Rava Dhokla (Sooji Dhokla)
This is the BEST rava dhokla recipe you’ll ever try! This sooji dhokla turned out super soft, fluffy and moist with the right amount of tang. Here you’ll learn all the tips and tricks to make them perfect every single time.
What Is Rava Dhokla?
- Rava dhokla is a steamed Gujarati snack made with rava (semolina), sour yogurt, green chilies and tempering. It is eaten as such or with a dipping of green chutney.
- Traditionally, dhokla batter requires soaking dal-rice, grinding and fermenting. The fermented batter is steamed. Fermentation makes the dhokla soft and spongy.
- To make this instant version of rava dhokla, we are using ENO fruit salt to get an instant rise in the batter. Immediately this batter is steamed to achieve the same soft and spongy texture.
- Once it is steamed, tempering is made with mustard seeds, green chilies and curry leaves and drizzled over the steamed dhokla.
Kid-Friendly: Reduce the number of green chilies if kids can’t tolerate the spicy taste. Most kids would like this in their lunch box or snack box.
Taste: It has a slight tang from sour yogurt and lemon juice. Of course, it is not the same as you get from fermentation. But we are replicating the sour taste here.
Texture: These rava dhokla are super soft, light and fluffy with a moist texture.
The Thickness Of Rava Dhokla
- At home, we prefer thinner dhokla (less than a half-inch thick). You can see the thickness in below pic.
- Khaman dhokla supposes to be thick and tall, but khatta dhokla or idada suppose to be on the thinner side.
- Thick dhokla feels dry as you chew no matter how soft and moist you’ve made. You feel like drinking more water and you’ll get bloated. Trust me on this! So always keep your rava dhokla on the thinner side.
🧾 Ingredient Notes
Here is a pic of the ingredients you’ll need to make rava dhokla recipe.
For Batter:
- Semolina (Sooji or Rava): Use fine semolina. Not the coarse one, that is used for upma.
- Ginger, Green chili paste: I recommend crushing them in mortar and pestle. Or use a wet jar of your spice grinder.
- Sugar: To balance the sourness of yogurt and lemon.
- Sour Yogurt: Make sure that yogurt is sour otherwise dhokla will taste flat.
- How to make your yogurt sour? Remove the required amount of yogurt in a bowl from the refrigerator. Keep that bowl (covered) on the kitchen counter for 7-10 hours. Fewer hours if the temp of the kitchen is high like in summer. More hours if it’s winter.
- Oil: It makes dhokla moist from the inside.
- Lime or Lemon juice: Increase the amount if your yogurt is not sour.
- ENO fruit salt: Easily available in Indian grocery stores. Instead, you can use baking soda but ENO gives the best texture.
For Tempering: You’ll need oil, mustard seeds, slit green chilies and curry leaves. Some people like to add sesame seeds as well.
👩🍳 How To Make Rava Dhokla? (Stepwise Pics)
1, 2) Take fine semolina, ginger-chili paste, salt, sugar, sour yogurt and water in a large bowl. Whisk everything well until you get a smooth batter.
3) Cover it and let it rest for 30 minutes. During this resting time, semolina will soak up some liquid and the batter becomes thick.
PREP: When resting time is about to be done, prep the steamer. Add a glassful or two of water to the steamer and bring it to a boil. Grease the dhokla tray with oil and keep it ready.
4, 5) After resting time, add oil and lemon juice. Mix well.
6) Divide the batter into two bowls.
Why divide the batter into two bowls? This recipe makes two trays (~11 inches diameter) of thin (less than ½ inch) of rava dhokla. After adding ENO to the batter, it should be steamed right away. And we are steaming one tray at a time, so we add ENO to half of the batter and steam. Repeat the same with another bowl of batter once the first batch is done. If your steamer can hold two trays together then no need to divide them into two bowls.
7) Add ½ teaspoon ENO to the one bowl only.
8) Stir and mix in one direction only. The batter will froth up and becomes light.
9) Immediately pour the batter into the greased tray.
10) Sprinkle crushed black pepper over the batter.
11) Place the tray into the steamer and steam on medium heat for 9-10 minutes. Check the doneness by inserting a toothpick or a knife and it should come out almost clean.
12) Remove the tray and let it cool down for 2-3 minutes and then cut into diamond (or square) pieces using a sharp knife. Steam the remaining batter similarly by adding, and mixing the ENO.
13) To make the tempering, heat the oil in a small tadka pan on medium heat. Once hot add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
14) Add curry leaves and slit green chilies. Fry for 30 seconds and turn off the stove.
15) Pour the tadka over the steamed rava dhokla using a spoon.
