape (usually squares or diamonds). I like diamond shaped ones, so I cut mine like diamonds. Keep the oil hot and ready in a wok. I usually keep the flame on sim when I add in the shankarpaale diamonds and let it be there on sim for a minute or 2. After this I increase the flame, so that the dough gets cooked properly inside out when on sim. You must do this when you are rolling out thicker shankarpaales. Deep fry till it gets golden brown color. Allow it to cool down and then store in an air tight container or zip lock bag. Enjoy these delicious diamond bites as and when you want.

 Tips

·         The proportion for the All purpose flour may vary. If you feel while kneading that the dough is too smooth and not getting to the required stiffness, add in some more flour till you get the desired stiffness.

·         You can fry in ghee or dalda instead of oil.

·         I used coarse grain sugar in my recipe and my shankarpaales were not overly sweet. If you are using fine grain or castor sugar, you may need to add in some more sugar.

·         My Shankarpaales were not overly sweet, if you like it very sweet you can add in a bit more of sugar.

DRY FRUIT SHRIKHAND (EXOTIC SWEETENED THICK YOGURT WITH DRYFRUITS)

DRY FRUIT SHRIKHAND (EXOTIC SWEETENED THICK YOGURT WITH DRYFRUITS)
This is one of the quickest and easiest desserts. Adding different varieties of dry fruits adds some grandeur to the simple Shrikhand. As in the market you get standard flavors like Cardamom Shrikhand, Pistachio Shrikhand, Saffron flavored Shrikhand(Kesar) or Amrakhand (Mango flavored). But at home I added all the dryfruits like cardamom, Almond, pistachio and saffron. Not only making it rich but exotic as it is not what is available in the market.  Making the Shrikhand takes all about 20 minutes excluding the time taken to tie the yogurt overnight and the refrigeration. With a little bit of preparation you can have a wonderful dessert in a jiffy. It is very healthy. You can adjust the sugar according to the sweetness desired. Shrikhand – Puri is an exotic combination very popular in Maharashtra, even some restaurants serve this combo on their menu. We can also find this as one of the desserts in their weddings, festivals and special events. I’m very happy to share this recipe for one and all to enjoy. Indulge in this Sweet, cool, crunchy delight with Puris or just like that.

Ingredients

Yogurt – ½ kg
Sugar - 250 gms
Cardamom powder – ½ tsp
Almond – 4-5 sliced
Pistachio – 4-5 sliced
Saffron – 4-5 strands

Method
I have used yogurt made from full cream milk in this recipe as I was not sure if the yogurt would be thick enough in the Low fat milk and Skimmed milk. I took a clean muslin cloth, put the muslin cloth over a bowl so that there is no spillage. I slowly dropped the yogurt inside the muslin cloth. Once, I transferred the yogurt, I tied the muslin cloth in a knot, like a small pouch, ensure that the knot is a tight one, lest your yogurt may fall off and get wasted.
Next I tied it to the rack on to a hook dangled from my kitchen rack. Ensure that the hook is strong. You will see that the whey that is the water from the yogurt is falling down through the muslin cloth, don’t press the yogurt in the pouch and remove. Let it drain itself naturally. You can keep a bowl below the knotted pouch and collect the whey. This can be used in gravies for North Indian dishes and you can also add it in the wheat flour while kneading the dough to get softer rotis (chappatis).
This is the best part of Indian cooking.”Nothing gets wasted”
Keep this overnight or for 6-7 hours. I always do it over night, if I do it during the daytime I have no patience to wait.
In the morning, I take the pouch and keep it on top of a bowl and open the pouch gently. You will see thick & creamy Yogurt remaining which doesn’t have any water. Put this in a bowl, add sugar and mix.
Keep aside for 25-30 minutes to allow the sugar to dissolve.
Meanwhile, rub saffron into 1 tbsp. milk till well broken and dissolved. Keep aside.
Beat well till sugar has fully dissolved into curd.
Pass through a big holed strong strainer, pressing with hand or spatula to ensure the texture is totally free flow and creamy.
Mix in cardamom powder and the dissolved saffron and half of the sliced nuts.
Put this in a nice glass serving bowl, Garnish it with the remaining nuts.
Chill for 1-2 hours before serving. This dessert is best served chilled.
This quantity makes about  6-7 servings and the
Shelf life: 3-4 days refrigerated

Variations:

-          To make fruit flavoured shrikhand eg. mango, add pulp at the stage of adding cardamom and saffron.

