Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Gujarati Moong Dal Dhokla
Gujarati Moong Dal Dhokla (Steamed Lentil Cake with Ginger & Curry Leaves)

Gujarati Moong Dal Dhokla

Steamed Lentil Cake with Ginger & Curry Leaves
VegetarianOrigin Gujarat

A soft steamed cake made from soaked green moong dal, flavoured with ginger, chilli and lime, then topped with a sweet-savoury mustard and curry-leaf tadka. It tastes tangy, savoury and lightly sweet, with a moist crumb.

Mustard seeds for the tadka

3.5 gAdded first to the hot oil for the tadka (step 6)
01
3.5 g1 teaspoon
spice
Keep whole.

Asafoetida for the tadka

1.4 gStirred into the tadka oil after the mustard seeds crackle (step 6)
01
1.4 g½ teaspoon
spice
Keep ready to add once the mustard seeds crackle.

Everything else

02
Fresh ginger · Adrakroughly chopped
10 g2½ cm
aromatic
03
1.5 g1 chilli
vegetable
04
179 g180 ml
liquid
05
1 g1 tablespoon
herb
06
14 g1 tablespoon
oil/fat
07
25 g½ lime
fruit
08
to taste
salt
09
4.5 g1½ teaspoons
other
10
to taste
herb
11
to taste
fruit
12
27 g2 tablespoons
oil/fat
13
3 g1 teaspoon
nut/seed
14
1.5–2 g6–8 leaves
herb
15
13 g1 tablespoon
sweetener

Method

  1. Put 250 g green moong dal in a bowl, cover with water and leave for 6–7 hours or overnight.
  2. Crush 5 g ginger root and 2 g green bird's-eye chilli to a coarse paste in a pestle and mortar.
  3. Drain the dal. Blend it with 179 g water until smooth and fine. Tip into a mixing bowl.
  4. Stir in the crushed ginger-chilli paste, 1 g coriander leaf, 13.5 g vegetable oil, 25 g lime juice and salt to taste. Mix the batter well and leave it aside.
  5. Get the steamer ready. Oil a round 10–20 cm cake tin and line it with baking parchment.
  6. Stir 4.5 g fruit salt evenly through the batter. Spoon into the tin and steam over medium heat for 18–20 minutes. Without a steamer, stand the tin on a trivet in a large saucepan, pour in boiling water up to the trivet, cover and steam for the same time, adding more boiling water as needed.
  7. Switch off the heat and leave until the tin is cool enough to handle. Take the tin out, run a knife around the inside edge and turn the dhokla onto a plate. Prick the top in several places with a cocktail stick. Leave to cool a little.
  8. Heat 27 g vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds for the tadka (3.5 g) and 3 g sesame seed; fry for a few seconds until they crackle. Add the asafoetida for the tadka (1.4 g); fry a few seconds more. Switch off the heat. Add 1.5–2 g curry leaf, 12.6 g granulated sugar and about 3 tbsp water; stir until the sugar dissolves.
  9. Spoon the tadka evenly over the warm dhokla; it will soak in and moisten the cake.
  10. Scatter over coriander, to taste, and grated coconut, to taste. Serve warm.

Don't have something?

Whole mung bean
  • Whole mung beans

    This is the same bean under another name; use the same weight and soak as directed.

  • Split green mung beans

    Use the same weight; it cooks 10–15 minutes faster without soaking, so add later and expect a softer texture.

  • Whole brown lentil

    Use the same weight; it is firmer and earthier and needs 5–10 minutes longer.

Fresh ginger
  • Ginger paste

    Use equal weight. Sauté in hot fat until the raw allium smell disappears; slightly wetter, but provides identical warmth and pungency.

  • Ground ginger

    Use 20% to 25% of the weight (1 g for every 4 to 5 g fresh). Stir into the gravy; adds peppery heat and warmth, though it misses the crisp, zesty kick of raw root.

Green bird's eye chilli
  • Bird's eye green chilli

    Use the same weight; heat and flavour are very close.

  • Green chilli

    Use 1.5 to 2 times the weight; deseed for less heat. Larger chillies are more watery.

  • Fresh green chilli

    Use 1.5 to 2 times the weight; chop finely and adjust heat by tasting.

Water
  • Stock

    Use the same weight in savoury dishes; it adds body, so adjust salt.

  • Milk

    Use the same weight only in doughs or creamy dishes; it makes the result richer.

  • Coconut water

    Use the same weight in curries or rice; it adds sweetness and a faint coconut taste.

Coriander leaf
  • Coriander

    Use equal weight finely chopped; this is the exact same fresh herb.

  • Mint

    Use half the weight finely chopped; provides vibrant green freshness, though the flavour profile becomes noticeably cooler and sharper.

Vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.

  • Ghee

    Use 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.

  • Mustard oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Lime
  • Lemon

    Use the same weight; sharper and less floral, so reduce any extra souring slightly.

  • Lemon juice

    Use about 30 g juice per lime (2 tbsp), strain pips; add at the end for fresh sourness.

  • Dried mango powder

    Use 1 g amchoor for about 15 g lime juice; add early with spices; gives dry mango sourness, not citrus aroma.

