khaman dhokla – microwave recipe

by dassana

in Gujarati Recipes

khaman dhokla is a savory steamed cake made from gram flour or chana dal (skinned spilt bengal gram). khaman dhokla are soft, porous, mildly tangy-sweet and a great snack anytime of the day.
gujarati food as well as snacks are mine and hubby’s favorite. thankfully one cuisine is in common between us. otherwise it always a trouble for me what to cook. north indian or south indian recipes. eventually i end up cooking north indian food and the hubby wins.
khaman dhokla is one snack where i have had a couple of disasters. i had almost given up making dhokla when i saw it again on anamika’s blog and the khaman in her pics looked so soft and fluffy….. her simple khaman dhokla recipe inspired me to make dhokla again. i also liked this recipe as it vegan and no curd is used to make the dhokla.

khaman dhokla are a great gluten free option as well. these are really light and healthy. khaman dhokla serve well with some mint or coriander chutney or even raw papaya chutney. i have made moong dal dhokla too which is a completely vegan recipe.

i have made khaman dhokla many times now from her recipe and it has never failed me.
also, i have made these dhokla both with the steaming method and microwave method. the pics here are of both the steamed & microwave versions and taken on separate ocassions.

in the step by step below, i present the microwave method to make khaman dhokla.
in the recipe details, i have mentioned both ways of making the khaman dhokla.
when i am short of time, i make the microwave dhokla. it is super easy and quick. in 5-6 minutes the dhokla is ready and you just have to do the tempering.

since curd is not added to this recipe, the sourness in the batter comes from adding lemon juice. so don’t skip adding lemon juice to the batter. the recipe is also a request from one of my readers.

step by step method for making khaman dhokla:

1: mix all the ingredients for the batter except fruit salt.

2: now add fruit salt and gently mix the batter. the batter will instantly rise as you can see below. you have to be quick but don’t over mix.

3: add the batter in a greased microwave safe bowl.

4: cover with its lid.

5: microwave on high for 2.5 to 3 minutes. insert a toothpick to check for doneness. if the toothpick comes with the batter, than you have to microwave for some seconds or a minute. again don’t over do the microwave cooking as the dhokla might become hard and dense. when warm or cooled unmould the dhokla on a plate.

6: heat oil. first add mustard seeds and let them pop up. the mustard seeds should pop. this is important. then add cumin and fry them. later add the other tempering ingredients except water and fry for a minute. finally add water and let it come to a boil.

7: pour this tempering immediately over the khaman dhokla all around.

8: since we have added water to the tempering the dhokla absorbs the water-oil tempering and this makes it more soft. garnish with coriander leaves. slice and serve the khaman dhokla with some chutney or you can just have them plain.

 khaman dhokla – microwave recipe details below:

khaman dhokla – microwave & vegan recipe

 

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Prep time

4 mins

Cook time

6 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

khaman dhokla – a steamed, spiced, savory gram flour cake.

Author: dassana

Recipe type: snacks, breakfast

Cuisine: indian

Serves: 4

Ingredients

for the dhokla batter

• 2 cups chickpea flour/besan
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp asafoetida/hing
• 1 or 1.5 tsp ginger-green chili paste
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 or 11/4 cup water
• 1 tsp fruit salt/eno

for the tempering:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (optional)
• 1 or 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• ½ cup water
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• ½ tbsp sesame seeds

for garnish:

• ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
• ¼ cup freshly grated coconut (optional)

Instructions

making the batter:

1. grease a microwave safe bowl or pan with oil
2. in a bowl or pan mix all the ingredients well except the fruit salt.
3. add the fruit salt and gently mix it in the batter.
4. the batter will rise.
5. be quick and add the batter to the greased microwave safe bowl or pan.
6. cover and microwave the batter for 2 to 3 minutes on high.
7. check the doneness by inserting a toothpick in the dhokla.
8. if not done, then microwave again for some seconds or minutes.
9. remove the dhokla from the pan once warm or cooled.

preparing the tempering:

1. heat oil.
2. add mustard seeds and let these pop.
3. once they pop up, add the cumin seeds.
4. fry for a minute.
5. then add the rest of the ingredients for tempering except water.
6. fry everything for a minute.
7. add the water and once it comes to boil, immediately pour it over the steamed dhokla.
8. garnish with coriander leaves or grated coconut.
9. slice the dhokla and serve with green chutney.

to steam the dhokla in a pan:

1. grease a small pan with oil.
2. take a large pan or pot in which the smaller pan can fit.
3. add water in the larger pan and bring it to boil.
4. prepare the batter as given above and add it to the greased small pan.
5. keep it in the large pan containing boiling water.
6. cover the large pan with a lid.
7. steam for 10-12 minutes till the dhokla is done.

