Arusuvai Friendship Chain - Star Anise - Part 3

Like all good stories this comes to an end too. I like to finish my ode to Star Anise with one statement ...and that too not original ...Taare Zameen Par !!!

Its been fun participating in the Arusuvai chain and cooking up new things. Unfortunately this last post cannot make it to Sunita's Think Spice event of the month. So after a great Appetizer and a spiced up main course (though their orders of posting was in the reverse), lets round up with a great dessert.
There has been a little addendum since I started with this Star Anise trilogy. I made a nice easy dessert to round up, by grilling bananas with Star Anise but as I waited to post all the three recipes, a new idea slowly started to take shape which culminated in the tasty Indian Dessert which well tasted good. At first I thought, the sweet and cardamom would overpower the star anise, but it did not happen, instead the marriage of cardamom and star anise produced a nice after taste which lingered on and made me want more.
The dessert in question here is the north Indian winter favorite called Gajjar Ka Halwa. I love the dessert and is my all-time favorite request whenever I visit my mom or she visits me. Over the Years my wife has taken to making it just perfectly, and I end up piling this request on her.

Gajjar Ka Halwa with Star Anise ( Carrot Halwa with a hint of Star Anise)

Ingredients:

1 kg Carrots, the red ones
1 litre Milk
1 teaspoon Cardamom seeds
3/4 cup Water
3 tablespoons Ghee
2 tablespoons Raisins
2 tablespoons Almonds
2 tablespoons Powdered Star Anise
450 grams Sugar

Method: Pre-preparation
1. Wash and grate the carrots.
2. Soak the raisins in water for 30 minutes.
3. Shred the almonds.

Preparation
1. Put the water to boil, add in the carrots the moment it starts boiling. Cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add the milk. Cook on a low flame for 1 hour stirring occasionally. Add sugar, mix well and cook till the sugar has dissolved and all the milk has been absorbed by the carrots.
3. Add ghee and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the crushed cardamoms, shredded almonds, powdered star anise and the raisins. Mix well.
4. Remove the gajjar halwa from heat.
5. Serve cold, hot or at room temperature.

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Arusuvai Friendship Chain - Star Anise - Part 2

Moving on to the second part of my three part special dedicated to the star spice - star anise and Arusuvai (actually, I'm prolonging till the secret spice reaches Jayasree :D), this time I had decided to try out something different and while searching for ideas, I stumbled upon a recipe for a recipe of Hummus with ginger-garlic. Hummus as most of us will be knowing is an integral part of mid-east cuisine. It is a dip made of chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice & garlic and is eaten with pita bread, falafel and even crackers. It can also be served with carrot or celery sticks and is a great appetizer. It is also something my wife loves. One of the reasons, we frequent the Mediterranean restaurant in the city too often. It was easy to make and believe you me it took lesser time to disappear. My son who runs away on the mere mention of the word food, relished it and it actually turned out to be the only thing he ate for his meal. Star Anise added a wonderful flavor to the otherwise pungent and spicy concoction. Falafel can traditionally be made in two ways. One, the way it is still made by the Egyptians, using Fava Beans, Chickpeas and Bulgur or the way it is made in Israel, using chickpeas alone. Since, some of the ingredients are a pain to find in the local supermarket, I decided to do it the Israeli way...make it with chickpeas alone.

Cilantro Falafel with Star Anise Flavored Soy Garlic Hummus

Cilantro Falafel

Ingredients:

Chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained - 1 Cup
Cilantro ( Corriander ), Chopped - 3 Tblsp
Onion, roughly chopped - 1
Dried Red Chilly - 2 No.
Cumin, powdered - 1 Tsp
Garlic Cloves - 2-3
Baking Powder - 1 Tsp
Refined Flour - 4 Tblsp
Salt - To Taste
Oil for frying - 20 Ml.

Method:
1. Place the drained chickpeas and the onions in a food processor. Add the Cilantro, salt, red chillies, garlic, and cumin. Process until coarse mix is formed.
2. Add the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour, and mix.Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
3. Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnuts, flatten to form a patty.
4. Heat Oil in a pan and shallow fry till they turn golden brown.
5. Drain on paper towels to take out excess oil. Serve hot with Tahini or Hummus.

