Name: Instant Besan Dhokla
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Makes ~20 pieces
Cuisine: Indian (Jain)
Ingredients: 2 cups Besan (chickpea flour); ½ cup Full-fat yogurt; ¾ cup Water; 1 tsp Fresh ginger, grated; 1 tsp (adults) Green chili paste; 3 tbsp Lemon juice; 2 tsp Sugar; 1 tsp Salt; ½ tsp Turmeric; ¼ tsp Hing; 2 tsp Eno fruit salt, plain; 1½ cups Water, for the Instant Pot; 2 tbsp Oil; 1 tsp Mustard seeds; 10–12 Curry leaves; 2 (adults) Green chili, slit; 3 tbsp Water, for the tempering; 2 tbsp Fresh coriander, chopped; 2 tbsp Fresh coconut, grated, optional

Chickpea · Batch

Instant Besan Dhokla

◆ Batch: 40 min (make Sunday) ◆ Morning: 5 min reheat ◆ Makes ~20 pieces

~16–18g protein per adult serving

🌙 Batch on Sunday

Make the full batch Sunday — keeps refrigerated 4–5 days
Reheat: microwave with a sprinkle of water, 60–90 sec, covered loosely

Ingredients

Batter

Besan (chickpea flour)2 cups
Full-fat yogurt½ cup
Water¾ cup
Fresh ginger, grated1 tsp
Green chili paste1 tsp (adults)
Lemon juice3 tbsp

Spices & leavening

Sugar2 tsp
Salt1 tsp
Turmeric½ tsp
Hing¼ tsp
Eno fruit salt, plain2 tsp
Water, for the Instant Pot1½ cups

Tempering & garnish

Oil2 tbsp
Mustard seeds1 tsp
Curry leaves10–12
Green chili, slit2 (adults)
Water, for the tempering3 tbsp
Fresh coriander, chopped2 tbsp
Fresh coconut, grated, optional2 tbsp

Method (Sunday batch)

1 Make batter

Whisk besan (2 cups) with yogurt (½ cup) and water (¾ cup) — no lumps
Add ginger (1 tsp), turmeric (½ tsp), hing (¼ tsp), lemon juice (2 tbsp), sugar (1 tsp), salt (1 tsp)
Split batter now — remove (¾ cup) into a separate dish for toddler before adding chili
Add green chili paste (1 tsp) to adult batter only; rest both 5 min

👶 Toddler batch

Her ¾ cup is already set aside — mild, chili-free
Add Eno (½ tsp), pour into greased katori; steam 8–10 min (thinner layer)

2 Steam (Instant Pot)

Add water (1½ cups) to IP inner pot; place trivet
Add Eno (1½ tsp) to adult batter — stir quickly until foamy; do not overmix
Pour immediately into greased tin (~1 inch layer); place on trivet
Steam 12–15 min with valve open — toothpick should come out clean
Cool 5 min before cutting

3 Tempering

Heat oil (2 tbsp); add mustard seeds (1 tsp) — splutter
Add curry leaves (10–12) and green chili (2)
Add water (3 tbsp), sugar (1 tsp), lemon juice (1 tbsp); quick boil
Pour evenly over cut dhokla; let soak 5 min
Garnish with coriander (2 tbsp) and coconut (2 tbsp)

👶 Toddler reheat

Reheat her pieces separately — microwave (45 sec) with a splash of water
Serve in small pieces; pair with plain yogurt or warm milk

Key to fluffy dhokla Add Eno at the last second and get batter into the steamer within 60 seconds — the reaction is fast. Waiting = flat dhokla.