Indian · Gujarat · appetizer

Khatta Dhokla (Fermented Rice and Chana Dal Steamed Cake)

Name: Khatta Dhokla (Fermented Rice and Chana Dal Steamed Cake)
Prep time: 34 min
Total time: 18 h 35 min
Cuisine: Indian · Gujarat
Ingredients: short-grain rice — 300 g; chana dal — 100 g; urad dal — 30 g; fenugreek seeds — 3 g; water — 300 g; plain yogurt — 120 g; salt — 7 g; ginger — 15 g; turmeric — 3 g; baking soda — 3 g; peanut oil — 14 g; peanut oil — 41 g; brown mustard seeds — 5 g; sesame seeds — 15 g; asafoetida — 1 g; curry leaves — 2 g

Khatta Dhokla (Fermented Rice and Chana Dal Steamed Cake) reads nutty 4.3, salinity 3.6 and allium 3.6 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Indian · Gujarat appetizer, about 18 hr 35 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 4.2 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 1.4 / 10
Sour & Bright — 3.4 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 2.9 / 10
Rich & Fat — 5.2 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.0 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Nutty 4.3 · Salinity 3.6 · Allium 3.6 · Funk & Ferment 3.5 · Sourness 3.3 · Richness 3.0 · Earthy 2.6 · Warm Spice 2.5 · Umami 2.5 · Herbaceous 1.6 · Floral 1.5 · Bitterness 1.5 · Sweetness 1.3 · Citrus 0.6

What's in it (16)

short-grain rice — 300 g
chana dal — 100 g
urad dal — 30 g
fenugreek seeds — 3 g
water — 300 g
plain yogurt — 120 g
salt — 7 g
ginger — 15 g
turmeric — 3 g
baking soda — 3 g
peanut oil — 14 g
peanut oil — 41 g
brown mustard seeds — 5 g
sesame seeds — 15 g
asafoetida — 1 g
curry leaves — 2 g

Time & effort: about 18 hr 35 min (34 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 185.9 kcal, 6.2 g protein, 1.9 g fat, 35.5 g carbs

Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

Soak the rice, chana dal, urad dal and fenugreek together in plenty of water for 6 hours, then drain.
Grind them with the 300 ml water to a batter the texture of thick pancake batter, slightly grainy on the fingertip.
Beat in the sour yogurt, cover and leave to ferment 10 to 14 hours at warm room temperature until the batter has risen, is full of small bubbles and smells distinctly sour. This is the older Gujarati dhokla; the bright yellow instant version leavened with fruit salt is a modern shortcut and tastes of nothing but gram flour.
Stir in the salt, ginger-chilli paste and turmeric.
Just before steaming, whisk in the bicarbonate of soda with a tablespoon of water and work quickly; the batter will foam.
Grease a shallow tin with the groundnut oil, pour the batter in to a depth of 2 cm and steam over rapidly boiling water for 15 to 18 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean and the surface is set and slightly domed. Cool 10 minutes, then cut in diamonds.
Heat the tempering oil in a small pan, pop the mustard seeds for 40 seconds, add the sesame seeds and let them dance and colour for 20 seconds, then the asafoetida and curry leaves off the heat. Pour it over the cut dhokla and serve warm with green chutney.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Creamy Baba Ganouj Soup — Turkish
Reibekuchen (Potato Pancakes) — German
Tarator (Chilled Cucumber, Yogurt and Walnut Soup) — Bulgarian
Chicken Egg Drop Noodle Soup — Chinese-American
Mast Khiar (Yogurt and Cucumber Dip) — Persian

Keep reading: what nutty, salinity, allium mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.