Mummy's Rava Dhokla that's soft, light, and fluffy. Perfect for brunch, pair it with a cup of masala chai.
Growing up in a Punjabi household, my mom introduced us to various foods all over India. I grew up eating Dhokla, the popular Gujurati snack. It's one of my mom specialties and we all love it so much.
What is Rava Dhokla / Suji Dhokla?
Rava / Suji is semolina which is part of the wheat family. Rava/Suji is mixed with yogurt, ginger, turmeric (optional), green chilies (optional), salt, water, oil, and ENO (fruit salt). The batter is then steamed for 20 minutes. A flavorful tempering of mustard seeds, sesame seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida, and green chilies is added as a garnish.
Should I add Turmeric to Rava Dhokla or not?
The ongoing Dhokla Debate! My mom adds turmeric to Dhokla, but I'm Punjabi, so my mom has her own way of making Dhokla.
I recently learned there are various types of dhokla besides Rava Dhokla and Khaman Dhokla. Rava Dhokla or Suji Dhokla usually doesn't consist of turmeric, and it's referred to as "white" dhokla. To add turmeric or not? After doing a poll on Instastories, I'm happy to know that those from a certain part of Gujrat add turmeric to dhokla and the rest don't.
Since this recipe is originally from my mom, I wanted to make it exactly how she makes it. Personally, I like the flavor and color.
Rava Dhokla using an Instant Pot vs. Stovetop?
I've tried my mom's recipe a few times in the Instant Pot, and although it was good, it was not fluffy and spongy. The results are far better using the stovetop method.
How do I make Dhokla without a Dhokla Steamer Set?
Since I don't have the Dhokla Steamer set for stovetop, I sort of used my imagination and created my own. Here's how.
Take a wok - I use Calphalon. Place the Instant Pot Trivet. Use a 9" round cake pan and place it over the trivet. Cover with the wok lid. This works amazingly well!
Rava Dhokla is:
Moist
Soft & Fluffy
Delicious
Light
Perfect with Masala Chai
Mom's Recipe
How to make Rava Dhokla recipe or Suji Dhokla recipe step by step?
Prep
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine rava/suji, yogurt, freshly grated ginger, turmeric, green chilies (optional), avocado oil, salt, and water.
2. Mix batter well. Let the batter sit for 15 minutes.
3. In the meantime, take a wok, add 3 cups of water along with the Instant Pot Trivet.
4. Cover with a lid and turn on the stove on medium heat until the water boils. This will take roughly 5-8 minutes. Then turn off the stove.
5. Once 15 minutes are up, add ENO (fruit salt) to the batter. Mix well, but DO NOT OVER MIX.
6. Brush oil all over the 9" cake pan and on the sides.
Steam the Dhokla
7. Transfer the batter to the cake pan. Sprinkle red chili powder on top.
8. Place the cake pan over the steaming hot water and trivet. Cover with a lid. Steam for 20 minutes on medium heat.
9. After 20 minutes, using a butter knife, check if the knife comes out clean.
10. It does, your dhokla is ready. Remove pan from the wok and set aside.
Prepare the Tadka
1. Here's what you'll need - oil, curry leaves, sesame seeds, mustard seeds, green chilies, and asafoetida (hing).
2. Heat up a little pot (tadka pot) on medium heat, add oil, once hot, add the sesame seeds, mustard seeds, asafoetida, and green chilies. Saute for about 20 seconds.
3. Add curry leaves and cover with a lid. Remove from the stove. At this point, add a ¼ cup of water to the tadka and swirl around.
4. Evenly pour the tadka over the dhokla.
5. Cut into diamond shapes and serve.
Enjoy with Masala Chai!
More Indian Snack Recipes!
- Aloo Poha
- Kadak Masala Chai
- Zucchini Carrot Besan Puda
- Baked Aloo Chaat Tostadas
- Golgappa / Gol Gappe
- Masala Corn Spinach Toastie
Rava Dhokla / Suji Dhokla
Vegetarian, 10 Ingredients
Ingredients
for dhokla
- 1 ¼ cups rava/suji/semolina
- 1 cup yogurt
- ½ tablespoon avocado oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 inch ginger, grated
- pinch of turmeric
- ¾ cup water
- 1 ¼ teaspoon ENO
for tempering
- 1 ½ tablespoon oil
- 2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- pinch of asafoetida
- 2 green chilies, sliced in half
- 1 ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
- 12 curry leaves
- ¼ cup water
for garnish
- to taste fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
Prep
- In a large mixing bowl, combine rava/suji, yogurt, freshly grated ginger, turmeric, green chilies (optional), avocado oil, salt, and water.
- Mix batter well. Let the batter sit for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, take a wok, add 3 cups of water along with the Instant Pot Trivet.
- Cover with a lid and turn on the stove on medium heat until the water boils. This will take roughly 5-8 minutes. Then turn off the stove.
- Once 15 minutes are up, add ENO (fruit salt) to the batter. Mix well, but DO NOT OVER MIX.
- Brush oil all over the cake pan and on the sides.
Steam the Dhokla
- Transfer the batter to the cake pan. Sprinkle red chili powder on top.