pita bread recipe – whole wheat pita bread

in 

so here comes the awaited pita bread recipe.
how much i am fond of pita bread…. a love since my childhood days. pita bread stuffed with tahini, hummus, falafel and raw veggies… i can keep munching the pita sandwiches for many many days without eating anything else.
generally i make them a little extra and store, so that i can have them for a couple of days more. the extra pita bread can cut into wedges and then baked till crisp, later to had with dips.
for those who do not know -

pita bread is a middle eastern flat bread  that puff up when baked in a hot oven, but collapse as they cool down. the “pocket” in pita bread is created by steam, which puffs up the dough. as the bread cools and flattens, a pocket is left in the middle….. source wikipedia

they are also the easiest bread to make. the first time i had made pita bread…. was on the stove top and i was so thrilled seeing the bread puffing up like phulkas… you will see in the pics below.
then later i started making pita bread in the oven and they would puff up like pooris… a step further
the recipe of pita bread is adapted from one of my favorite bread book the bread bible. i can tell you that this is the best recipe for making pita bread.
the bread is soft, moist light and has their trademark pockets… what else one can ask for…
and yes healthy too as they are made from whole wheat flour plus vegan.

when you make the bread on a tava or frying pan, they will get brown or black spots. but when you bake them you won’t get any spots.
i browned them a little more in the oven as i like my breads to be a little extra browned and baked well.
once you have lots of pita with you… then give wings to your creativity and come up with different sandwich combinations & fillings…
you can even stuff with potato sabzi or punjabi chana with some onion rings, tomato slices and some mint chutney + tamarind chutney…. or make some veg kebabs or veg cutlets and add our usual chutneys and serve…. so many ways…

so after a long time i am again presenting a step by step method of making homemade pita bread. i have divided the step by step pictorial of pita bread recipe into 3 parts:

1. making the pita dough
2. baking method
3. stove top method

lets begin to make the awesome pita bread recipe :

1: preparing the dough:
1: firstly proof the yeast by sprinkling a pinch of sugar in warm water & then adding dry active yeast to it. stir and keep aside for 10 to 15 minutes.

2: in a bowl or pan, add the flour, salt & olive oil.

3: now add warm water.

4: just mix everything with a wooden spoon.

5: the yeast mixture has frothed now.

6: so add the frothy yeast to the wheat flour mixture.

7: knead into a smooth and soft dough. if the dough is a little sticky & moist than no issues… if you, see mine was too.. after keeping it for leavening it becomes alright as you will see below in the 9th pic. the dough has to be moist and soft as well as smooth too.

8: apply some olive oil all around over the dough.

9: keep it in the same bowl covered loosely with a kitchen towel for 1 to 1:30 hours or till the dough has risen.

10: this is how the dough looks after 1 hour & 5o minutes…. i kept for a longer time as it was raining heavily this day and the temperature was on the cooler side. see the cracks in spite of it being a little extra moist & sticky dough.

11: deflate the dough gently and if you want then knead lightly.

12: now make medium sized balls from the dough. keep these covered again for 10 minutes.

13: dust some flour and roll each ball into a flat poori shape or rounds exactly the way you make pooris. you can also make them oval shaped if you want. keep the bread a little thick than you would keep for pooris. keep these rounds covered loosely for 10 minutes more.

2: oven method to make pita bread:

1: place the rolled breads on a greased baking tray.

2: bake in a preheated oven for 200 degrees C for 7-10 minutes. mine took 7 minutes to cook and 1 minute to brown.

3: look at those puffed up pita breads… don’t they look good?

3: stove top method to make pita bread:

1:  heat a tava or a non stick frying pan. place the bread on the hot tava and cover it with a lid for 2-3 minutes.

2:  the bread will begin to puff up.

3: turn over and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more till the bread is done and has brown spots appearing on both sides.

4: alternatively, you could also make them the way we make phulkas. after lightly cooking both the sides, place them on the fire and see them puff… cook both sides.