Fruit salt
  • Baking soda

    Mix equal weights with citric acid and use the same total weight as fruit salt.

  • Baking powder

    Use 1.5 times the weight; it is weaker and contains starch, so the rise is slightly less.

  • Bicarbonate of soda

    Same as baking soda: mix equal weights with citric acid and use the same total weight as fruit salt.

Coriander
  • Coriander leaf

    Use equal weight, chopped fresh and stirred in off the heat or used as garnish. Matches the citrus-herbal profile identically.

  • Mint

    Use 40% to 50% of the weight; chop finely and add at the very end. Adds fresh herbal brightness, but shifts the aroma toward cool menthol.

Coconut
  • Fresh coconut

    Use equal weight freshly grated or diced. Delivers the identical sweet, milky taste and juicy texture.

  • Desiccated coconut

    Use 60% of the weight and soak in hot water or milk for 15 minutes before using. The finished dish will be slightly sweeter and less fibrous.

  • Dried coconut

    Finely grate and use 50% of the weight, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes. Yields a firmer chew and a denser, oilier coconut aroma.

Black mustard seed
  • Mustard seeds

    Use equal weight. Pop in hot fat until they crackle and turn greyish; yields an almost identical nutty, pungent finish.

  • Yellow mustard seeds

    Use equal weight. Fry over medium heat; delivers a milder, sweeter pop and turns bitter quickly if the oil is excessively hot.

Sesame seed
  • White sesame seed

    Use the same weight. Toast lightly before use; white seeds are milder and give a cleaner look.

  • Black sesame seed

    Use the same weight. They are stronger and more bitter; toast briefly and use slightly less if the dish is delicate.

  • Peanut

    Use the same weight, crushed or chopped. It gives crunch but not the same nutty sesame aroma.

Asafoetida
  • Garlic powder

    Use double the weight. Stir into hot oil just before adding wet ingredients; mimics the allium savoury background without the sulphurous edge.

  • Garlic paste

    Use 2 g for every 0.5 g of asafoetida. Sauté in oil until the raw smell clears; adds moisture and sweet allium depth.

Curry leaf
  • Bay leaf

    Fry 1 bay leaf for every 5 curry leaves in hot oil; imparts a warm, woodsy background note, but misses the citrus-sulphury punch entirely.

  • Lime juice

    Add a small squeeze (about 5 ml per sprig of curry leaves) right before serving; provides sharp citrus top notes without the toasty, herbal aroma.

Granulated sugar
  • Jaggery

    Use equal weight; grate or shave finely so it dissolves rapidly, giving a warm, caramel-like sweetness and slightly darker sauce.

Similar dishes

Andhra Masala Vadai
Crispy Fried Lentil Patties
Andhra Masala Vadai tastes savoury, spicy and crunchy, without this dish's lime tang, light sweetness or moist steamed crumb.
  • Same: Andhra Masala Vadai shares green bird's-eye chilli, curry leaf, ginger, asafoetida and vegetable oil with this dish, and both are lentil-based snacks.
  • Different: Andhra Masala Vadai uses chana dal, white onion and deep-frying, while this dish uses green moong dal, lime, fruit salt and steaming, and it lacks this dish's mustard-sesame-sugar tadka, coconut and coriander.
Chenigapappu Chutney
Chana Dal Chutney
Chenigapappu Chutney tastes nutty, tangy and spicy from chana dal, coconut, coriander and chilli, while this dish tastes tangy, savoury and lightly sweet with a moist crumb.
  • Same: Chenigapappu Chutney shares lentils, ginger, green chilli, lime, vegetable oil, mustard seed, asafoetida and curry leaves with this dish.
  • Different: Chenigapappu Chutney uses roasted chana dal and fresh coconut instead of soaked green moong dal, and it is a ground condiment rather than a steamed cake; it lacks fruit salt and sugar and is not steamed.
Dhokla
Steamed Lentil Sponge Cake
Dhokla tastes tangy from lemon and chutney and savoury, while this dish tastes tangy, savoury and lightly sweet with a moist crumb.
  • Same: Dhokla shares with this dish a steamed lentil-cake style, ginger, green chilli, vegetable oil, black mustard seed and curry leaf tempering.
  • Different: Dhokla uses chana dal instead of green moong dal, lemon juice instead of lime, bicarbonate of soda instead of fruit salt, and tamarind or mint chutney, while it lacks asafoetida, sesame seed, coconut and coriander.
Borar Jhaal
Black Dal Balls in Mustard Sauce
Borar Jhaal is sharp and pungent from mustard and green chilli, whereas this dish is tangy from lime, savoury and lightly sweet with a moist crumb.
  • Same: Borar Jhaal and this dish both use lentils, green chilli, asafoetida, mustard seeds, sugar and salt.
  • Different: Borar Jhaal uses urad dal fried into balls and simmered in a mustard-oil gravy, while this dish uses green moong dal steamed into a cake and finished with a vegetable-oil tadka; Borar Jhaal has nigella seeds and no lime, coconut or curry-leaf tadka.