Cooking from another blog: Quinoa Dhokla

I love quinoa.  That would explain why I have so much of it in my pantry.  I make quinoa salad, quinoa dosa, quinoa idli, add it to soups, salads etc.  I also keep buying it without realizing that I have several unopened packets in my pantry.

So, when I saw this post for quinoa dhokla, I was really excited to try it out.  I don’t know Ruchi, but my husband’s cousin knows her well and I have been following her recipes for a while.

I also love dhoklas.  My first introduction to dhokla was when I was a kid.  You have to understand that growing up in Chennai in the 70's and 80's, you really are not exposed to other cuisines.  My dad was stationed in Ahmedabad for a few years.  We used to visit him for summer vacations.  His friends would invite us for dinner.

My dad was pretty set in his ways.  He did not like anything other than South Indian cuisine – that too cooked by my mom.  If we went to a wedding, my mom would have to make food for him at home because he did not like to eat food prepared by bare-chested men in dirty dhotis. 

He also did not like sweet and salty flavors mixed together.  Most Gujrati food has both sweet and salty flavors blended together and he just could not eat it.  So for the longest time, he would refuse dinner invitations because he wouldn’t eat the food, but finally, my mom put her foot down and we got to taste some amazing food!  I tasted dhoklas, dal vadas, theplas, and a huge variety of pickles on these trips.

This recipe for quinoa dhokla was perfect.  I have made it a couple of times now, once for a party, and everyone loved it! Thanks Ruchi – for a great recipe!  The only change I made to the recipe was to reduce the amount of sugar (I am my daddy’s daughter after all), and I also did not add any citric acid – because I did not have any.  I also added hing and cumin seeds to my seasoning.

Here is the link to the originalrecipe.  I have reproduced it here for easy reference.

Here is what you need:

• ½ cup moong dal
• ¾ cup quinoa
• 2 -3 green chilies
• ½” piece ginger
• ½ cup sour yogurt
• salt to taste
• a pinch of sugar
• ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. Eno fruit salt
• non-stick cooking spray
• 2 – 3 tsp. oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• ½ tsp. cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp. hing
• 2 -3 green chilies, slit
• few curry leaves
• ¼ tsp. sugar
• juice of one lemon/lime

Here is how I made it:

1. Soak the moong dal and quinoa together for a couple of hours.  Drain.
2. Grind this along with the green chilies, ginger, and yogurt to a smooth paste, adding some water if necessary.  Don’t make this batter too watery.  It should be the consistency of pancake batter.
3. Add salt, sugar, and turmeric.
4. Just before you are ready to steam it, add Eno and mix well. 
5. Spray your dhokla plates with non-stick cooking spray.
6. Pour batter onto the dhokla plates and steam in a pressure cooker/vessel for about 15 minutes.
7. To prepare the seasoning, heat oil in a small pan.  Add mustard and cumin seeds.
8. When mustard seeds sputter, add hing, green chilies and curry leaves.
9. When the green chilies are slightly seared, add ¼ cup of water (carefully – so that it doesn’t splatter), add the sugar.  When it is warmed, turn off the heat and add the lemon juice.
10. Pour this over the dhoklas.  Let the seasoning soak in and then cut the dhokla into pieces.

Serve with spicy chutney of your choice.