Note: Take more flour to ensure the mixture does not stick to your hands.
Traditionally the falafel may not be turned into patties and just fried as balls.

Star Anise Flavored Soy Garlic Hummus

Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 Cup chickpeas soaked overnight in water, drained, liquid reserved
20 gm White Sesame seeds powdered
3 tblsp unseasoned vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp red chili sauce
1/2 tsp freshly ground star anise
2 Tsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 white onion, made into a paste
1 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Method:

1. Mince garlic in a processor.
2. Add Chickpeas, reserved liquid, sesame seeds, vinegar, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, chilli sauce and ground anise. Process to coarse puree.
3. Add Cilantro and onion. Combine.
4. Serve garnished with whole star anise and a sprig of cilantro.

To Be Continued ...

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Arusuvai Friendship Chain - Star Anise - Part 1

The friendship Chain has been doing its rounds for quite some time, and I was supposed to get my mystery ingredient from Arundati. Srivalli had been regularly checking with both of us on when I would receive it. I was also reguarly in touch with Arundati on its delivery and she was a little caught up ( like I have been ...looks like this is a damn busy year for everyone).

Must say I had been a little nervous on what it might be and whether I will be able to recognise it and use it or I will have to get back to Arundati to find out the mystery. Luckily, when it arrived I heaved a sigh of relief ...it was but something that is always there with me in my kitchen cupboard, for it is an amazing spice, that can turn ordinary fruits into magical grilled/poached delicacies and is also used in making the tasty Andhra Biryani. It is something that the local populace has just started discovering over the last 2-3 years, thanks to the grocery store boom and the availability of stuff that was unheard of in the old kirana store days.

This also happened to be my 50th post. It had to be special. I was mulling over whether to post my Chennai travails or something else. Arusuvai proved to be the perfect one for the ocassion. For all who do not know about Arusuvai, you can go over here and read all over it. ( Arundati, thanks a ton ...the letter though is pending :D)
Now its my turn to send over a mystery ingredient to an unsuspecting blogger. Mulled over whether to send some wasabi or ratan jog ...but then decided to go easy. Jayasree, will be receiving the secret ingredient. All the best to you ... hope you work wonders with it.
Now getting back to my secret ingredient ...Star Anise. It is called Anasphool/Dagphool in hindi, Badian in Marathi, Anaspuvu in Telugu and Anashuppu/Anasipu in Tamil. A traditional ingredient of the chinese five spice powder and also traditionally used in many indian dishes. You can read more about Star Anise in this wikipedia post ranging from its traditional uses to its recent uses in Baking to its medicinal properties.

I had already posted a pineapple dish sometime back in November where I had used Star Anise, so I couldn't do it again. For nostalgia sakes I'm adding a hyperlink for all those who missed it out. This time it had to be different, bigger and better. Afterall it was Arusuvai and it was my 50th post. So, here it is, a combination of 3 different dishes, 3 different courses of a meal, a starter, a main course and a dessert, 3 different cuisines, Indian, Mediterranean and western. Of course not all in one, though they were all tried out in a single day. This is my first trilogy, one after another ..an ode to Star Anise, A big thumbs up to Arusuvai ...may the chain, go on and on ( well, that reminds me, I still need to send the stuff to Jayasree ), and last but not the least, kudos to this blog ( never thought it will last this long and see so many pour in). For some time, my Chennai travails and the Iyer delicacies will have to wait.

Mutton Chops Kozhambu

Chettinaad cuisine from Tamilnadu brings the lifestyle of Chettiars ( the merchant banker class) to the forefront. Coming from the driest regions of the state, they make full uses of all that is available to them. Kozhambus are gravy dishes made of a variety of spices, predominantly using, Marathi Mogga, Star Anise and but of course peppercorns. Meat, Chicken, Fish & Vegetables can be added to these gravies and cooked.
I made a typical Mutton Kozhambu, but instead of using mutton pieces or chunks, I used Mutton Rib Chops.

Some ingredients that I did not add, but you can try it out with them like, drumsticks and shallots. I wanted to keep it simple rather than a medley of different flavors. Must say, the addition of star anise makes the dish come out fabulous.

