These Rava Dhokla are soft, lightly spongy Gujarati steamed snacks made with semolina (sooji), yogurt, green chilli and a simple tempering. There's no soaking or fermentation involved, making them a quick alternative to khatta dhokla for lunch, tea time or as part of a Gujarati thali.
Recipe Summary: Rava Dhokla
- ✅ Recipe Name: Rava Dhokla, Sooji Dhokla
- 🕒 Ready In: 30 minutes plus cooling time
- 👪 Serves: 2 (easy to scale)
- 🍽 Calories: 615 per serving
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: Semolina, plain yogurt, ginger, green chilli and Eno fruit salt
- 📖 Dietary Info: Vegetarian
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: No overnight soaking, no fermentation and no complicated preparation. Just a short batter rest, steaming and a fragrant Gujarati tempering. It's a useful alternative to khaman when you want a different kind of dhokla.
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My grandmother used to make these with whole peas, which is how we originally shared the recipe on the blog. Over time, I've come to prefer keeping them plain.
I also leave out the rice flour and besan now. Semolina has its own lovely texture, and I prefer letting it do its thing rather than trying to make rava dhokla behave like khaman.
The result is soft and a little spongy, but not full of huge air holes. That's exactly how I like them.
For a more airy, chana no lot version, try my soft and spongy khaman. If you prefer the flavour of fermented rice and lentils, make Gujarati mag ni dal na dhokla with garlic instead.
A Note on Rava Dhokla Ingredients
You'll find the full ingredients list with measurements in the recipe card below, but these notes are worth reading first. They explain the small ingredient choices, swaps and texture cues I've learnt from making this recipe.
Semolina (rava or sooji)
Medium grained white semolina is my first choice. I've found it gives the dhokla the right balance of softness and texture. Fine semolina will lead to flat, gooey and dense dhokla and coarse semolina leads to dry dhokla.
I didn't have medium semolina when making this batch, so I mixed 75% coarse with 25% fine semolina and found it worked beautifully.
I don't bother roasting the semolina first - I've tried that way too and found it doesn't change the final taste or texture enough.
Plain yogurt
I use regular plain live yogurt, my homemade plain yogurt works great here. I don't recommend very thin, sour low-fat yogurt as it will also make the dhokla taste sour!
Mix equal parts yogurt and water to make the buttermilk. If, for example, you only have thick Greek yogurt, you will need to reduce the quantity a little and add more water instead.
Note that different yogurt brands and semolina varieties absorb liquid differently, so use the batter consistency as your guide rather than relying entirely on measurements.
Eno fruit salt
Add Eno only when the steamer is hot and ready.
I pour a small spoonful of water over the Eno to activate it, whisk quickly and steam the batter immediately. Don't leave the activated batter sitting around.
Tempering
I keep the tempering simple with oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves (optional) and slit green chillies.
There is no need to add water. Pour the tempering over the cut dhokla so the flavoured oil runs into the sides of each piece.
Hayley's Recipe Tips
- Use medium semolina. If you only have coarse semolina, my 75:25 coarse-to-fine mixture works well.
- Rest the batter for 15 minutes. This gives the semolina time to absorb the yogurt mixture.
- Check the consistency after resting. It should resemble thick pancake batter, not a stiff paste or a runny liquid.
- Preheat the steamer. Add Eno only when everything is ready.
- Steam immediately after adding Eno. Don't waste the aeration by leaving the batter on the counter.
- Let the dhokla cool before cutting. This helps them set, improves the texture and makes them easier to remove from the tray.
Let's Make Instant Sooji Dhokla In Steps
- Mix semolina and yogurt: Mix together semolina and yogurt. Add water until you get a pancake like batter. Cover and allow to rest for 15 minutes. At this point, prepare the steamer.
- Add the flavourings: To the soaked semolina mixture, add salt, sugar, crushed ginger-green chillies, and a little oil.
- Activate the eno: Ensure the steamer is hot. Add the eno and pour a spoon of water directly on the eno to activate. Whisk quickly but do not over whisk.
- Steam for 10 minutes: Place the greased tray in the steamer and pour in the batter. Sprinkle over red chilli powder. Steam for 10 minutes.
- Allow to cool: Check the dhokla are cooked by inserting a sharp knife in the centre. It should come out clean. Remove the dhokla from the steamer and allow to cool slightly in the tray.
- Slice and pour over tempering: Cut neatly into squares or diamonds then pour over the tempering. Garnish with fresh coriander.
Top Tip
Don't skip the cooling time!
This is something I recommend for all my dhokla recipes. Cutting them straight from the steamer can make them seem dense, and they're more likely to stick to the tray. Give them time to settle before cutting - I would say at least 15 minutes.
How Thick SHould Dhokla Be?
I've made this recipe with both a thinner, a medium thickness and thicker layer of batter in the tray, and all three worked really well with the same steaming time - 10 minutes to be exact!
However, rather than relying entirely on the clock, insert a knife into the centre. It should come out clean.
You'll also notice that the dhokla should also be just starting to come away from the sides - that means they are cooked through without becoming too rubbery and overcooked.