-          I like to use baked or roasted nuts than the raw ones as it adds a crunch to the Shrikhand.

GREEN DHOKLA / HARA BHARA DHOKLA

GREEN DHOKLA / HARA BHARA DHOKLA

Schools have started and so has the daily grind for me with 2 little school going children and it is very important for me to ensure that the children eat a balanced diet which includes vegetables and greens.

I hid some greens (Spinach leaves, dried fenugreek leaves powder and coriander leaves), in my children’s favorite snack “dhokla”, my kids were enticed by the lovely fresh green colored dhoklas and ate them with delight.

I think it’s a nice way to make kids eats vegetables. Do try this steam cooked recipe packed with nutrition

HARA BHARA DHOKLA / GREEN DHOKLA

Ingredients

Besan (gram flour) - 1 cup

Semolina (Rava) - 1 1/2 tablespoons

Spinach leaves (Palak) – 10-12

Kasuri methi powder – ¼ tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Cumin powder – 1 tsp

Sugar – 1tbsp

Ginger paste - 1 teaspoon

Green chilly paste - 1 teaspoon

Garlic paste – 1 tsp (optional)

Citric Acid (Nimbu ke phool) - 1/2 teaspoon or Lemon juice – 1 tsp

Eno Fruit salt or Soda Bicarb – 1 ½ tsp

For the tempering

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

White Sesame seeds (til) – ½ tsp

Green chillies – 2-3

Curry leaves – A sprig

Asafetida (hing) - a pinch

For the garnish

Freshly grated Coconut – 1 tbsp

Coriander leaves – 3-4 tbsp

A CLOSE UP OF THE HARA BHARA DHOKLA

Method

Rinse the Spinach leaves and 3 tablespoons of coriander leaves in a colander. Make a fine puree of the leaves in a blender without adding water.

In a big bowl add in all the ingredients except the Eno fruit salt and mix well using water to make a thick idli like batter. Let this rest for 10 minutes.

Add in the Eno fruit salt or Soda bicarb, Add little water and mix well.

You will notice that the mixture rises. Don’t wait too long once the batter rises.

When you see that the batter has risen immediately pour it onto a greased thali and steam, else your dholkas won’t turn out puffy and nice.

Remember the batter should’nt rest after adding the fruit salt.

Once the batter is poured into a deep greased plate, steam for about 10 - 15 minutes in a pressure cooker without the whistle or in a steamer.

When it’s done in a pressure cooker, keep it for about 10 minutes after you hear the whooshing sound of steam coming out through the top nozzle.

Once you turn off the gas, let the dhoklas rest for a while. Check with a knife, insert into the cake, if it comes free your dhoklas are done.

If not, steam cook for some more time.

For the tempering, heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds, when the mustard seeds crackle add in the cumin seeds & sesame seeds. Fry 2 -3 whole green chillies with the stalk, Add the curry leaves, Add in some asafetida and pour this over the steamed dhoklas.

Garnish with Finely chopped coriander leaves and some freshly grated coconut.

Cut into pieces and serve with coriander chutney or tamarind and date chutney.

I would like to pack some of my Hara bhara dhoklas to Priya Sreeram’s Fast Food Not Fat Food event.

This event was originally started by Priya Mahadevan 

Fresh Green Chickpeas Paneer Curry Recipe | Choliya Paneer Masala | Harbhara Paneer Bhaji | Hara Chana Paneer Masala

There are some seasonal ingredients that instantly bring back memories of places, people, and moments spent together as a family. Fresh green chickpeas, known as Harbhara, Hara Chana, or Choliya, are one such winter delicacy for me.