5: stack them up and store in a kitchen towel or bread box. you can also serve pita bread warm. just slice the bread into two… you will see the pockets. stuff the pockets with a filling of your choice and your pita sandwich is ready. i added falafel, roasted red bell pepper hummus with some veggies and olives to the pita. You can also serve with plain hummus too.

whole wheat pita bread recipe details below:

5.0 from 1 reviews

the best whole wheat pita bread recipe

 

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Prep time

1 hour 30 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

2 hours

 

whole wheat pita bread recipe with oven as well as baking method

Author: dassana

Recipe type: breakfast, brunch

Cuisine: middle eastern

Serves: 5-6

Ingredients

• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 11/4 cup warm water – one cup and an extra one-fourth cup
• ½ tbsp active dry yeast
• 1 or 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tbsp salt
• a pinch of sugar

Instructions

preparing & rolling the bread:

1. in a small bowl add ½ cup of the warm water. sprinkle a pinch of sugar. then and the yeast and stir.
2. keep aside for 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature.
3. in a large bowl mix the rest of the warm water with flour, salt and olive oil with a wooden spoon.
4. after the yeast has frothed, add the yeast mixture and knead into a soft, smooth dough.
5. keep the dough moist and soft as well as smooth and springy.
6. place the dough into a greased container or in the same bowl with some olive oil applied all over the dough.
7. cover with a kitchen napkin and keep at room temperature for for 1 to 1.5 hours.
8. preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
9. once the dough has doubled up, then remove the dough from the bowl.
10. put the dough on your working surface & deflate the dough gently.
11. make medium sized balls from the dough.
12. dust the working surface with flour and roll each ball into round circles of about 6 inch about ¼ inch thick.
13. cover the circles with the kitchen towel loosely and let them rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.

baking the pita bread in the oven:

1. now place them on a greased tray and bake at 200 degrees C for 7 to 10 minutes or till puffed up and light brown.
2. bake all the pita breads this way.

making the pita bread on stove top:

1. heat a non stick frying pan or tava.
2. place the bread on the tava and cover for 2-3 minutes till the bread starts puffing up.
3. flip the bread the other side and cook for more 2 to 3 minutes.

serving:

1. stack them up and store in a kitchen towel or bread box.
2. you can also serve them warm.
3. just slice the bread into two… you will see the pockets.
4. stuff the pockets with a filling of your choice and your pita sandwich is ready.

Notes

if the dough becomes too sticky than add some more flour. remember to proof the yeast in warm water. less warm water or hot water will not not yield good results. you can also knead the dough in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. you can double as well as triple this recipe. like all my bakes, i have baked the pita bread in a microwave oven in the convection/baking mode. since the recipe is lightly adapted, the pita breads should fluff well in a regular oven too if the yeast proofing and leavening of the bread is done well.

Vegetarian Vindaloo

Introduction

Vindaloo is one of my favorite dishes in the world! This spicy Indian curry can be made vegetarian or with meat and is packed with spices. For those new to Indian cooking, I simplified the spice list, choosing five you might already have on hand.

Minutes to Prepare: 5

Minutes to Cook: 45

Number of Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 shallots (about 3/4 cup), chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
1 cup water
1 28-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes*
2 bell peppers, diced
2 teaspoons ginger, grated
1 serrano chili pepper, diced (don't remove seeds if you want some additional heat)
2 sweet potatoes, cubed
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 cups water
1 1/2 cup dried lentils, rinsed

*Note: Fire-roasted tomatoes add a smoky flavor to the dish, but they do contain a significant amount of sodium. If you are watching your sodium, you may swap no salt-added canned tomatoes instead.

Tips

Be sure to chop your cauliflower and sweet potatoes into same-size cubes so they'll cook evenly.

Shop at a local co-op or spice shop where you can buy small portions of spices instead of large bottles that might lose their flavor hanging out too long in your cabinets. Once opened, spices should be used within 6 months for peak flavor.



Want to get the most flavor from your spices? Buy them whole and grind at home, in a blender or coffee grinder (buy one for spices only).

Directions

Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat, then add the oil. Add the shallots to the hot oil and saute for three minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the spices to the pan, stir, cook for one minute. Add 1 cup water to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, peppers, ginger, serrano, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes to the pan, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the vinegar and water, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the lentils and cook another 15 minutes, until the lentils are tender.

Serve warm over brown rice or quinoa (nutrition info not included).



Serving Size: 2 1/2 cups per serving

kadai paneer – restaurant style

how many times we want to create restaurant style food at homes and wish we could do that. being a vegetarian, i have also wanted to create the restaurant style paneer dishes and the dal frys and dal tadkas at home and i have been fairly successful in it.
one such recipe is the recipe of kadai paneer. usually when we go to any restaurant, one paneer dish is unfailingly always ordered. the other dish is usually a dal recipe like dal makhani or dal tadka. so some times i create these recipes at home.
i love reading cook books from well known chefs and even try their recipes. now this recipe is really restaurant style, coz i have adapted it from the cookbook Prashad-Cooking with Indian Masters by jiggs kalra. i remember jiggs kalra, as a kid, in on of his tv shows, where i would watch him and his assistant chef churning out delicacies and delicacies one after the other.

