Rava Dhokla are steamed savory cakes made with semolina and topped with a tempering of curry leaves, mustard seeds, cilantro! This instant version of Rava Dhokla results in perfectly soft and fluffy dhokla which is great for breakfast or snack!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sooji/rava (180 grams, semolina)
  • 1 cup yogurt (240 grams, plain whole milk yogurt)
  • 1 teaspoon ginger (minced)
  • 1-2 green chilies (minced)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon citric acid (or use 1/2 tablespoon lime juice)
  • 2 teaspoons oil (I used avocado oil)
  • water (around 3/4 cups, may vary depending on the quality of the rava being used)
  • 1 teaspoon ENO

Tadka

  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
  • 10 curry leaves
  • 2 green chilies (sliced)
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • cilantro (chopped)

Method

  1. To a large bowl, add 1 cup rava/sooji along with 1 cup yogurt.
  2. Then add in minced ginger, minced green chilies, salt, sugar and citric acid. Also add the oil.
  3. Add water, around 1/4 cup and mix well until it's all well combined using a whisk.
  4. Cover the bowl with a plate and let it sit for 20 minutes. Meanwhile grease the pan in which you are going to steam the dhokla with oil and set aside. Also, keep your steamer ready, I boil 2 cups of water on medium heat in my steamer.
  5. After 20 minutes, rava would have soaked all the water. Now add additional water (around 1/2 cup, so total water added is 3/4 cup) and mix. You want a consistency like idli dosa batter consistency. The amount of water may vary depending on the quality of rava being used.
  6. Now add in the ENO. Using a spatula, mix gently until all the ENO is well incorporated into the mixture. You will notice the mixture will turn light and airy immediately. Don't overmix at this point. You have to do all steps quickly at this point.
  7. Immediately, transfer the batter into the greased pan. Place the pan immediately into the steamer. Cover the steamer with it's lid and steam for 15 to 20 minutes on medium heat.
  8. While the dhokla is steaming, make the tadka. To a small pan, add 1 tablespoon oil on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, mustard seeds and let them pop.
  9. Then add the sesame seeds, curry leaves, sliced green chilies. Give a quick stir, you don't want to brown the sesame seeds. Remove pan from heat and add around 2 tablespoons water and stir.
  10. To check if dhokla is steamed, insert a knife in the center, it should come out mostly clean without batter sticking to it. Remove the pan from steamer. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then invert the dhokla onto serving plate by placing a plate on top on the dhokla pan and then turning it upside down. It should come off easily if you greased the pan well. You can pour the tempering directly without inverting the dhokla as well but the tadka seeps in better from the sides when you invert the dhokla on a plate.
  11. Pour prepared tempering all over the dhokla. Cut into pieces and serve!

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.