Ingredients:
Mutton Rib Chops - 150 gm
Onions, made into paste - 200 gm
Tomatoes, made into paste - 150 gm
Star Anise - 2 No.
Marathi Mogga - 1 No
Cloves - 5 gm
Whole Red Chillies - 3 No.
Fennel - 5 gm
Ginger Garlic Paste - 3 Tsp
Turmeric - 1 Tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 4 Tsp
Corriander Powder - 2 Tsp
Cumin Powder, roasted - 2 Tsp
Coconut, grated - 2 Tblsp
Curry Leaves - 5-6
Lemon Juice - 3 Tblsp
Pepper Corns - 5 gm
Black Pepper Powder - 1 Tsp
Oil - 20 ml
Salt - To Taste

Method:
Pre-Preparation
1. Marinate Mutton Chops in oil, lemon juice, 1 Tblsp Red Chilli Powder, Black Pepper Powder 50 gm Onion paste and salt. Keep aside for 30 minutes.
2. Heat Oil in a pan. Sear the mutton chops. Add in the remaining marinade. Take out chops once half done and keep aside.
Preparation
1. Heat oil in a Wok. Add in the remaining oil and marinade from the chops.
2. Put fennel then whole red chillies, Star anise, Marati mogga and cloves.
3. Saute it till light brown and add onions, followed by ginger garlic paste.
4. Once paste startes to turn golden brown add in the mutton chops. Saute for 5 mins.
5. Put turmeric, red chilly powder, coriander powder, roasted cumin powder, coconut, salt and pepper corns.
6. Add water and cover and keep in slow flame.
7. When chops are almost cooked add tomatoes and cook till done.
8. Serve Hot.

To Be Continued ...



Addendum: Sleepy brain ...missed out another part. Srivalli had mentioned to me ( when I disclosed my secret ingredient to her) that I could send this entry to Sunita's Think Spice event of the month, for Star Anise was the star for Feb'08. So here it goes ...this post is my entry. You can go and check out the Think Spice Event here.

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A feast fit for a president - Article from ABC News

While I was away vacationing in Chennai and soaking the sun ( it was hot there ), I had this mail come in from Scott Mayerowitz on an article he had written on the ABC news portal. It was about the Waldorf Astoria launching a menu based on dishes that had been created for past presidents.
It made a good read and some of the dishes also have their recipes listed.
Without much ado, please read the article and try out some of the dishes. If you are feeling a little rich ...well go over to the Waldorf Astoria and try them out. :)

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Who Pickled my Mushrooms ???

This blog is slowly becoming a one post a month thing and let me assure everyone that it is not by design. 2008 has been fairly busy with the new arrival, travel, work pressures and family commitments. I just returned from a 7 day trip to Chennai and am still recovering from the Simbly Southern experience. I will write more about it alongwith photographs in my next post.Also, there are some interesting posts that I received from readers to put up on my blog that will soon find a mention in the coming few days.

Continuing my affair with mushrooms, I tried out another dish with the mushrooms, something that you find commonly done with Potatoes. Yes, I tried doing a 'Achari' thing with them and they came out absolutely finger licking. As I was in the process of making the Achari Khumb, the idea of doing a 'Dum' came up. Contrary to opinions and fears, doing a Dum is fairly easy and does not require a rocket science knowledge of culinary arts. Translated to English, Dum means to cook in its own steam. Voila, ensure the pot is sealed, so that the steam does not escape and the food is cooked on a slow fire till its done.
All in all, the dish was fairly easy to make and the best part, it was liked by one and all in the family.

Dum Achari Khumb ( Pickled Mushrooms cooked in their own steam/juices - The Dum Way)

Ingredients
Mushrooms, cleaned and cut into squares - 200 gm
Onions, finely chopped - 1
Ginger-Garlic Paste - 20 gm
Fenugreek Seeds - 5 gm
Nigella Seeds ( Kalonji) - 10 gm
Mustard Seeds - 10 gm
Peppercorns, freshly crushed - 10 gm
Red Chilli Powder - 5 gm
Mustard Oil - 50 ml
Yoghurt - 1/2 cup
Tomato Paste - 1/2 Cup
Salt - To Taste

Method:
1. Heat Oil. Add in the Mustard Seeds. As soon as they crackle, add in the nigella seeds & the fenugreek seeds.
2. Add the Onion paste alongwith the ginger-garlic paste. Cook till they turn translucent.
3. Add in the mushrooms andcook them for 5 minutes.
4. Add in the red chilli powder,salt and peppercorns, followed by the tomato paste. Cook for 3 minutes.
5. Add whisked yoghurt slowly into the already cooking mixture and stir well to mix everything up.
6. Cover and seal the pan. Let it cook on a slow flame for 10 minutes. ideally, put a tawa on the slow flame, and put the sealed pot on top of the tawa. This will prevent the dish from over cooking (read burning) and sticking to the bottom.
7. After 10 minutes, take the pan off the flame and remove the seal. Mix well and serve garnished with ginger juliennes or a sprig of corriander.