- Place the cake pan over the steaming hot water and trivet. Cover with a lid. Steam for 20 minutes on medium heat.
- After 20 minutes, using a butter knife, check if the knife comes out clean.
- It does, your dhokla is ready. Remove pan from the wok and set aside.
Prepare the Tadka
- Here's what you'll need - oil, curry leaves, sesame seeds, mustard seeds, green chilies, and asafoetida (hing).
- Heat up a little pot (tadka pot) on medium heat, add oil, once hot, add the sesame seeds, mustard seeds, asafoetida, and green chilies. Saute for about 20 seconds.
- Add curry leaves and cover with a lid. Remove from the stove. At this point, add a ¼ cup of water to the tadka and swirl around.
- Evenly pour the tadka over the dhokla.
- Cut into diamond shapes and serve.
Roshni says
Dhokla came out amazing.
Nethra says
Made this last night... so so easy and so yummy!! I can’t wait to make it again this weekend for a friend.
Usha says
Bush’s - I made these last night and they are so yummy and perfect. I am making them again today! Thank you the delish recipe! I sent you the pic on insta!
Usha says
Sorry my autocorrect keeps changing your name. So sorry.
Gauri says
Thanks for the recipe. I tried and it came out amazing. No more instant dhokla packs for me 😊
Shobhi says
Loved it! Going to add it to our bfast rotation 🙂 Thanks for the detailed recipe!
Harvinder says
Very easy to make and so yummy.. perfect measurements and timing came out so good. Thanks Nisha for amazing and simple recipes
Sheetal says
Best dhokla ever! Super easy to make and delicious.
Sapna says
The dhokla came out so fluffy and moist. Directions were perfect and so easy to follow. I love your recipes!!!
Nadira Ejaz says
Loved the recipe.. It goes so quick.. Easy to prepare and very well scripted!
Nadira Ejaz says
Very easy to make! The recipe is Well scripted! Loved it
Priya says
Perfect recipe! My husband who doesn't care for dhokla says this is the best ever! It cane out perfectly. Thanks for the steaming hack Nisha. Spot on recipe as always 😊
Krishna says
Super quick yet delicious recipe! Everyone in the family loved it! Thank you for the delicious recipe.
Radhika says
Loved this recipe.. came out on point. My 1 year old loves this dhokla so its a huge win for me😊
Anis Akhtar says
Is it possible to add some besan ie 1 cup sooji and quarter cup besan?
honeywhatscooking says
Hi. I'm sorry I haven't tried that.
kv says
Absolutely loved this recipe, our family is originally from Kerala so we’ve never had these but my amazing sil is guju and wanted to try and make something special for her. Her whole family loved it and so did we! So yummy and the recipe is so easy to follow! Great recipes and tips thanks so much for sharing Nisha❤️
Munzi says
One word: PERFECT!
It took me a few attempts to get the texture right - that is not the author's fault. I kept adding more yoghurt cos I used Elite brand double roasted rava (suji).
Even for double roasted rava, stick to her measurement and it will be perfect.
I do not use asafoetida so I avoided it. Must be better if I do. But I am not a fan.
If she says 20 minutes, just do not keep opening the lid every 5 mins like me. Just sit down and watch an episode of a series.
Ridhi says
These are the best rava dokla. I have them on a weekly rotation and cannot get enough. They may even be better than my mom!
Rimi Chatterjee Guleria says
Superb recipe my guests loved it ♥️🥰👌🏼 Thank you Nisha and to your mom for the delicious recipe😘😘😘
Hina says
I love this rava Dhokla 👌 and also all family members want again & again 👍👌
honeywhatscooking says
Thanks so much Hina. xoxo
Samidha says
The recipe is so easy to follow and the dhokla came out so good. Loved and approved by the daughter and husband, The best dhokla I’ve tried so far 🥰
honeywhatscooking says
That means so much to me. Thank you! So happy to hear. xoxo
Mira says
Love, love this recipe for its simplicity and how easy it is to whip up. My kiddo loves this for breakfast and we enjoy it with some chai ofcourse. I’m a Gujarati and I love me some dhokla and this instant dhokla recipe hits the spot when you’re craving for dhokla without all the additional work. Highly recommend trying this recipe.
honeywhatscooking says
Thanks for your sweet comment, Mira. Made my day!
Aishwarya says
So good! Kid friendly. My kids loved it 😍
honeywhatscooking says
Thanks so much Aishwarya.
Beverly says
Turned out soooo amazing Nisha!! Thank you for sharing such a easy recipe. I also made your coriander green chutney and added a bit of mint to it and it was such a perfect combo!! I had never tried adding the water to the tadka and was surprised how it all came together!
farzeen vasaigara says
Absolutely delicious! Extremely easy and simple to make ! Must try for dhokla lovers !
Pooja says
Simple recipe, yet so delicious! Instructions were very easy to follow along. I really couldn’t believe how easy it was. I will be making this often!
Pri P says
Tried this recipe over the holidays and loved it.. even my 3 year old enjoyed the dhokla 🙂 made it exactly as written but just added chopped spinach to the batter and it was yummy!