Savoury Steamed Gram Flour Patties – Dhokla

Serves 2-3

350g gram flour (besan)

250g yogurt, whipped

1 tsp salt

1 tsp peeled and grated root ginger or ginger paste

2 green chillies, very finely chopped or minced

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp groundnut or sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing

1 tsp lemon juice

To serve

2 tsp groundnut or sunflower oil

1 tsp brown or black mustard seeds

A few curry leaves (optional)

A few coriander leaves, chopped

2-3 green chillies, slit lengthways

In a bowl, whisk the gram flour and yogurt together to make a smooth thick batter. You can add a little water if the batter is too thick. Mix in the salt and set aside for 4 hours covered with a lid.

Using a pestle and a mortar, crush the ginger and green chilies together into a coarse paste.

Add this to the batter together with the turmeric and mix well.

Mix the bicarbonate of soda, oil and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add this to the batter and combine well.

Take a square baking dish (10x10x5cm or 4x4x2 inches) that will fit into a steamer or a pressure cooker and grease with a little oil. Pour the batter into the greased dish and steam for 15-20 minutes or until firm and spongy.

Allow to cool. Carefully remove the cooked batter from the pan and cut into 5cm (2 inch) cubes or pieces. Place on a serving plate.

To serve, heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds and curry leaves, if using, and heat until the seeds splutter. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture over the dhokla.

Garnish with the coriander and green chillies. They can be served hot or cold with coconut chutney.