Dhokla of Ahmedabad

Imagine that juicy, spongy piece of loaf, entering your mouth and tingling your taste-buds as you crush it in your mouth and that tangy blend of flavors make you murmur to yourself "Aaaahhh...Heaven's in my mouth!" Yes, Dhokla is something you would love to have any time, any day. The yellow-colored, spongy bread is loaded with tangy flavors and that light sweetness that makes it just too good for a light snack to be savored with coconut, tomato and chilli chutneys.


Dhokla is a nutritious vegetarian food item in Ahmedabad which is made with the base of fermented chickpea batter and rice. This dish is quite popular in the Indian state of Gujarat. Dhokla’s flavor can also be adjusted with curd, cheese, yogurt, green chilies, or any other spices. This dish can generally be found in sweet shops. It can be eaten for breakfast, or as a side dish or even as a snack.  

Variety of Dhokla

There are various types of Dhokla prepared with various ingredients and ratios of chickpeas. Some of the most popular types of Dhoklas are:

• Green Peas Dhokla
• Mixed Dal Dhokla
• Sandwich Dhokla
• Rawa Dhokla
• Khandhavi Dhokla
• Khatta Dhokla
• Toor Dal Dhokla
• Cheese Dhokla
• Rasia Dhokla

Dhokla is often mistaken with another dish called Khaman which is quite similar to Dhokla. The only difference between Dhokla and khaman are; Dhokla is made out of rice and chickpeas, whereas khaman is made out of chickpeas alone. Another difference is that khaman is usually lighter in color and softer than Dhokla because more baking soda is being added in khaman to make it fluffy, spongy and porous.

• Besan flour– 1 cup
• Curd– 1/2 cup 
• Water– 1/2 cup 
• Green chili– 2
• Ginger– 1 inch piece 
• Sugar– 1 tsp 
• Lemon juice– 1 tsp
• Eno fruit salt– 1 & 1/2 tsp
• Salt – (1 tsp) 
• Turmeric powder (optional) – 1small pinch 
• Coriander leaves– 2 tblsp 
• Coconut (grated) – 2-3 tblsp

To temper, you'll require:

• Oil– 1 tsp
• Mustard– 3/4 tsp
• Asafoetida– 1/8 tsp

This dish generally takes only 5 minutes for preparation and 15 minutes for cooking. 

Step 1: Grind ginger and green chili with little water. 

Note: When you grind with water, just use 1/2 cup of water. Usage of excess water may spoil the dish.

Step 2: Put the besan in a bowl; add the green chilli and grounded ginger, curd, lemon juice, water, turmeric, salt and sugar to it. Mix well and keep aside.

Note:  Do not add much turmeric because its smell might dominate Dhokla’s smell.

Step 3: Take a wide flat bottomed vessel. Grease it with oil. 

Step 4: Mix the Eno salt to the besan mixture. 

Note:  Mix it only when you are steaming. Make sure to mix well.

Note:  You can even use a tsp of cooking soda instead of Eno fruit salt.

Step 5: Steam this mixture for 10-12 minutes. 

Step 6: Insert a knife to check whether it’s done or not. If it’s cooked well, the knife will come out clean. 

Step 7: Turn off the flame and keep aside for 5 minutes to cool down. 

Step 8: Now turn the dish upside down to a plate. Cut into desired shape. You can cut them in square or triangular shape.

Step 9: Fry up the items given under ‘To temper’ and spread it over dhokla pieces and garnish with coriander leaves, grated coconut.

Note: Make sure to use ginger and asafoetida for good smell. You can even add a pinch of asafoetida in the batter.

Your yummy yummy Dhokla is ready to be savored with all the chutneys you love!

Popular Ahmedabad Restaurants Serving Dhokla

Though Dhokla is popular in all over India yet Ahmedabad beung motherland of it, excels in presenting best of it. Here is a short list of some popular restaurants in Ahmedabad, that serve this scrumptious snack!

There are many more places that you can explore to enjoy varieties of Dhokla. As you hand around in any easy evening, during any fun-filled weekend, indulge into savoring light snacks like Dhokla with friends, as 'a lot can happen over Dhokla' too!