Note:
1. Do not cook the fenugreek seeds too much or add too much of fenugreek seeds or they will turn the dish bitter.
2. To seal the pan, make a basic dough and roll it out into a long snake shape. Cover the dish with this dough and press to seal. To read more about the art of Dum cooking read this article. FYI, the guy shown in the article is Chef Irfan . I have had the pleasure or good fortune of working with his father, often regarded as the father of Dum cooking or the person who bought the dum cooking to the masses, Chef Imtiaz Qureshi.
3. If you are feeling extra experimental. try adding some hot coals on top of the sealed dish while it is on the flame.

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Bread Pakoras

Resuming blogging after my so called hiatus presented me with a big setback ...Food Blog Desam wasn't updating anymore. You cannot imagine the panic mode that set in...afterall it was through Food Blog Desam that my blog had come out of total anonymity. Thankfully, Taste Of India came up and Sailu arrived like a welcome shower in a summer month. Sailu, thanks a ton !!! ( I Don't know if she'll ever read this, but whomsoever does please pass this on to her :D)

Coming to Bread Pakoras, they used to be the ever favorite snack in my school canteen when I was growing up and I used to really relish eating them. Infact after passing out from school, they were the only thing I missed, more so for I moved to Maharashtra where Wada Pav was more readily available. Over a period of time, I switched loyalties from Bread Pakora to Wada Pav and then to McDonald's Burger.

One fine Sunday morning I had some time on hand, everyone else at home was sleeping and I thought of making this for Breakfast. It felt good to dig my teeth into one of these after a decade.

For those who have never tasted it, you surely have missed something.

Ingredients:
Bread Slices - 6-8
Potatoes, mashed - 2
Red Chilli Powder - 3 tsp
Cheese, Grated - 20 gm ( 1/2 Cup)
Black Pepper Powder - 1 Tsp
Tomato Ketchup - 3 Tblsp
Mint Chutney - 3 Tblsp
Gram Flour - 1 Cup
Salt - To Taste
Oil - For Deep Frying

Method:
Pre-Preparation:
1. Make a batter by mixing gram flour, salt, 2 tsp red chilli powder and water.Ensure there are no lumps.
2. Mix mashed potatoes, grated cheese, remaining red chilli powder, black pepper and salt.

Preparation:
1. Take two bread slices. On one side of one bread slice, apply a little tomato ketchup and spread to coat the side.
2. Layer the mashed potato mixture on the slice evenly.
3. Take the other bread slice and apply mint chutney on it. Spread.
4. Cover the Bread slices such that the Potato mixture in stuffed between the two slices and the tomato and mint spreads hold the breads and potato mix together.
5. Cut the sandwich diagonally into triangles.
6. Repeat for the other slices.
7. Heat Oil in a wok.
8. Dip the sandwiches into the gram flour batter to coat evenly and fry in oil.
9. Remove with slotted spoon.
10. Drain on absorbent kitchen tissue.
11. Serve Hot with Tea and chutney.

Note: Please do not soak in batter for long, else the bread will soak the water in the batter and become soggy and break.

Addendum: This happens to be my entry to the Potato Fe(a)st hosted at Culinary Bazaar. You can read about it here.

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There's always Room for Mush :)

Its almost been a month, since I posted something on this blog. Fatherhood ( our second born), pressures at work (year end closing) and simply plain laziness has been the reasons that have kept me away for so long. This does not, though, mean that I have also stayed away from the kitchen. All along, I have been trying out something or the other and saving it away.