16) Remove the dhokla using a flat spatula to a plate and serve.
💭 Expert Tips To Make BEST Rava Dhokla
- At least 30 minutes of resting time is a must. So semolina gets enough to soak up some liquid and becomes soft. That results in soft and fluffy rava dhokla.
- After adding ENO, do not wait, work quickly. As soon as you add ENO to the batter, it should be steamed right away. So always make sure that water is simmering in your steamer and the dhokla tray is greased before adding ENO to the batter.
- Do not dump all the ENO into the batter at once. Add ENO to enough portion of batter for 1 batch (1 dhokla tray) only.
- Do not overmix after adding ENO. Just mix in one direction until the batter is evenly froth up.
🥣 Storage Instructions
- This rava dhokla can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in an airtight container.
- Reheat in the microwave for 30-40 seconds only or until warmed up. Do not overheat otherwise they get dry and chewy.
🍽 Serving Ideas For Rava Dhokla
- Snack or Breakfast:
- Rava dhokla can be eaten as such (no sides needed). That’s how we prefer at home.
- However, you can serve it with green chutney or dry garlic chutney or methia masalo.
- Along with meal: This can be served as a farsaan (side) along with your elaborate meal (thali).
- This recipe makes 4 servings as a snack and 6 servings as a side for the meal.
Check Out Other Gujarati Snacks
Did you try this rava dhokla recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below.
Rava Dhokla Recipe (Sooji Dhokla)
US measuring cups are used (1 cup = 240 ml)
Ingredients
For The Batter:
- 1 cup Fine semolina , (Rava or Sooji)
- ½ cup Yogurt (curd or dahi), Must Be Sour
- 1 cup Water
- ½ inch Ginger
- 2 Green chilies, crush ginger and green chili together
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Lemon juice or Lime juice
- ½ + ½ teaspoon Eno fruit salt
- Crushed black pepper, to sprinkle on dhokla batter
For Tempering:
- 2 tablespoons Oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 3 Green chilies, slit
- 8-10 Curry leaves
Instructions
- Take fine semolina, ginger-chili paste, salt, sugar, sour yogurt and water in a large bowl. Whisk everything well until you get a smooth batter.
- Cover it and let it rest for 30 minutes. During this resting time, semolina will soak up some liquid and the batter becomes thick.
- When resting time is about to be done, prep the steamer. Add a glassful or two of water to the steamer and bring it to a boil. Grease the dhokla tray with oil and keep it ready.
- After resting time, add oil and lemon juice. Mix well.
- Divide the batter into two bowls. Why divide the batter into two bowls? This recipe makes two trays (~11 inches diameter) of thin (less than ½ inch) of rava dhokla. After adding ENO to the batter, it should be steamed right away. And we are steaming one tray at a time, so we add ENO to half of the batter and steam. Repeat the same with another bowl of batter once the first batch is done. If your steamer can hold two trays together then no need to divide them into two bowls.
- Add ½ teaspoon ENO to the one bowl only. Stir and mix in one direction only. The batter will froth up and becomes light.
- Immediately pour the batter into the greased tray. Sprinkle crushed black pepper over the batter.
- Place the tray into the steamer and steam on medium heat for 9-10 minutes. Check the doneness by inserting a toothpick or a knife and it should come out almost clean.
- Remove the tray and let it cool down for 2-3 minutes and then cut into diamond (or square) pieces using a sharp knife. Steam the remaining batter similarly by adding, and mixing the ENO.
- To make the tempering, heat the oil in a small tadka pan on medium heat. Once hot add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
- Add curry leaves and slit green chilies. Fry for 30 seconds and turn off the stove.
- Pour the tadka over the steamed dhokla using a spoon.
- Remove the dhokla using a flat spatula to a plate and serve.
Notes
- At least 30 minutes of batter resting time is a must. So semolina gets enough to soak up some liquid and becomes soft. That results in soft and fluffy rava dhokla.
- After adding ENO, do not wait, work quickly. As soon as you add ENO to the batter, it should be steamed right away. So always make sure that water is simmering in your steamer and the dhokla tray is greased before adding ENO to the batter.
- Do not dump all the ENO into the batter at once. Add ENO to enough portion of batter for 1 batch (1 dhokla tray) only.
- Do not overmix after adding ENO. Just mix in one direction until the batter is evenly froth up.
Kannan,
I’m a fellow Bangalorean married to a Gujarati and finding easy recipes to flatter my better half has been a challenge As I relocated to the UK straight after marriage.
Your recipe seems to be a saviour for tomorrow’s breakfast.
Thanks
Hope you enjoy it.