Chana Dal Dhokla – Is a popular Guajarati snack. Apart from the traditional khaman dhokla there are so many innovative versions of dhoklas available now. Khaman dhokla is the favourite of almost every one. This delicious Chana dal dhokla is protein rich and nutritious. Diabetic friendly and weightloss recipe. This dhokla is not only served as a snack, it is also served as lunch or dinner. In our family we like to have dhokla for our lunch/dinner.

Dhoklas are made with rice and lentil batter, whereas khaman are made with gram flour/besan or chana dal batter. Chana dal dhokla is also named as vati dal na khaman. Besan khaman / Nylon khaman is an instant recipe. But Chana dal dhokla needs preparation.

Both khaman taste quite different as in besan khaman you need to add sugar and lemon water to make it moist else it feels very dry while eating, but chana dal khaman is not as dry as besan khaman. Personally I prefer chana daal khaman. But both taste delicious if made perfectly.

Making khaman and dhokla is quite easy if either it is fermented well or you have added the right amount of fruit salt in it to rise well. If you add less fruit salt or soda then it will not turn soft and spongy. But after few trial and errors you will master the trick.

More Chana Dal Recipes:

How to make Chana Dal/Vati Khaman Dhokla

PREP TIME: 5 MINS COOK TIME: 15 MINS SOAK TIME – 4-5 HRS TOTAL TIME: MINS COURSE: MAIN COURSE & SNACKS CUISINE: GUJARATI SERVINGS : 2

Ingredients

chana dal – 3/4 cup
green chillies – 2
ginger – 1″
cilantro
salt, sugar – 1/2 tsp each
yogurt(curd) – 2 tbsp
lemon juice – 2 tsp
water to grind – 6 tbsp (adust as needed)
turmeric – 1/4 tsp
eno/fruit salt – 3/4 tsp (add 1/4 tsp more if needed)
For tempering:
- oil – 3-4 tsp
- mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
- sesame seeds – 1.5 tsp
- sugar – 1.5 tsp
- water – 1.5 – 2 tbsp

Instructions

Rinse and soak chana dal for minimum 4-5 hours.
Drain the water and transfer to a blender, add green chilies, ginger, lemon juice, cilantro, salt, sugar and yogurt. Grind to make a coarse and thick paste with 6 tbsp. water(adjust more or less).
Take the mixture into a bowl, keep it covered and put it in a warm place to ferment overnight or for at least 5 hours.
Boil enough water in a normal steamer or in a dhokla maker or in a idly maker or pressure cooker.
Grease the plates or cooker vessel in which you want to steam the dhokla.
when the water in the steamer started boiling then add turmeric and Eno /fruit salt in the batter.
Sprinkle few drops of water over the Eno and mix well.
Pour the batter in the greased plate (fill the plate 3/4).
Put the plate in the steamer and close it tightly with the lid.
Cook on medium heat for about 12-15 minutes
Open and check by inserting a knife or toothpick, If it come out clean then its done else cook further for some time.
Let it come to room temperature and then cut into pieces.
Fried Jalapenos:
- Remove seeds and cut the jalapenos into strips. If using green chilies, slit them in half vertically.
- Heat a pan with 1 tbsp oil, add jalapenos and green chillies, sprinkle salt and fry them till they get soft and little brown.
Tempering –
- Heat oil in a small pan and add Mustard seeds ,sesame seeds, asafoetida.
- When seeds start crackling, add sugar and water.
- Remove it from the flame and add 2 tbsp of water(water is optional).
Pour the tempering over the dhokla pieces.
Garnish with chopped coriander.
Serve with fried jalapenos or serrano peppers or green chilies or coconut chutney or mint chutney.

Tips

Don’t make a fine paste of chana dal, it should be little coarse.
Add fruit salt only when the water in your steamer started boiling and the dhokla plates are greased.
If you don’t like the sweet taste and making for diabetics, you can skip adding sugar.
You can store the batter in refrigerator for about 3 days, add Eno only when you want to steam it.
The consistency of the batter should be perfect for a spongy dhokla.it should neither be too thick nor too runny.

Equipment Used in this Recipe:

Dhokla Plates : https://amzn.to/3sIRZ3H

Step by step photo instructions

Rinse and soak 3/4 cup chana dal for minimum 4-5 hours.

Drain the water and transfer to a blender, add 2 green chilies, 1″ ginger, 2 tsp lemon juice, cilantro, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sugar and 2 tbsp yogurt. Grind to make a coarse and thick paste with 6 tbsp. water(adjust more or less).

Take the mixture into a bowl, keep it covered and put it in a warm place to ferment overnight or for at least 5 hours.

Boil enough water in a normal steamer or in a dhokla maker or in a idly maker or pressure cooker.
Grease the plates or cooker vessel in which you want to steam the dhokla.

When the water in the steamer started boiling then add 1/4 tsp turmeric and 3/4 -1 tsp Eno /fruit salt in the batter.
Sprinkle few drops of water over the Eno and mix well.
Pour the batter in the greased plate (fill the plate 3/4).

Put the plate in the steamer and close it tightly with the lid.
Cook on medium heat for about 12-15 minutes.
Open and check by inserting a knife or toothpick, If it come out clean then its done else cook further for some time.