Rava Dhokla is a soft, fluffy, spongy, and savory semolina cake. It is delicious, full of flavors, easy to make, and perfect for breakfast or snacks!

Rava Dhokla, or Sooji Dhokla, is a Gujarati dish and made with pantry staples. It is an instant dhokla recipe and can be made without fermentation!

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What is Dhokla?
About Rava Dhokla
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Step-by-Step Directions
Serving Suggestions
Helpful Tips
More Easy and Quick Recipes
Recipe Card

What is Dhokla?

Dhokla is a soft and spongy savory cake that originated in Gujarat and is popular throughout the country. This dish is versatile, and there are many varieties of dhokla. The types of dhokla include white and yellow, made with different lentils and rice, gram flour, or semolina. Dhokla is made with a fermented batter, and then it is steamed.

About Rava Dhokla

This recipe of Rava Dhokla is an instant recipe with no fermentation required. The dhokla is made with fine semolina and mixed with yogurt for a sour taste.

Making Rava Dhokla is easy, and the batter comes together pretty quickly! Only we need to rest the batter for 20 minutes before steaming the dhokla. After making dhokla, tempering it for the best taste and flavors is essential.

Rava Dhokla or Sooji Dhokla is healthy and makes a delicious breakfast, or it can be served as an after-school snack or an appetizer.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

It is an easy and quick recipe.
Rava Dhokla makes a healthy breakfast, snack, or appetizer.
The recipe does not require fermentation.
It is soft, fluffy, and full of flavors.
Dhokla is delicious, and the tempering adds more flavors and tastes to the dish.

Ingredients

Rava (Sooji / Suji / Semolina): I have used fine semolina for the recipe. But if you only have coarse variety, you can also use that.
Yogurt: It is essential to use sour yogurt for the best taste; otherwise, the dhokla will taste flat. You can use either plain yogurt or Greek yogurt. Check out this post, How To Make Curd or Dahi at Home for homemade yogurt.
Chili and Ginger: You can add these spices according to your taste preference.
Sugar: A teaspoon of sugar will not make the dhokla sweet but enhance the other flavors.
Oil: It will make the dhokla soft and tender.
Lemon Juice: It will enhance the taste of dhokla.
Fruit Salt: I have used Eno fruit salt, which is essential for the fluffy texture of the dhokla. Eno is easily available in Indian grocery stores.
Toppings: I like to sprinkle black pepper powder and red chili powder on top of the Dhokla batter. However, you can skip it if you want.
Tempering: Tempering is essential for the overall taste of the dhokla. Do not skip it. We need oil, green chili, mustard seeds, sesame seeds, and curry leaves for tempering. However, you can skip curry leaves if you do not have them.
Garnish: I have garnished the dhokla with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves. However, you can also garnish it with fresh coconut.

Step-by-Step Directions

Add the semolina, yogurt, green chili, ginger, water, salt, sugar, and oil in a medium bowl.
Whisk until everything is well combined.
The batter consistency should be almost similar to the Idli batter. Add a little water to adjust the consistency if it is too thick.
Cover the bowl and set it aside for 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare a steamer or a large pot with a lid for steaming the dhokla.
Put a metal ring or trivet in the center of the pot or steamer and pour 3 to 4 cups of water.
On medium to high heat, bring water to a boil.

Grease the pan with the oil in which you will steam the dhokla.
After the batter has rested, add the lemon juice and fruit salt and whisk gently in one direction until the fruit salt is well incorporated.

The batter should rise and become light.
At this point, do not overmix. Quickly add this whipped batter into the prepared pan and gently tap the pan a couple of times to level the batter.
Sprinkle the black pepper and red chili powder evenly over the batter.
Put the pan immediately into the steamer or pot and close the lid.

Let the dhokla steam for 15-20 minutes or until the knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove the pan from the steamer and let it rest for 10 minutes.

In a small pan on medium heat, add the oil.
Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and allow them to pop.

Then add curry leaves, sesame seeds, and split chilis.
Stir well and saute for a few seconds.

Turn off the heat and pour the tempering all over the dhokla.

Garnish with the chopped coriander leaves, slice the dhokla, and serve.

Serving Suggestions

Rava Dhokla is best served with Coriander Chutney or Cilantro Mint Chutney / Mint Coriander Chutney.
For kids, you can serve the dhokla with tomato ketchup.
Or, if you like sour and sweet dipping, you can serve the dhokla with the date and tamarind chutney.
Rava Dhokla or Sooji Dhokla can be served for breakfast, after-school snacks, appetizers, or as a side for the Thali preparation.

Helpful Tips

Semolina / Rava: I have used fine semolina, but if you have coarse semolina, you can use that. Also, do not roast the Rava for this recipe.
Yogurt: Use sour yogurt for this recipe to gain that typical tangy taste of dhokla. If yogurt is not sour, dhokla will taste flat. You can use plain homemade yogurt or Greek yogurt for the recipe.
Consistency: The batter consistency should be almost similar to the Idli batter. So if your batter is too thick, add more water to adjust the consistency.
Do Not Overmix: After adding fruit salt, mix it in the batter gently and in one direction for a few seconds. When the batter is light and fluffy, stop mixing and quickly pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Eno Fruit Salt: Eno fruit salt is available at any Indian grocery store or online retail store. But if you cannot access Eno fruit salt, you can substitute ½ teaspoon baking soda and one extra teaspoon lemon juice.
Make-Ahead: Rava Dhokla can be made a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator. Heat them up in a microwave for 30 to 40 seconds before serving.