Whenever I visit Pune, my husband never misses an opportunity to buy fresh harbhara from roadside vendors. They are usually sold in bunches, and one has to patiently split open each pod to remove the tender green chickpeas hidden inside.

I would often see people casually walking along the roads, happily peeling and eating fresh harbhara almost like peanuts during the winter season. My husband absolutely loves them and would always insist that I try some too. Somehow, I never quite took to the taste initially. I suppose certain traditional seasonal foods are acquired tastes that one slowly learns to appreciate over time.

This dish is especially made for my dear husband and my little one, who constantly trouble me to prepare dishes using fresh green chickpeas whenever they are available.

Preparing fresh harbhara from scratch is quite a lengthy process. The pods need to be opened one by one, the chickpeas sorted carefully, and then washed thoroughly in a colander. To get even a decent quantity of green chickpeas, one needs several bunches of the plant. Unfortunately, fresh green chickpeas are not commonly available in Singapore. So for this recipe, I used the frozen variety available at Mustafa Centre under the Greentech brand, where it is sold as Choliya. They work beautifully and save a lot of preparation time.

For those who cannot find the frozen variety, dried green chana is available throughout the year in most Indian grocery stores. If using dried green chana, soak them overnight and pressure cook them for about 3 whistles before proceeding with the recipe.

Since I personally was never overly fond of the earthy taste of green chickpeas, I decided to flavour the curry generously with aromatic spices and added soft crumbled paneer to make it richer and more comforting.

To my surprise, the dish turned out so delicious that I completely changed my opinion about green chickpeas. The combination of spices, paneer, and the tender choliya created a hearty, wholesome curry that I now truly enjoy making and relishing again and again.

This protein-rich North Indian style curry pairs beautifully with hot phulkas, rotis, parathas, or even simple steamed rice. 

Fresh green sorted whole chickpeas-Image courtesy Wikipedia

Now for many like me who didn’t know what’s hara chana, they are whole green chick peas packed with a lot of nutritional value. Typically, these are available only a few weeks a year.

Fresh green whole chickpeas-Image courtesy Wikipedia

Ingredients

1 ½ cups hare chane (whole green chickpeas)

Spinach (Palak leaves) - 4-5 for color

Onion - 1 Big

Tomatoes – 2 red and ripe ones

Green chillies – 2

Ginger – ½ inch

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Badi elaichi – 1

Cinnamon stick – 1

Star Anise – 1 tsp

Kasuri Methi powder – 1 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Cumin powder – 1 tsp

Garam Masala – 1 tsp

Chole Masala – 1 tsp

Chaat Masala – 1 tsp

Asafetida – a pinch

Paneer (Cottage Cheese) crumbled 3-4 heaped tablespoons

Salt as per taste

Oil – 2 tbsps

Fresh Green Coriander leaves for garnish

A close up of the dish

Method

Finely Chop the onion and tomatoes. Make a coarse paste of the ginger and green chillies in a blender. Soak the frozen paneer in some warm water. After a while crumble and keep it aside. 

Blend the spinach leaves with some water and keep aside.

Rinse the frozen choliya (whole green chick peas), drain and keep aside. For those who are using the fresh green chickpeas or the dried ones kindly read above the ingredients list, the method to cook it.

Heat oil in a wok (kadhai), add the cumin seeds, badi elaichi, cinnamon stick & star anise.

Once the cumin is fried, Add in the coarsely grounded ginger and chilly paste and fry, after a minute add the finely chopped onions and sauté, once the onions are transparent, add the finely chopped tomatoes and sauté until it is totally squashy and fried. 

Add in the Kasuri Methi powder, Coriander powder, Cumin powder, Garam Masala, Chole Masala and Chaat Masala, asafetida and salt and fry for a minute. The masala should get fried well, At this point add in the blended spinach leaves paste, sauté until the oil comes out of the puree. 

