Steamed dhokla

Dhokla is proof that a satisfying Indian snack does not need a kadhai of oil. This soft besan dhokla is steamed, not fried, and comes together with ingredients already sitting in your kitchen. It is light on the stomach but filling enough to carry you from evening chai to dinner without raiding the biscuit tin.

Why it helps

Besan (gram flour) brings protein and fibre, and steaming keeps the oil to just the tadka. That combination means steadier energy and fewer of the sharp hunger swings that fried or maida snacks can set off. If evening snacking is your weak spot, a square of dhokla is a far kinder choice than namkeen. More high-protein Indian foods

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 cup besan (gram flour)
• 3/4 cup water, approximately
• 1/2 cup curd
• 1 teaspoon ginger-green chilli paste
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon fruit salt (eno) or 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• For the tadka: 2 teaspoons oil, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, 8 to 10 curry leaves, 2 green chillies slit, pinch of hing
• Fresh coriander and grated coconut, to finish

Method

1. Whisk the besan, curd, water, ginger-chilli paste, turmeric and salt into a smooth, thick, pourable batter. Rest it for 10 minutes.
2. Set water to boil in a steamer or a wide kadhai with a stand inside. Grease a steel thali or cake tin.
3. Just before steaming, add the fruit salt to the batter with a spoon of water. Mix gently once. The batter will turn fluffy.
4. Pour immediately into the greased tin and steam on medium for 15 to 18 minutes, until a knife comes out clean.
5. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then cut into squares.
6. For the tadka, heat the oil, crackle the mustard seeds, then add curry leaves, green chillies and hing. Pour over the dhokla.
7. Finish with coriander and coconut. Serve warm with green chutney.

Make it your own

• Mix in 2 tablespoons of fine rava with the besan for a slightly firmer bite.
• Add a spoon of grated carrot or crushed green peas to the batter for colour and fibre.
• Skip the traditional sugar-water pour at the end. The tadka and chutney give plenty of flavour, and this keeps the snack friendlier when cravings are already a struggle.

Enjoy it as part of the CurviCare Plate, or crunch on masala roasted chana on days you want a no-steam snack.