I’ve decided to add a travel section to my blog! I’ve realised If I didn’t need to worry about paying bills, I would be the hippie I was born to be 🙂 A healthy hippie, that serves healthy low cal food in a bed and breakfast that’s tucked somewhere deep in the forests where the aromas of pine sap run through the air! You get the picture, right ;)?
But for now, it’s the kitchen in my home that I turn too! This soft and spongy dhokla (or lentil cake) is delicious! Low in calories, it’s cooked with green gram (moong dal) with moong sprouts thrown in for good measure and increase its protein content. I also tried a parsley chutney with this, actually I ran out of coriander, so mixed together curry leaves, parsley, onion, tomato, green chilli, ginger and garlic with salt, pepper and lemon and brought it to the right consistency. Try the chutney some time…it is herby, but  super delicious…and parsley does clean out the kidneys!
Makes 24 pieces
Total time: 7 hours 30 minutes
Soaking time: 7 Hours
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooling time: 5 minutes
Skill Levels: Basic
Equipment needed: Dry or wet grinder, Pressure Cooker or Steamer
Ingredients:
- 250 grams green moong dal (green dram)
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 100 ml of water
- 1 inch piece ginger
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 5-6 pepper corns
- 2 green chilli
- 100 grams green sprouts
- 5 gram packet of Eno
- 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chopped coriander leaves
Method:
1. Rinse the green gram in water and soak it for 6 to 7 hours. Add the fenugreek seeds to the dal whilst soaking.
2. After seven hours, wash the dal again and grind it along with the ginger, garlic, pepper corns and chilli to a pancake consistency. Adjust salt to taste.
3. Set aside for an hour. Set the steamer to heat. Just before you start to use the mixture, add the packet of Eno and squeeze an entire lime into it. Add the sprouts and give it a quick mix.
4. Now take flat dish and line in with olive oil. Pour the mixture in the dish till it is 3/4ths full. Sprinkle the top with chilli powder. Place in the steamer to cook for 10-15 minutes. In 12 minutes insert a greased knife into the steaming dish to check for doneness. If the knife comes out clean, take it off the heat.
5. Take the dish of the steamer and let it cool for 5 minutes. Use a sharp knife and cut it into diamond pieces. Serve hot with the chutney.