Now add the whole green chickpea without any water and mix well with all the masala. 

If you are not using spinach for color, you can add in 1-2 drops of green color just for the color (this is optional)

Cover and cook in a low flame. Let the green chana cook in its own juices. 

When you see the water is getting dried. 

Add in 2 teacups of water and let it cook on a slow flame. 

Keep adding water everytime you see that the chana is dry until you can see that the chickpeas are cooked. 

Once the chickpeas are cooked and can be mashed easily with the back of the spatula, add the crumbled paneer, cook covered for a while. 

While cooking, keep mashing a few chickpeas with the back of the spatula for a mushy thick gravy. 

Cook for about 10-15 minutes on a slow flame. 

Ensure that the mix has gravy by adding water and letting the mix boil. 

When you see that it is an even mix and has enough gravy to your heart’s desire. Put off the flame. 

Garnish with finely chopped fresh green coriander leaves and serve hot with fulkas or rice.

Variations

• You can add garlic to this recipe. 
• You can skip the onions as well for a no onion - no garlic recipe (Jain) 
• Blanch the spinach for a greener colour.
• You can add in 1-2 drops of green color just for the color (this is optional)
• Vegans can avoid Paneer, Milk etc in the recipe.

#HaraChana #PaneerCurry #IndianRecipes #VegetarianRecipes #SukanyasMusings

KHAMAN DHOKLA

Gujarat is most famous for its fluffy and light Khaman Dhoklas. Dhokla or 'Khumman' is made with a fermented batter of chickpeas.

My dearest hubby Yo is a great fan of this dish and it can cheer him up anytime, whether served during a meal or as a tea time snack.

Ingredients
Besan (gram flour) - 1 cup
Semolina (Rava) - 1 1/2 tablespoons
Sugar – 1tbsp
Ginger paste - 1 teaspoon
Green chilly paste - 1 teaspoon
Citric Acid (Nimbu ke phool) - 1/2 teaspoon or Lemon juice – 1 tsp
Eno Fruit salt or Soda Bicarb – 1 ½ tsp
For the tempering
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
White Sesame seeds (til) – ½ tsp
Green chillies – 2-3
Curry leaves – A sprig
Asafetida (hing) - a pinch
For the garnish
Freshly grated Coconut – 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves – 1tbsp

Method
In a big bowl add in all the ingredients except the Eno fruit salt and mix well using water to make a thick idli like batter. Let this rest for 10 minutes.

Add in the Eno fruit salt or Soda bicarb, Add little water and mix well. You will notice that the mixture rises. Don’t wait too long once the batter rises. When you see that the batter has risen immediately pour it onto a greased thali and steam, else your dholkas won’t turn out puffy and nice. Remember the batter should’nt rest after adding the fruit salt. Once the batter is poured into a deep greased plate steam for about 10 - 15 minutes in a pressure cooker without the whistle or in a steamer. When it’s done in a pressure cooker, keep it for about 10 minutes after you hear the whooshing sound of steam coming out through the top nozzle. Once you turn off the gas, let the dhoklas rest for a while. Check with a knife, insert into the cake, if it comes free your dhoklas are done. If not steam cook for some more time.
For the tempering, heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds, When the mustard seeds crackle add in the cumin seeds & sesame seeds. Fry 2 -3 whole green chillies with the stalk, Add the curry leaves, Add in some asafetida and pour this over the steamed dhoklas.
Garnish with Finely chopped coriander leaves and some freshly grated coconut. I also garnished my dhokla with some sev as seen in the picture above. Cut into pieces and serve with coriander chutney or tamarind and date chutney.

Since Dhoklas are unarguably a definite Gujarati snack I would like to send them to Nayna's Flavours of Gujrat event.

I would love to send it to Akila who is celebrating India's Independence day with her CID-2010 event.

