The New York Times ran an entertaining piece the other day on what kids around the world eat for breakfast. While a rather small sample, it gives a good sense of the remarkable variety of foods–from natto (fermented soy beans) to cold cereal–eaten in the morning. There are some commonalities though. In Asia it seems breakfast tends to be savory rather than sweet, and served warm instead of cold, the exact opposite of what one finds in the “west”. Certainly, that is the case in India where a hot breakfast is the norm. It is also highly regional: in the north bread, e.g., as stuffed parathas, is favored, while in the south rice and lentils, in the form of idli for example, rule the roost.
Today’s recipe for dhokla is typical of a Gujarati breakfast from western India, although, like most “breakfast” foods in India, it is also frequently eaten as a snack or at other mealtimes. One thing you’ll notice about Indian breakfast foods is that quick and easy they’re not. To make dhokla batter you first have to soak the rice and lentils for 12 hours, grind them, and then ferment for a day (longer in cold weather). Whew! But that is more than made up for in taste and nutrition, and I’ll take dhokla over cold cereal any day!
Ingredient note: To make fluffy dhokla and other steamed foods such as idli Indian cooks frequently use something called “Eno fruit salt“. This is essentially sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) with a bit of citric acid added. Originally formulated and marketed in the 1850s as an antacid, Eno is now mostly used in India in cooking. Such is Eno’s popularity that it is about as likely to be found in an Indian kitchen as, say, garam masala! In a cinch, you can use baking powder, but Eno is worth seeking out as it has a tart flavor that is ideally suited to savory dishes. You should be able to find it at an Indian grocery store.
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes (plus 1-2 days for soaking and fermenting)
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes (plus 1-2 days for soaking and fermenting)