Having said that, I like to begin my first post of the year with a Kashmiri delicacy, that my wife learnt from one of her friends. Its easy to make and tastes real good. I have in turn learnt it from her and it has become atleast once in a fortnight regulars at our household.
Kashmiri cuisine has always been underrated in this country. Though the region gives us some distinct food ingredients like saffron, the red chillies that add color to the dishes without making them too spicy, fruits like plum, apricot, apples and dry fruits like almonds & walnuts, we as a nation are totally ignorant to the rich and mildly flavored cuisine from this region.
Having lived there for 2 years of my life and admired the beauty of the land alongwith the cuisine, must say, the food is addictive. Who can not fall in love with the Gushtaba, the Roganjosh ( by the way the one available at most restaurants is a bad copy), Dum Aloos and Pulaos.

Ingredients:
Mushrooms - 200 gms
Cumin Seeds - 5 gm
Onion, finely chopped - 1
Red Chilli Powder - 1 Tsp
Fennel Powder - 2 Tsp
Yoghurt, whisked - 2 Cups
Salt - To Taste
Oil - 2 Tblsp

Method:
1. Take the mushrooms in a sieve and rub them with cornflour. Wash them nicely. The cornflour will take the dirt out of the mushrooms.
2. Quarter them and keep them aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan.
4. Add in the cumin seeds and let them crackle.
5. Add in the onions. Fry till they turn translucent.
6. Add in the mushrooms and fry for 5 minutes or till they leave water.
7. Add in the Fennel Powder,salt and Red Chilli Powder.
8. Add in the whisked yoghurt and cook on medium flame for 5 minutes.
9. Serve Hot.

P.S. :
1.Srivalli thanks for the chat and firing me up to get over the laziness and post something.

2. Obviously the post title is not directed at Gen. Musharraf :)) ...( though we might want many to believe that).

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Merry X'mas - Apple Torte with nuts, apricot & raisins

X'mas this year has been very ordinary at the house. Yet also, it is our new born's first x'mas. Though most day was spent as a dull weekend lazing around and watching some movies, we finally ventured out in the evening for a ride. In the night I decided to bake myself some X'mas treat. Actually had been planning for a long time ( 3-4 days) but nothing was coming to my mind. Had scanned numerous books, sites and spoken to a dozen people who prided in the their baking. All of sudden, while surfing on Epicurious, I stumbled on this particular recipe for a Apple walnut torte. Decided there and then to make it however, with some variations. I have to admit, Epicurious is my favorite for baking recipes apart from joyofbaking. The recipe collection is huge and has some interesting things to try out.

Before I list what I made ....a Merry X'mas to each one of you. It may be coming a day late but hey! a wish is a wish.

Ingredients :
200 gm unsalted butter, softened up
2 cups sugar
3 Apples preferebly granny smith, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cored
1 cup refined flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
10 gm Raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
2 teaspoon walnut, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoon almonds, coarsely chopped
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3 Dried Apricots, finely chopped
5 gm Cherries, candied, chopped coarsely
15 ml Whisky

Method:

1. Melt 50 gms of butter in a saucepan and sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar evenly over butter. Put the apples slices and cook over medium heat, turning apples occasionally, until sugar is caramelized and apples are tender and golden brown.

2. Butter a round baking dish and flout it. Arrange apples, cut sides down, in concentric circles in bottom of the round baking dish, then pour over any caramel from the pan.

3. Seive together flour, baking powder and cinnamon.

4. Cream the remaining butter in a bowl until creamy. Add sugar and beat to combine. Add egg and beat well.

5. Add in the almonds, walnuts, cherries, apricots and whisky. Mix in flour mixture until just combined (batter will be thick).

6. Pour batter over apples in the round baking dish and spread evenly. Bake at 250 deg F for 30 minutes.

7. Invert the baked torte on a cooling rack and turn it over so that the apples that were at the bottom are now on the top. Cool torte on a rack 30 minutes.

8. Cut into slices and serve.

Accompaniment : Vanilla Ice-Cream & apple sauce.

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Carrot Rice ... doesn't get easier than this

Saturdays are usually welcomed with trying out something new in the kitchen. However, this weekend has been different, infact, so was the last, and believe me so will the rest few be unless something spectacular happens to my 'Change-the-new-borns-nappy' mood. By the way, I'm desperately trying to do something with the dozens of nagpur oranges that people have gifted me over the last few days. Hyderabad is funny. Everytime, someone drops in to see the baby, there is a bag full of fruit that drops in my lap.

