Rava Dhokla also called Instant Sooji Dhokla or Semolina Dhokla is an instant appetizer or a quick dinner that is loved by all. Make sure to make extra as people will come for seconds.
Dhokla was one of the first things that came to my mind when I was thinking about what to make for this week's BM theme, Steamed Meals.
I already have the Khaman Dhokla recipe in the blog which is made from scratch by soaking and grinding lentils. It is a time consuming process but worth every minute of it.
That is when I came across the Rava dhokla recipe in one of the groups on Facebook by Sandhiya. Yes, you read it right, it is the same name as mine but with an I. That is when I thought of making the Semolina Dhokla for dinner.
Luckily, my boys love anything and everything from different cuisines and they really like dhoklas. When I told them dhokla, they were expecting fluffy yellow cubes of dhokla and when they saw that it was white, they refused to believe that it was dhokla.
I said, this Sooji Dhokla was a variation of it and is also called the white dhokla. I could have added turmeric powder and they would not have even complained, but I wanted to have some distinguishing factor between the Khaman Dhokla and the Rava Dhokla.
If you are looking to make something quick for the guests or for dinner, then this Semolina Dhokla is something that you would love. Made with basic ingredients at home, this is so flavorful and can be made in about 45 minutes from start to finish.
I used Instant Pot to steam my Semolina Dhokla. You could use your traditional steamer or pressure cooker to steam, but if you have been following my posts, I have mentioned in the past that it's been a while since I used my pressure cooker and have been making everything in the Instant Pot these days.
I have to mention though that for the steam mode of cooking in the Instant Pot, you need to set an external timer and turn off the pot manually. The timer does not count down when the vent is in the open position and hence, there is not much of a difference between this and the traditional steaming pots.
The Sooji Dhokla recipe uses Eno fruit salt. I have never tried making dhoklas without Eno Fruit salt, but many have said that a combination of citric acid and baking soda works just fine.
If Eno fruit salt is not available, I would suggest using baking soda along with some citric medium. I use the lemon-flavored Eno fruit salt and love the acidic flavor it imparts in the dhokla.
Preparation time - 10 minutes plus 15 minutes of resting time
Cooking time - 15 to 18 minutes
Difficulty level - easy
Recipe adapted from - Sandhiya's Cookbook
Ingredients to make Rava Dhokla - (serves 4) -
- Rava / Sooji / Semolina - 1 ½ cups ( I used fine variety)
- Yogurt / sour curd - 1 cup
- Water - as needed to make a batter
- Eno fruit salt - 1 ½ tsp
- Green chili paste - 1 ½ teaspoon (or adjust based on your spice level)
- Sugar - 1 tsp
- Salt - to taste
- Oil - 1 tablespoon (I used coconut oil)
- Mustard seeds - ½ tsp
- Cumin seeds - ½ tsp
- Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp
- Green chilies - 4 or 5 (slit lengthwise)
- Cilantro - few (to garnish)
Procedure to make Sooji Dhokla -
- In a bowl, add the Rava / sooji along with green chili paste, salt needed, sugar, and yogurt. Mix well to combine and add just enough water to make a batter. Cover the bowl and let the batter rest for about 15 minutes.
- Once the batter has rested, stir it and add a little more water if it appears too thick. Rava can absorb water and become thick. The batter should have a pouring consistency and should resemble idli batter.
- Fill the steamer with water and let it heat up. Grease a pan with oil and keep it ready. Once the steamer water is boiling, add the Eno fruit salt to the batter and gently stir it. You will see the batter bubbling up as soon as you add the end. Make sure you don't stir too hard. Just stir enough for the end to combine well in the batter.
- Pour the batter immediately into the greased pan. Do not delay after the Eno is added to the batter.
- Place the pan into the steamer and let it steam for about 15 to 18 minutes.
- Insert a knife or a toothpick to test if the dhoklas are cooked well.
- Let it sit for a few minutes and then invert the pan onto a plate to remove the dhokla.
- Slice it into desired size cubes.
- Heat a small pan with coconut oil (or any oil of your choice). Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let them crackle. Now add the sesame seeds and the green chilies and let it fry for a few seconds.
- Pour this seasoning on the dhoklas and garnish with cilantro.
- Serve hot with green chutney and tamarind chutney.
More Snack Ideas
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Recipe
Rava Dhokla | Instant Sooji Dhokla | Semolina Dhokla
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
- pan
- Grinder
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Rava / Sooji / Semolina I used fine variety
- 1 cup Yogurt
- as needed to make a batter Water
- 1 ½ teaspoon Eno fruit salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon Green chili paste Or adjust based on your spice level
- 1 tsb Sugar
- to taste Salt
- 1 tablespoon Oil I used coconut oil
- ½ tablespoon Mustard seeds
- ½ tablespoon Cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon Sesame seeds
- 4-5 Green chilies Slit lengthwise
- few Cilantro To garnish
Instructions
- In a bowl, add the rava / sooji along with green chili paste, salt needed, sugar and yogurt. Mix well to combine and add just enough water to make a batter. Cover the bowl and let the batter rest for about 15 minutes.
- Once the batter has rested, stir it and add a little more water if it appears too thick. Rava can absord water and become thick. The batter should have a pouring consistency and should resemble idli batter.
- Fill the steamer with water and let it heat up. Grease a pan with oil and keep it ready. Once the steamer water is boiling, add the eno fruit salt to the batter and gently stir it. You will see the batter bubbling up as soon as you add the eno. Make sure you don't stir too hard. Just stir enough for the eno to combine well in the batter.
- Pour the batter immediately into the greased pan. Do not delay after the Eno is added to the batter.
- Place the pan into the steamer and let it steam for about 15 to 18 minutes.
- Insert a knife or a toothpick to test is the dhoklas are cooked well.
- Let it sit for few minutes and then invert the pan onto a plate to remove the dhokla.
- Slice it into desired size cubes.
- Heat a small pan with coconut oil (or any oil of your choice). Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let it crackle. Now add the sesame seeds and the green chilies and let it fry for few seconds.
- Pour this seasoning on the dhoklas and garnish with cilantro.
- Serve hot with green chutney and tamarind chutney.
Nisha Ramesh says
I remember her post Sandhya and instantly fell in love with that super white colour. Yours is equally tempting. 🙂 🙂 Simple and delicious.
chef Mireille says
This has been on my to do list for so long. I even have a dhokla flour mix in my pantry but havent gotten around to making it yet - this looks so delicious
Padmajha PJ says
I love dhoklas . This one is tempting me for sure.
Jayashree says
Didn't know that the IP has a steam mode. This version of dhokla is my husband's favorite, but I always make the yellow one. Bookmarking this to try out.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Jayashree, I love the steam mode in IP. Only thing is it does not set the timer to go as we have the vent open. So, we have to have an external timer.
Pavani says
Those dhokla look so soft and delicious Sandhya. After seeing you and Rajani use your IP, I've started using it more regularly these days. Steaming in IP is new to me -- will have to try that out soon.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Pavani, trust me....My IP was used after 1 year of purchasing. Now that is the only thing I use. My pressure cooker is getting the much needed rest.
harini says
We love dhokla and looks like I somehow skipped making this rava dhokla. I am so making this soon.
Priya Suresh says
Rava Dhokla looks absolutely prefect to finish dinner or breakfast easily. And those squares of dhoklas are very tempting.
Usha says
I made rava dhokla for Gujarati thali and loved. Those green chilies with dhokla is inviting and mouthwatering