Dhokla — Fermented Chickpea Flour Steamed Cake (ढोकला)

Gujarat; dhokla is documented in Gujarati texts from the 12th century; the Surti khaman dhokla (yellow, softer) and the darker handvo are regional variants within the broader dhokla category

Dhokla (ढोकला) is the most celebrated snack of Gujarat: a soft, spongy steamed cake made from fermented chickpea flour (besan) batter that rises through its own lactic acid production during a 6–8 hour ferment, producing a tangy, light, slightly chewy texture that is then cut into squares and finished with a hot tadka of mustard seeds, curry leaves, and green chilli poured directly over the steamed surface — the sizzling oil impregnating each piece with aromatic heat. The pour-over tadka (the moment when hot oil hits the steamed dhokla surface) is the defining ritual: the steam it creates distributes the aromatics evenly across the entire pan.

Served as breakfast or snack with green coriander-mint chutney and sweet tamarind chutney. The acid-spice-sweet interplay of the tangy dhokla, hot-aromatic tadka, herbaceous green chutney, and sweet-sour tamarind is the complete Gujarati snack flavour system.