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Moong dal dhokla
Steamed moong dal squares
મગની દાળના ઢોકળા: soft, high-protein squares of steamed yellow moong dal with a mustard and sesame tempering (plus 4 hours soaking)
Across Gujarat, moong dal dhokla is the lighter cousin of khaman: the breakfast plate in Ahmedabad homes, the tiffin snack that travels well, and a regular on the table when someone in the house is eating light. Split yellow moong is soaked, ground with ginger and green chilli and steamed into pale, springy squares, then splashed with a hot tempering of mustard seeds, sesame and curry leaves. It is mild, savoury and slightly sweet from the dal itself, and best with green chutney. A common mistake is grinding the dal to a thin, watery paste; the dhokla then steams flat and dense, so keep the batter thick enough to drop slowly from a spoon. Chef's tip: stir in the fruit salt only when the steamer is already boiling and the tray is greased, because its fizz fades within a couple of minutes.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the batter
- 7 oz split yellow moong dalwashed and soaked 4 hours
- ⅓ oz fresh gingerroughly chopped
- 2 green chilliesroughly chopped
- ¼ cup waterfor grinding, as needed
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp sunflower oilplus a little for the tray
- 1 tsp eno-style fruit salt
For the tempering
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 2 tsp white sesame seeds
- 10 curry leaves
- 2 green chilliesslit lengthways
- ¼ cup water
To serve
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander (optional)chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh grated coconut (optional)
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Drain the soaked 7 oz split yellow moong dal well in a sieve. Keep back a heaped tablespoon of whole soaked dal if you like a little texture.
2 minStep 2: Grind the dal with ⅓ oz fresh ginger and 2 green chillies, adding ¼ cup water a spoonful at a time, to a thick, slightly grainy paste. It should drop slowly from a spoon, not pour.
5 minStep 3: Scrape into a bowl and beat in ¼ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp sunflower oil for a minute to aerate it.
2 minStep 4: Bring 5 cm of water to a rolling boil in a steamer or wide pan with a stand. Grease a 20 cm round tin or thali with oil.
5 minStep 5: When the water is boiling hard, sprinkle 1 tsp eno-style fruit salt over the batter with a teaspoon of water on top and stir in one direction until it froths and turns pale and light. Pour into the tin straight away.
1 minStep 6: Set the tin on the stand, cover and steam over high heat. It is done when the top is dry and springy and a knife in the centre comes out clean.
14 minStep 7: Lift out and cool for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and cut into 4 cm squares.
5 minStep 8: For the tempering heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add 1 tsp black mustard seeds; when they crackle add 2 tsp white sesame seeds, ¼ tsp gluten-free asafoetida (hing), 10 curry leaves and 2 green chillies and let the sesame turn golden.
2 minStep 9: Take the pan off the heat and carefully pour in ¼ cup water (it will spit). Spoon this evenly over the squares so they soak it up.
1 minStep 10: Scatter with 2 tbsp fresh coriander and 2 tbsp fresh grated coconut and serve warm or at room temperature with green chutney.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 31 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does moong dal dhokla 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 fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
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