Chana Dal Dhokla

Process

1. Dhokla
   1. Soak the rice and chana dal in water
   2. *** LEAVE FOR 4 HOURS ***
   3. Drain and add to the food processor with the ginger and chilli, blend to a coarse paste
   4. Add the yoghurt, turmeric, salt, water and mix well
   5. *** COVER AND FERMENT FOR 8 HOURS (overnight is fine) -- must not be too warm, i.e. less than 18C ***
   6. When ready to cook (i.e. have the water boiling already), add the baking soda and lemon juice and mix gently.
   7. Transfer to a greased pan -- use the 10cm radius circular dish.
   8. Steam for 28 minutes
      1. Large pot, some water in the bottom - enough that it shouldn’t boil out
      2. Cooking ring in the middle
      3. Bring the water to a boil
      4. Place the pan on the riser -- must not touch the water
      5. Cover with lid, maintain a simmer enough to keep generating steam.
   9. Pour over the hot tempering (see below) white hot and still in the pan
   10. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing
   11. Allow to cool even more before cutting into pieces
   12. Serve with chutneys, warm or at room temperature
2. Tempering
   1. Heat the oil and add the spices until they sputter
   2. Add the water, salt, lemon juice, mix and bring to a boil, then remove from heat
   3. Pour over the dhokla
   4. Garnish with coriander (don’t add it to the tempering, harder to pour over)

Notes

For reheating, microwave in a ramekin covered with a damp paper towel for 20s at full power, then let sit for 30 seconds.