this book has restaurant style recipes, but most of them are non vegetarian ones. a must have book if you want to have some yummy food. i have made a few recipes from the book and they have all been great… like dhingri dolma, amritsari dal (a recipe still in the drafts) and aubergines in white gravy – a vegetarian adaption of safed maas: a rajasthani delicacy of meat in white gravy.

i have a kadhai paneer recipe already on my website, but its different from this one… and please don’t compare the photos of that one with this one… those were the days, i used to take photos from a mobile phone and it reminds me that i still have to replace the photo of that one…. and i am so busy…. its a miracle how i post recipes on the blog.

the flavors of this restaurant style kadai paneer recipe comes from freshly pounded coriander seeds and kashmiri red chilies… and yes adding freshly pounded spices do make a lot of difference to the food that we cook.
another factor of this recipe is that it does not have onions…. but garlic is added. for folks who do not eat onion and garlic, just do not add garlic to the recipe and you have a kadai paneer without onions and garlic.
for the recipe, i had made paneer the previous night, but you can use store brought paneer. the recipe is again simple and easy to make.

so here we go with step by step kadai paneer recipe.

start by rinsing the veggies and chopping them later.

in a kadai, heat oil and add crushed ginger garlic or ginger garlic paste.

fry till the raw smell disappears. and add the tomatoes.

fry the tomatoes on a low flame. keep an eye on the tomatoes and also start to take the red chilies and coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle.

crush them to a coarse to fine powder. you could also use a dry grinder for this purpose. i felt the mixture was too less to go into the grinder, so i used the mortar and pestle.

after 10 minutes add fresh and aromatic coriander seeds-red chillies powder to the tomatoes.

mix the spice powder with the tomatoes and saute everything till the whole mixture becomes paste like. this method is called bhunao in hindi.

when the whole masala has become paste like and starts to release oil, add the capsicum juliennes…. you can see my juliennes are so thick.. that they should not be called juliennes  got to practice more to get fine juliennes… you cannot see the green chilies in the pic, though…

mix the capsicum juliennes and chopped green chilies with the rest of the masala.

saute the capsicum till they are half cooked and add salt and garam masala powder.

mix the salt and garam masala powder with the rest of the sabzi and add the paneer cubes.

and then mix the paneer cubes so that the masala coats the paneer cubes.

let the paneer cook for 5 mins and then add the kasuri methi, julienned ginger, chopped coriander leaves.

stir the whole mixture and cook for a 2-3 minutes more. your kadai paneer is ready and can be served with rotis, naans, parathas, phulkas… enjoy:-)

few points for this kadai paneer recipe:

• to make the pounding easier in a mortar pestle, dry roast the red chilies and coriander seeds.
• the capsicum can also be diced, but making juliennes means faster cooking.
• since red chilies are used, one does not need to add red chili powder.
• you have to make this in the kadai and not in any other pan folks who do not have kadai, use a wok instead.
• the recipe is a semi dry and mildly spiced recipe and no water is used in this one.
• best to have kadai paneer with onion rings, lemon wedges and tandoori naan or tandoori roti.

restaurant style kadai paneer recipe details below:

5.0 from 2 reviews

kadai paneer recipe

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

restaurant style kadai paneer recipe

Author: dassana

Recipe type: curry

Cuisine: indian

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 250 gms paneer/cottage cheese, cubed
• 5-6 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 or 2 green chilies, chopped
• 6-7 garlic, crushed
• 1.5 inch ginger, half crushed and half julienned
• 2 green bell peppers/capsicum, julienned
• 5-6 kashmiri red chilies
• 1.5 tbsp coriander seeds, roasted
• 2 tsp crushed kasuri methi/dry fenugreek leaves
• ½ tsp garam masala powder
• ½ cup chopped coriander/cilantro leaves
• salt or black salt

Instructions

1. in a kadai heat oil.
2. add the crushed ginger and garlic.
3. saute these till the raw smell disappears.
4. now add the chopped tomatoes.
5. saute the tomatoes till they become soft.
6. pound the coriander seeds and red chilies to a roughly fine powder
7. after 8-10 minutes add the spice powder to the tomatoes.
8. saute the tomatoes till the whole mixture become like a paste and starts to leave oil.
9. now add the juliened capsicum and chopped green chilies.
10. and saute the capsicum for some 8-10 minutes.
11. add salt and garam masala powder
12. mix these with the rest of the masala.
13. its time to add the paneer.
14. cook the paneer for 5 minutes in the masala.
15. lastly add kasuri methi, julienned ginger and coriander leaves.
16. mix and saute for 2-3 minutes.
17. serve the kadai paneer, hot with rotis or naans.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 4