Dhokla is a traditional Gujarati snack that can be eaten at any time of day. It is often made with fermented batter and cooked into a spongey savoury cake. It can be made with chickpea flour, rice or semolina. Like most Indian dishes, the ingredients to make this varies from household to household, and preference!
I adapted this recipe from my nani, who is an amazing cook. She makes THE BEST dhokla, and I always crave it. I finally found her recipe book in her home a few months ago, and couldn’t help but recreate this dish for my own kids. Its such a special recipe because I can now give my kids what I grew up eating from her own hands. Food is a beautiful way to pass on culture from on generation to the next. I am so happy to share this recipe with you.
This is a non-traditional recipe because its been made into a waffle!! However, you can use this same recipe and steam it like how you would with dumplings. It will come out the exact same way, fluffy and gorgeously spongey.
Sweet or Spicy?
Traditional Gujarati dhokla is often made sweeter, with some sweet chutneys on the side as well. However, there are so many variations for this loved dish, it really depends on your preference. This particular recipe is a little spicy.
Dhokla, Khaman Dhokla and Rava Dohkla
Traditional dhokla is made with rice fermented into a batter. Khaman dhokla is made with chickpea flour, and rava dhokla is made with semolina. This recipe is made with semolina.
No Food Colouring
Yes, there is no food colouring in this recipe. It is amazing because all the colours you see here is from the natural chemical reactions using simple ingredients. I have added turmeric in this recipe, and the curcumin (the bright yellow chemical in turmeric) reacted with the baking soda, and the heat from the waffle maker, making the dhokla turn shades of red. Its just simple science!
It looks stunning because there are shades of red, pink, orange, yellow and green from the coriander.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! Please share, comment, rate or like it if you do end up making it!
Rainbow Dhokla Waffle
Equipment
- 1 good quality non-stick waffle maker
- 1 Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup suji (semolina)
- 1 cup yoghurt (plant-based is ok also, but it may change the taste)
- 1/2 cup water room temperature
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1.5 fresh green chilli minced
- 1/2 cup fresh coriander chopped
- 1/2 tsp hing (asafoetida)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add the suji, yoghurt, water, turmeric, salt, pepper, hing, chilli and coriander. Mix together until it is fully combined.
- Mix in the baking soda and let the mixture rest for 10 minutes. You should see small bubbles forming at this point and the batter rising.
- Right before you add the lemon juice, heat up the waffle maker on medium to high heat, and make sure it is well oiled. If it is not well oiled, your dhokla will most likely stick to the surface and you’ll have to rip it apart. I sprayed avocado oil around the waffle maker, but you can use any high smoke-point oil.
- Gently pour in your lemon juice and slowly fold it into your dhokla batter. You don’t want to over mix this, so slow ‘number 8’ shape movements around the batter 3 times will do.
- Pour the batter into the waffle maker and lock it to close. Let each side cook for about 2-3 minutes. You can open the waffle maker to check if it’s done. See notes regarding the colours.
- You can either slide the dhokla waffle right off your waffle maker or you can use tongs or chopsticks to place it on your plate. Serve with your favourite chutney or sweet chilli sauce!