Hello My Steemain Friends ,

Today I am writing about an interesting Steemit Engagement Challenge S30- W5: which is all time my favourite topic """Traditional Steam Cooking- Khaman Dhokla (Gram Flour Cake) "" this amazing challenge organised by @jyoti-thelight

In our region, gram flour (besan) is used to prepare a wide variety of savory dishes, as well as sweet delicacies. For breakfast, we use gram flour to make pakoras, besan papdi, parathas, kadhi, dhokla, and khandvi; for sweets, we prepare laddoos, barfi, and besan halwa. All of these dishes are absolutely delicious. Indeed, one can create a multitude of culinary delights using gram flour. Gram flour is also used to make boondi, which is then incorporated into raita, sweet boondi preparations, and even boondi kadhi.

Among all these options, dhokla and khandvi are two dishes that are cooked using steam. Since they are steam-cooked, they are considered healthy and oil-free, making them quite light on the stomach.

The ingredients required to prepare "Khaman Dhokla" are as follows:

Gram flour (Besan) – 2 cups
Sugar
Salt
Lemon
Green chilies
Coriander leaves
Baking soda
Mustard seeds
Oil
Turmeric powder

Method:

• First, take a bowl, pour in half a glass of water, and thoroughly dissolve a quarter teaspoon of baking soda in it; then, set this mixture aside.

• In a separate bowl, take the two cups of gram flour and add salt, turmeric powder, one teaspoon of oil, and sugar to it.

• Next, extract the juice from one lemon—ensuring the seeds are removed—and pour this lemon juice into the gram flour mixture.

• Then, add half a glass of water and mix everything thoroughly. Continue stirring until the mixture transforms into a smooth, thick paste.

• It is crucial that the batter contains absolutely no lumps; it must be perfectly smooth, as this ensures the dhokla turns out perfectly.

• Now, pour some water into a deep pan (kadai), place a stand or small vessel inside it, cover the pan, and set it on the stove to heat up.

• In the meantime, take a round, deep plate or mold and grease it thoroughly with oil to ensure a smooth, non-stick surface. Next, I poured the water—in which I had dissolved the baking soda—into the gram flour mixture and mixed it thoroughly in a single direction.

Once the batter began to rise and become fluffy, I transferred it into a greased plate and spread it out evenly to ensure it was distributed uniformly across the plate.

• Then, I placed this plate—containing the gram flour batter—inside the vessel I had previously set aside to heat up. I covered the vessel and left the dhokla to steam-cook for 10 minutes.

• In the meantime, I took a bowl, poured in half a glass of water, added a spoonful of sugar, and prepared a sugar syrup.

Now, I prepared the tempering (tadka) for the dish

• I took some oil in a small pan and heated it up. I added mustard seeds, asafoetida (hing), and chopped green chilies, and then turned off the stove.

• Subsequently, I poured the sugar syrup I had prepared directly into this tempering mixture and heated it briefly.

• After 10 minutes, I removed the plate of Khaman Dhokla to check its doneness. I inserted a toothpick into it, and it came out completely clean—without a trace of the gram flour batter sticking to it—indicating that our dhokla was ready. I then turned off the stove.

• I let it cool down for 10 minutes; then, I placed a serving plate over the dhokla, inverted the container, and tapped it gently. Our Khaman Dhokla slid out of the vessel with ease.

• Next, I cut the dhokla into pieces using a knife. I then poured the prepared tempering—including the green chilies—evenly over all the dhokla pieces, ensuring the sugar syrup soaked into every piece.

• Finally, I garnished the dish with chopped fresh coriander leaves. The Khaman Dhokla was now ready to serve!

The ingredients used in our Khaman Dhokla, along with their approximate cost in local currency and Steem, are listed below:

Special Note

• We eat Dhokla accompanied by chutney—specifically, a sweet and tangy chutney.

• The true test of whether the Dhokla has turned out perfectly is its texture: the softer it is, and the more distinct the porous structure (the 'jali') within it, the better our Dhokla has been made.

I want to invite my friends to take part in this contest: , @adeljose , @memamun , @sduttaskitchen"

Thankyou 🙏

Greetings