Palak Dhokla – Two ways…

I have a thing for Gujarati food!I love that cuisine so much and I cook a lot of Gujarati food at home. Sometimes I feel I have some connection to that place! And proving this right was my choice for Week 1 in Blogging Marathon # 43 – Dhokla! Obviously, the moment I saw Srivalli’s announcement, this was the theme that I first selected.

I have already posted a microwave version of Khaman Dhokla and Green Peas dhokla and of course the sweet corn rawa dhokla.Today, I am presenting to you a brilliantly colored Palak Dhokla that I prepared by two ways.So now you can see how much I love this cuisine and especially this dish!

Method 1:

This  was prepared according to Sanjeev Kapoor’s method that I saw in the Khana Khazana TV show.

I used:

Toor dal / Split pigeon pea- 1 cup
Palak / Spinach Puree – 1 1/2 cups
Thick yogurt-1 1/2 cups
Green chili paste- 1 teaspoon
Lemon flavored Eno / fruit salt -1 teaspoon / 1 sachet
Salt to taste

Salk the toor dal for 4 hours. Drain and grind to a smooth paste with yogurt/ curd.

In a bowl, take the tood dal paste, spinach puree.Add salt and green chili paste.Mix well.
Meanwhile, heat water in a steamer / cooker.
Add Eno and pour a teaspoon of water over it.. It will bubble up. Mix gently.

Immediately pour into a greased plate / tray and tap gently. Place the tray inside the steamer and steam cook for 20-25 minutes or till a skewer inserted int he center comes out clean. If cooking inside a pressure cooker, do not use the nozzle stopper or weight.

Method 2

This is a more simpler and instant version.

I used


For the puree:

Spinach /Palak – 1 small bunch
Green chili-2,small
Ginger- 1″ piece

Blanch the spinach in hot water .Transfer into a bowl of cold water and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Drain and grind with ginger and green chilies to a smooth paste. Keep aside

Palak puree- 1/2 cup
Besan- 1/2 cup
Oil- 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Lemon flavored Eno -1 teaspoon
Curd / Yogurt- 1/4 cup
Sugar- 1/2 teaspoon [optional]

Take the puree , curd, besan, oil, salt and sugar in a bowl. Mix well.

It should be of dropping consistency.Add  Eno and pour a teaspoon of water over it.. It will bubble up. Mix gently.

Immediately pour into a greased plate / tray and tap gently. Place the tray inside the steamer and steam cook for 15-20 minutes or till a skewer inserted int he center comes out clean. If cooking inside a pressure cooker, do not use the nozzle stopper or weight.

Now, we have steamed the dhoklas. After this here is how to proceed….

Remove the plate / tray from the steamer and let it cool for 5 minutes. Mark squares with a sharp knife.

Heat oil and add mustard, sesame seeds and curry leaves, green chilies and once the seasoning splutters, pour over the dhoklas. Spread gently and remove the squares from the tray / plate.

Serve garnished with grated coconut and coriander leaves, as such or with a chutney of your choice…

Note:

• The dhoklas in method one were a little dense but tasty and had to be steamed a little bit longer.
• Since I used lemon flavored Eno, I have not added lemon juice.If using plain fruit salt,add a teapoon of lemon juice to the batter.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#43

Sending this to Srivalli’s Kids delight event,hosted by Harini with the theme – Healthy snacks.

This post is also for the Cookbook Challenge of the month -August 2014, Week 2

Bon Appetit…