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Dhuska
Dhuska (धुस्का): Jharkhand's puffy deep-fried rice and chana dal breads (plus 4 hours soaking)
Dhuska is the breakfast of Ranchi and the whole of Jharkhand, fried fresh at roadside stalls from early morning. Rice and chana dal are soaked, ground to a thick, slightly coarse batter with green chilli and ginger, and ladled into hot oil, where each round puffs up crisp outside and soft and spongy inside. It is eaten with aloo-chana ghugni or a thin potato curry and a sharp coriander chutney, and it is a must at Jharkhandi weddings and Karma festival. Chef's tip: beat the batter hard for a couple of minutes before frying; the trapped air makes it puff without any soda.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the batter
For frying
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Soak 7 oz raw rice (arwa chawal), 3 ½ oz chana dal and 2 tbsp urad dal together in plenty of water for 4–6 hours, then drain well.
5 minStep 2: Grind the soaked grains with 2 green chillies, 1 ⅛ in ginger and 2 cloves garlic, adding ¾ cup water a little at a time, to a thick batter that is smooth with a slight grit, like idli batter. Common mistake: making it runny; a thin batter spreads flat in the oil and won't puff.
8 minStep 3: Stir in 1 tsp cumin seeds, ¼ tsp ground turmeric, 1 pinch asafoetida (gluten-free), 1 tsp salt and 2 tbsp coriander leaves, then beat the batter with your hand or a whisk for 2 minutes, until it looks lighter.
3 minStep 4: Heat 2 cups mustard oil or vegetable oil in a kadhai over a medium-high heat. If using mustard oil, heat it until it smokes lightly, then lower the heat a little. The oil is ready when a drop of batter rises at once with steady bubbles.
5 minStep 5: Pour in a small ladle of batter, about 8 cm across. Spoon hot oil over the top so it puffs, then fry for 2 minutes a side, until golden brown, crisp and hollow-sounding when tapped. Fry 2–3 at a time and drain on paper.
20 minStep 6: Serve hot with ghugni, potato curry or coriander chutney.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dhuska take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of raw rice (arwa chawal)?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of cumin seeds?
- Ground cumin, three quarters of the amount (add it with the other ground spices, not to hot oil first).
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