Dhokla being a definite party treat I would like to send this to Sara who is hosting MM party treats

Since Dhokla is made with Besan (Bengal gram Dal)/Chickpea flour) I would like to send it to MLLA26 hosted by Briciole and started by Susan

The wonderfully light and fluffy dhoklas also goes to Two For Tuesdays started by Alex of  A Moderate Life.

I am also packing off some of the dhoklas garnished with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, sev, curry leaves & fried chilly to Sanyukta's Visual Treat Event
Dhokla being a light tea time snack goes to Sharmi's Let's Munch-Light Tea Time Snacks Event

I am also sending dhoklas to Ayeesha's Iftar Moments Hijri 1431 Event in her blog Taste of Pearl City

ALOO WADI / PATRA / SPICED COLOCASIA ROLLS revisited

I had posted this recipe a few years ago and when I made this again I thought why not refresh our memories with this spicy-sweet indulgence, so here’s a wonderful snack from the west of India revisited again with beautiful clicks(since now I feel my photography is better than what it used to be or so I think…ha ha ha!!!!).

ALOO WADI / PATRA / SPICED COLOCASIA ROLLS

The farsan is usually part of a typical Gujarati or Maharashtrian meal. Aloo wadi is one such farsan which is part of a complete meal, but it can also be served as a snack. The Gujaratis call it Patra. This is made of the Aloo leaves(Colocasia leaves also known as Taro leaves by some).  The spicy sweet indulgence with a gamut of flavors exploding in your mouth is truly a delight to your taste buds.

Ingredients
Aloo leaves (Colocasia leaves) – 8-10
Besan - 2 cups
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp
Red Chilly powder - 2 tbsp
Tamarind paste – 1tbsp
Garam masala – 2 tsps
Asafetida – a pinch
Salt to taste
Jaggery - 1 tbsp
Oil to fry

For Garnishing
Freshly grated coconut – 1tbsp
Sesame seeds – ½ tsp
Coriander seeds – ½ tsp
Finely chopped coriander leaves

Method
Remove fibres and stems from colocasia leaves (arvi leaves) and wash thoroughly. Wipe it dry. Mix the above mentioned ingredients to the besan and make a thick paste of it by adding proper proportion of water. Tamarind, not only gives a tangy taste to the Aloo wadi, but also removes the itchy property that the aloo leaves have. You can avoid jaggery if you don't like the slightly sweet taste it imparts. The gujaratis usually like to add a bit of sweet to their dishes. I personally like this dish with a dash of jaggery in the masala.
Spread on a cutting board / wooden board or any flat surface a colocasia leaf with the back surface up(glossy side down) and stalk end towards you. Spread the mixture on the leaf, now place another leaf over it and apply the mixture over it. After 4-5 leaves are placed one across the other, fold in the edges for about 2" on both sides, smear the folds with some paste and then roll gently but firmly, from the stalk end to the tip, in the shape of a cylinder.
Tie the roll with a thread if you feel it is loose. Cook the rolls in a pressure cooker on steam (Do not place whistle). Steam cook for about 25-30 minutes.
Once cooked, the rolls will be nicely set. Remove the rolls and let it cool. Cut the rolls into vadis of 1” thickness.

There are 2 ways to cook this now. Either ways it tastes just as good.
One is tempering it with spices by shallow frying or alternatively you can deep fry it for a more crispy snack.

For the first method, Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and when they begin to crackle add cumin seeds and sesame seeds. and about 10 curry leaves. Now add in the rolls and saute once carefully without breaking the rolls and then serve on a platter. Garnish the colocasia rolls with freshly grated coconut & finely chopped fresh coriander leaves. Serve it hot or cold. 

The other way is to deep fry the aloo-wadis and then garnish in a similar fashion.
You can make a lot of Aloo vadis and store it in freezer bags in the deep freezer.
Save the steamed rolls before garnishing and whenever required just heat some vadis in a microwave and add fresh garnish and serve. Isn't that impressive. You can impress your husband or your guests by serving exotic snacks in a jiffy.


Since this recipe has sesame seeds I am sending it to Easy n Tasty recipe's cooking with seeds event – Sesame seeds