Besan Dhokla

Nutrition

Ingredients

• 1 cup besan (gram flour)
• 1/4 cup curd (yogurt)
• 1 tsp ginger-green chilli paste
• to taste turmeric, salt
• 1 tsp eno or fruit salt
• for tempering mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chilli
• 2 tsp oil (total)

Instructions

1. Whisk the besan, curd, ginger-chilli, turmeric, salt, and a little water into a smooth, thick batter.
2. Just before steaming, mix in the eno until the batter turns frothy. Pour into a greased tray.
3. Steam for 15-18 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into squares.
4. Heat the oil, crackle mustard seeds, curry leaves, and chilli, and pour this tempering over the dhokla.

Why this is weight-loss-friendly

Dhokla is steamed, not fried, so it is naturally low in oil, and besan gives it protein and fiber. It is a lighter, more filling snack than most fried namkeen.

Substitutions

• Use a thick plant-based yogurt to make it vegan.
• Skip the sugar that some recipes add to keep it lower in calories.

Variations

• Add grated carrot or coriander to the batter for extra vegetables.

Storage & meal prep

Keeps 2 days refrigerated. Steam briefly or microwave to soften before serving.

A good make-ahead snack; cut and store, then temper before serving.

Common mistakes

• Adding eno too early: the batter goes flat. Mix it in right before steaming and pour immediately.
• Heavy sugary tempering: skip the sugar to keep it a lower-calorie savoury snack.

FAQs

Is dhokla good for weight loss?

Steamed besan dhokla is low in oil and has protein and fiber from the gram flour, which makes it a lighter, more filling snack than fried options. Watch added sugar in the tempering.

Is dhokla high in protein?

Besan dhokla has a useful amount of protein from the gram flour, more than most flour-based snacks. Exact values are estimates.