15-minutes to plate: Instant Dhokla made in Microwave

All of us love food.
Many of us want to cook but feel intimidated by the elaborate preparation, sourcing of ingredients, techniques, kitchen gadgets and hours and hours of labour involved.

Here is an endeavour begun as a tribute to all those who are willing to experiment and reap the fruit of their labour and eat it. (Please excuse the pompous dialogue and mixed metaphor).

We need 15 minutes or so, simple, inexpensive ingredients and basic kitchen equipment.

Recipe 1:

Instant Dhokla made in Microwave

Instant Dhokla_1

Instant Dhokla_2

Ingredients
Besan (Gram flour): 3 ladles heaped
Suji (Semolina): 1 ladle heaped
Curd: 1 cup
Ginger, garlic, green chillies paste: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Turmeric: a pinch (optional)
Sugar: 1-1/2 tsp
Fruit Salt (Eno): 2 tsp
Lemon: 2
Oil: 1tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig (10-15 leaves)
Green coriander leaves: a few chopped small

The quantities given here are enough for four people but I am sure two can polish it off too. Keeps well in fridge for a couple of days.

Method:
Take the besan, suji, salt, ginger-garlic-green chillies paste, 1/2 tsp sugar, turmeric in a biggish bowl.
Add the curd to it and mix well to make a batter like that made for pakodas.
 Make sure there are no lumps. You may add a little water to get the right consistency.
Add two level tea spoons of the fruit salt. Squeeze the juice of one lemon on top of the fruit salt. You will see instant bubbling/foaming. Mix it in gently. Ensure that it is distributed well in the entire batter.
Do this quickly because otherwise the bubbles will be lost and the batter will become flat.

Grease a microwave proof flat dish and pour the batter into it.
Put it in the microwave and cook for 4 minutes. Let the microwave stay as it is for another couple of minutes.
Check if the Dhokla is cooked by inserting a dry knife. If it comes out clean then the Dhokla is done.

Tempering:
On a hot tawa /girdle/frypan, put a tea spoon of oil.
 Add mustard seeds when the oil is hot.
Add curry leaves and a few green chillies slit length wise.
 Stir for a few seconds. Add half a cup of water. Add a spoon of sugar and the juice of a lemon.
Let it come to a boil. Pour the tempering over the cooked dhokla. Sprinkle the chopped green dhania.
Cut the dhokla into pieces as per your wish.

Find green chutney, coconut chutney, or tomato ketchup or all of them.

Eat. Serve if you like.

Alternatively steam the same batter in lightly oiled Idli moulds in a pressure cooker (without putting the weight on the steam vent)/ steamer. It will take about ten minutes. Remove from moulds, cut into pieces and add tempering.

I have been told that one can cook the same dhokla in an electric rice cooker too.