Oh boy where do I even begin? There are so many renditions of this classic Desi snack and all are equally delicious! I’m going to share my mom’s version and show you some modifications that you can do to make it gluten free/dairy free and antioxidant rich! The difficult part of making Dhokra is that you need to have the right supplies before you can make because they are cooked in steam. Thus, you will need a sauté pan with a lid that will give a good seal. Along with that you will need a steel ring or a steaming rack that will hold your pan above the boiling water.

Once you have the right supplies, making Dhokra is a piece of cake (kind of literally, but a savory cake). It is a one bowl recipe where you throw everything into a bowl, mix and poor into the pan to cook in steam. The entire recipe takes about 30 minutes to make with 7 minutes of prep and 23 minutes of actual steaming.

The original Dhokra recipe I am going to share uses yogurt and semolina, making it a recipe with dairy and gluten. If you are dairy free or vegan, you can substitute regular yogurt for cashew yogurt. If you are going gluten free, course yellow cornmeal is a great substitution for semolina. If you are gluten and dairy free, making both of the above substitutions gives you the same taste and texture of the Dhokra, so don’t worry! I love adding spinach into the mix or even power greens to boost the antioxidant potential of this delicious snack. Trust me, you won’t go wrong.

As always, please share your cooking adventures with me on IG @hungry.brown.girl if you decide to make this recipe! Happy eating!

Ingredients

• 1 cup full fat yogurt (sub: 1 cup cashew yogurt if dairy free)
• 1 cup semolina (sub: 1 cup course yellow cornmeal for GF)
• 1/4 cup chickpea flour or besan
• 1/4 cup oil (can skip this if you are using cornmeal instead of semolina)
• 2/3 cups warm water
• 3/4 tsp turmeric or haldi powder
• 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon green masala (see recipe under “The Basics”)
• 1 handful of spinach or power greens (optional)
• 1 handful of chopped cilantro
• 1-2 chopped serrano peppers or jalapeños in rounds (optional)
• 1 tablespoon Eno (linked here)
• Red chili powder (to sprinkle once Dhokra is made)

Instructions

• Take a large mixing bowl and mix all ingredients together except for Eno and red chili powder
• Make sure consistently is smooth and all clumps are broken (consider using a whisk to mix)
• Fill your sauté pan about halfway with water and place steel ring in the middle. Put on the stove on high heat.
• Now mix in Eno to your Dhokra mix, this will help your Dhokra rise
• Pour Dhokra mix into a round oiled cake pan
• Place the cake pan on top of your steel ring once the water has started boiling in the sauté pan (be careful of boiling water). Once cake pan centered over the steel ring, cover the sauté pan and ensure there is a good seal.
• Leave the stove on medium to high heat to ensure that water stays boiling and steam continues to accumulate.
• If you are using semolina for the dhokra, you will need to steam in the sealed pan for 23 minutes. If you are using cornmeal, you will have to steam for about 30 minutes.
• Once Dhokra is done, take it off the ring and let it cool. Once cooled, sprinkle the red chili powder on top (optional for an extra kick) and remaining chopped cilantro, cut into pieces and enjoy