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Fermentation Atlas

Cereals and bread from Gujarat, India

Dhoklaઢોકળા

Split Bengal gram (chana dal) and rice are soaked, ground separately and mixed into a batter that ferments with no added starter. The risen batter is steamed open in a greased pan into a spongy, mildly sour cake, then tempered with mustard seed and cut. Made in 5 steps over 36 h – 38 h. The longest step, soak the dal and the rice separately, takes 18–20 h (Sharma A 2018) and runs at 16–23 °C (Sharma A 2018). Salt is 0.8 % (Sharma A 2018). Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Enterococcus faecalis do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step18–20 hMeasured[sharma2018]Soak the dal and the rice separately
Temperature16–23 °CMeasured[sharma2018]Soak the dal and the rice separately
Salt0.8 %Measured[sharma2018]Salt and ferment
Fully documentedCereals and bread36 h – 38 hMore cereals and breadMore from India

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceProportions from a study that optimised dhokla to lower its antinutrients; home cooks use no fixed amounts and often grind the grains with sour curd.
3 parts by volumeBengal gram (chana dal) batter · Dal soaked in 5 times its weight of water, then ground[sharma2018]
1 part by volumeRice batter · Rice soaked in 5 times its weight of water, then ground[sharma2018]
8 g per kg of batterSalt (NaCl)[sharma2018]
No starter · The bacteria come in on the grains, as in idli[fao1999]
To tasteMustard seed, cumin, chilli and curry leaves · Tempered in oil and poured over the cut cake[wp-dhokla]
Starterspontaneous

Total time across the recorded steps: 36 h – 38 h

Start
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Close-up: water moving into a grain16–23 °C

What changes: Water soaks into the dal and rice and softens them

Step 1 of 5
Soak the dal and the rice separately
Time
18–20 h
Measured
Temperature
16–23 °C
Measured
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
L. mesenteroides
Enterococcus faecalis

Output: soft, swollen grains.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Dhokla is made like idli, but with Bengal gram (chana dal) in place of black gram, and the batter is steamed open in a flat pan instead of in covered idli moulds.

Related ferments

Variants

  • KhamanChickpea flour (besan) only, no rice; lighter and softer.
  • Khatta dhoklaLonger-fermented and sourer.
  • Rava dhoklaSemolina, usually made quick with no fermentation.
  • HandvoRice with pulses, buttermilk and vegetables, fermented and then baked instead of steamed; a main meal in Gujarat.
  • Rasia, moong dal, toor dal, green pea and sandwich dhoklaNamed variants.

Safety

In the optimisation study, fermenting raised the biogenic amine content of the batter, and steaming for 20 min lowered it again, so the batter is always steamed before eating.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

A dish called dukkia appears in a Jain text of 1066 CE, and the word dhokla in the Varnaka Samuchaya of 1520 CE.

  1. [sharma2018] Sharma A., Kumari S., Nout M.J.R., Sarkar P.K. 2018, Preparation of antinutrients-reduced dhokla using response surface process optimisation, J Food Sci Technol 55:2048–2058, doi:10.1007/s13197-018-3119-9paper
  2. [moktan2011] Moktan B., Roy A., Sarkar P.K. 2011, Antioxidant activities of cereal-legume mixed batters as influenced by process parameters during preparation of dhokla and idli, Int J Food Sci Nutr 62:360–369, doi:10.3109/09637486.2010.532116paper
  3. [fao1999] FAO 1999, Fermented cereals, a global perspective (FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin 138), chapter 3, Asia-Pacificgov
  4. [tamang2016] Tamang, Watanabe, Holzapfel, "Review: Diversity of Microorganisms in Global Fermented Foods and Beverages", Front. Microbiol. 7:377, 2016paper
  5. [wp-dhokla] Wikipedia, Dhokla (outline, variants and history only)wiki