I got in some nice looking red carrot from the shop, hoping I'll ask my mom to make some yum! Gajjar Halwa, but everyone is so tired, the halwa is the last thing my mom would want to cook. So the poor gajjar were lying depressed in the fridge till I decided to take them out and make some express carrot rice, which is easier to make, healthier to eat and tastes great too. Infact a rice dish doesn't get easier than this, unless someone says khichadi :) ( never been a fan of the hospital like food).

Ingredients:
For the Rice
Basmati Rice - 1 Cup
Water - 2 Cups
Salt - To Taste

Carrots, grated - 3 No.s
Onion, sliced - 1 No.
Garlic, minced - 2 Tsp
Bay Leaf - 2 No.s
Cinnamon Stick - 1 No.
Cloves - 2-3
Black Cardamom - 2 No.s
Red Chilli Powder - 1 Tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 Tsp
Oil - 3 Tblsp

Method:
1. Cook the Basmati Rice. Let it cool.
2. Heat Oil in a wok. Add in the bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon & black cardamom.
3. Add in the sliced onions and minced garlic. Fry till Onions turn translucent.
4. Add grated carrots. Cook for some time. Add in the turmeric powder and red chilli powder.
5. Mix in the rice. Cook for 5 minutes.
6. Serve hot with yoghurt.

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Khaman ...A lot of us call it Dhokla

First, what we call Dhokla all across India and other places is not dhokla ( I am referring to the yellow steamed cake). It is Khaman. Dhokla is something different, white in appearance as against Khaman which is yellow. Both are steamed gramflour cakes. In some areas, it is also called Khaman Dhokla ( yes both names together).

My 3 year stint in Vadodara, exposed me to this fact alongwith the elegance of Garba and appreciating Gujrati food. As with the rest of the country, this region is seeped in rich history and culture and is culturally vibrant place to be in. The food, predominantly vegetarian, is a blast of different flavors as one travels from one part of Gujrat to another, ranging from bland to sweet to absolute spicy stuff.
I tired my hand at some Khaman today....and that too not so traditionally in a microwave. Plan to make another batch tomorrow. The reason being that I had loads of sour yoghurt leftover.

Ingredients:
For the Batter:
2 cups Bengal gram (Soaked Overnight or for 8 hrs)
2 tbsp rice ( soaked overnight or for 8 hrs)
1 cup sour yoghurt ( This is what motivated me to make this dish as I had lots leftover)
Salt to taste
1 Tsp ginger Paste
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 green chilies ( Finely chopped)
3 tsp sugar
4 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp soda-bi-carbonate
For the Tempering:
A pinch of asafoetida (Hing)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds (rai)
5-6 curry leaves
3 Green Chillies (Slit)
4 tbsp oil
For the Garnish :
2 Tsp Lemon Juice
2 tbsp grated coconut
Sprigs of Corriander

Method: To Make Batter:

1. Grind the soaked Bengal Gram and rice into a paste in a blender with the sour yoghurt.
2. Mix salt, turmeric powder and keep the batter aside for about 8 hours to ferment.
3. When the mixture has fermented, add ground green chilies, ginger, sugar, lemon juice and soda-bi-carbonate to the batter and mix well.

To Make Dhokla:

1. Grease a pan or microwaveable dish.
   
2. Pour in the batter into the pan and microwave for 7 minutes with cover. Rest for a minute and open the lid of the pan.
3. When all the dhoklas are prepared, cut them into square or diamond shapes.
4. Heat oil in a pan, add ground asafoetida, mustard seeds, green chillies and curry leaves. Pour this seasoning on the dhoklas.
5. Sprinkle some Lemon Juice on top.
   
6. Garnish with grated coconut and corriander sprigs.
   
7. Serve as a tea time snack.
   

Note:
1. The batter should be a bit thicker than a pakora batter. If not, add in a little water.
2. If dhokla are hard and not spongy. Microwave for another one minute.
3. Ideally steam the dhokla batter if you can.
4. One variation to try: Pour in half the mixture and steam/microwave for 3 minutes. Take out and layer the top with green mint chutney. Pour the remaining batter on top. Steam/Microwave again for 3 more minutes. The sandwich Khaman or Double Decker Khaman is ready.

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