If you have thin layers, or one thick layer, follow the steps for my sandwich dhokla, which has a layer of green chutney in between.
How I Serve Rava Dhokla
I usually make these for lunch or as an afternoon snack. They're especially useful when guests are coming and I want to offer something different from the usual khaman.
My favourite chutneys are:
- mint coriander chutney,
- imli khajur chutney,
- raw mango, red chilli and garlic chutney
- I also think this vibrant guava (jamfal) chutney would be lovely with them
For a Gujarati farsan spread, add patra, Gujarati moong dal vada or papdi no lot. Add in a cuppa made with Gujarati chai masala powder and you're onto a winner!
You can find more ideas in my Gujarati snacks and farsan recipes collection.
Rava Dhokla FAQs
Can I make rava dhokla without fermenting the batter?
Yes. This recipe only needs a 15-minute rest. Eno helps the batter rise during steaming, so overnight fermentation isn't necessary.
Which semolina is best for rava dhokla?
Medium white semolina is my preference. I've also successfully used a mixture of 75% coarse and 25% fine semolina.
Why are my rava dhokla dense?
The batter may have been too thick, the Eno may have been added too early, or the dhokla may have been cut before they had time to cool and set.
When should I add Eno?
Only when the steamer is hot and the greased tray is ready. Activate it with a little water, whisk quickly and steam immediately.
How do I know when the dhokla are cooked?
A knife inserted into the centre should come out clean, and the dhokla should be starting to pull away from the sides of the tray.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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📖 Recipe
Rava Dhokla (Sooji Dhokla)
Equipment
- Steamer
- steel plate 22cm wide
Ingredients
Dhokla Batter
- 1 cup semolina sooji/rava
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon green chilli and ginger crushed
- 1 teaspoon eno fruit salt
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- salt to taste
Tempering
- 3 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 sprig fresh curry leaves optional
- 4 green chillies slit
Garnish
- 1 tablespoon fresh coriander finely chopped
Instructions
Prepare the batter
- In a large bowl, combine 1 cup semolina, ½ cup plain yogurt and ½ cup water. Mix until well combined.
- Cover and leave the batter to rest for 15 minutes.
- Once the semolina has soaked, mix in 1 tablespoon green chilli and ginger, 1 teaspoon sugar, salt to taste and 1 teaspoon oil. Check the consistency - it should resemble thick pancake batter. Add a little extra water if necessary.
Steam the dhokla
- Bring the water in a steamer to a boil. Grease a 22cm steaming tray with oil and place the empty tray inside the steamer.
- Add 1 teaspoon eno fruit salt to the batter and pour a small spoonful of water over it. Whisk quickly to combine.
- Immediately pour the batter into the greased tray. Cover and steam for 10 minutes or until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean and the dhokla begin to pull away from the sides.
- Remove the tray carefully and allow the dhokla to cool before cutting into squares or diamonds.
Prepare the tempering
- Heat 3 tablespoon oil in a small pan. Add 1 tablespoon mustard seeds and allow them to crackle.
- Add 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, 1 sprig fresh curry leaves and 4 green chillies. Let them sizzle briefly until fragrant.
- Pour the hot tempering evenly over the cut dhokla so the oil runs into the sides. Garnish with 1 tablespoon fresh coriander.
Video
Notes
- Medium white semolina gives the best texture. A mixture of 75% coarse and 25% fine semolina also works. Do not roast it.
- Use regular plain live yogurt mixed with an equal quantity of water. Adjust the liquid slightly depending on your yogurt and semolina.
- Rest for 15 minutes, then check for a thick pancake-batter consistency. Too thick makes dry, dense dhokla; too thin may prevent them setting.
- Heat the steamer and prepare the tray before adding Eno. Activate with a little water, whisk quickly and steam immediately.
- If preparing more than 1 tray, divide the batter and only add eno to the batter you will be steaming next.
- Grease a 22cm tray and place it inside the steamer before pouring in the batter to minimise spills.
- Thin and thick layers both work. Cook until a knife comes out clean and the dhokla begin to pull away from the sides.
- Remove the tray immediately from the steamer once cooked to prevent brown spots (which is caused by eno).
- Let the dhokla cool before cutting. This helps them set and prevents sticking.
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
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Hayley Dhanecha says
The green peas running through that soft and spongy semolina dhokla base is such a lovely combination, and the mustard seed, sesame and curry leaf tempering poured over the top with a little fresh coconut and coriander makes this one of those breakfast dishes that looks so colourful and tastes even better.
great-secret-of-life says
new to me.. looks great
Javelin Warrior says
What a tasty cake - I've never had a savory cake like this before and love the use of the peas and chile peppers...
Unknown says
lovely twist to in dhokla 🙂 looks super delicious 🙂
Simplyfood says
Nice twist with peas in it , I made them plain without peas.Love the clicks.
Home Cooked food says
nice twist in traditional dish. surely try it.
kausers kitchen says
Dhokla looks delicious, nice clicks.
The Yogi Vegetarian says
Looks wonderful!
kitchen queen says
yummilicious and droolworthy dhokla Jagruti
AJ says
Delicious! Love dhoklas!