Recipe: Farali Dhokla
Farali Dhokla is quite different from the traditional, popular Gujarati steamed snack, dhokla. Usually the batter is made from rice and chana/ moong dal or as in the case of instant dhokla, chickpea flour or besan. Farali Dhokla is made from samo or moriyo and sabudana. No garlic, onion, turmeric powder is used. Therefore, Farali Dhokla can be enjoyed during fasting days like Ekadashi, Navrati, Janmashtami, Shivratri, etc. On these days most people don’t consume grains, beans, legumes, onion, garlic, and very spicy food. Sabudana is tapioca pearls.
Memories
I try and fast most of the Ekadashi days, which comes every fortnight. Our usual meal is moriyo khichdi with potato curry. Occasionally I make Sabudana Khichdi. Sometimes, I feel like I want to have something different. Or prepare something different as offering for God. I came across a Farali Dhokla recipe on the internet and got so excited. Had to try it out right away. And I am a big fan of any type of dhokla. The recipe turned out a disaster! The recipe called for processing raw sabudana and samo into a flour. I did that. The end result, the dhoklas tasted bitter. I had to bin them!
The second attempt was with another recipe where the sabudana are dry roasted in a pan before grinding with the sama chawal. Somehow, I was not too happy with the end result. It still had a slight after taste.
Then I decided to soak both the sabudana and sama chawal. That meant that both would be washed before grinding or processing. And yup, I hit the jackpot. So much better, no after taste and best part, super soft dhoklas.
On 20/01/2016 I did post the Farali Dhokla using the roasted sabudana and wiping clean the sama chawal on a kitchen towel. But after trying out the soaked sabudana sama version it was time to update the recipe and better photos.
Updating this post on 06/02/2026.
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Ingredients Required For Farali Dhokla
Samo / Moriyo
Samo also known as sama chawal, barnyard millet, samak chawal, vari,vrat ka chawal, Kuthiraivali, Odalu, etc. We need 1 cup of samo.
Sabudana
Also known as tapioca pearls, we need ¼ cup.
Plain Yogurt
Plain yogurt that is thick and not watery. If it is a little sour, so much better.
Salt
Since we are making farali dhokla, we don’t use table salt. We use sendha namak or rock salt.
Fresh Ginger
Peeled and grated or minced to add to the batter.
Green Chillis
We need minced green chillis to add to the batter. And one chilli sliced for the tempering or vaghar.
Oil
For farali food don’t use vegetable, corn, mustard, canola, rice bran oil. Instead use sunflower oil, peanut oil, coconut oil or ghee.
Water
We need oil to soak the sama chawal and sabudana. We need more to wash both. And then some for the batter.
Sugar
Add according to your taste. It is usually added to balance out the flavours.
Lemon Juice
I add a bit of lemon juice for sour flavour.
Eno or Baking Soda
Added as the leavening agent.
Cumin Seeds
We will use some for the tempering or vaghar.
Curry Leaves
Kadi patta, we need some for the tempering or vaghar.
Sesame Seeds
For the tempering or vaghar. If you don’t consume sesame seeds or tal during fasting then omit them.
Red Chilli Powder | Black Pepper Powder
To add on top. Some people do not use red chilli powder for fasting days. Instead use coarsely ground black pepper.
Fresh Coriander
Washed and chopped, including tender stems. We will be using it for the tempering or vaghar.

FARALI DHOKLA
Ingredients
FOR THE FARALI DHOKLA BATTER
- 1 cup samo
- ¼ cup sabudana
- ½ cup plain yogurt thick
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp green chilli paste
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¾ - 1 tsp rock salt
- 1 tsp Eno or baking soda
- ¼ tsp red chilli powder or coarsely ground black pepper
FOR TEMPERING | VAGHAR
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 green chillis sliced
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander chopped
Instructions
SOAK THE SAMO AND SABUDANA
- Wash and soak samo and Sabudana separately in enough water for 4-6 hours.
PREPARE THE BATTER
- Drain out the water from both the samo and sabudana using a colander or big strainer.
- Process the samo, sabudana and yogurt in a food processor to a smooth paste.
- It may be slightly coarse but that is fine.
- Transfer the batter to a mixing bowl.
- Add green chilli, ginger pastes, salt, sugar, lemon juice, oil. Mix well.
- Add water little at a time till you have a thick pourable batter. I did use up ¼ cup water.
STEAM THE DHOKLA
- Get you steaming device ready. I use a pan which has a steamer and lid.
- Add water to the bottom pan. It should not touch the steamer basket or plate.
- Allow it water to come to a boil.
- In the meantime lightly grease a steel plate which is 8-9 inches in diameter.
- Place it on the steamer basket or plate. Allow the plate to become hot along with the water at the bottom.
- Once the water is boiling, add Eno or baking soda to the batter.
- Give it a quick but brief whisk. Don't over mix as you will loose the fluffiness.
- Pour the batter in the hot steel plate.
- Sprinkle some red chilli powder or black pepper coarsely ground on top.
- Cover the lid.
- Allow the dhokla to steam for 10 minutes.
- Insert a toothpick or fork in the middle of the steamed dhokla.
- If it is done, the toothpick or fork will come out clean.
- Remove the dhokla from the steamer.
PREPARE THE TEMPERING
- Heat oil in a small pan over medium heat.
- When it becomes hot, add the cumin and sesame seeds.
- Add the sliced green chillis and curry leaves.
- Stir fry for 30 seconds.
- Add the chopped coriander. Stir fry for 30 seconds.
- Spread the tempering over the steamed dhokla.
- Allow it to cool down before you cut them into square or diamond pieces.
- Serve with Farali Green Chutney or Peanut Chutney.
Notes
- Don't mix the batter too much after adding the Eno or baking soda.
- Add pepper powder instead of red chilli powder if you want.
- When steaming the dhokla, the water should not touch the plate or overflow.
- Adjust spices according to your taste.
- Store leftover dhokla in the fridge. Just before serving, steam it for 3-4 minutes or warm it up in the microwave oven. Sprinkle a bit of water over it before putting them in microwave oven.
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A Small Request
If you do try this recipe then please either
- add a comment below,
- send a picture to my email mayuri.ajay.patel62@gmail.com
- tag me as #mayuri_jikoni on Instagram
- or comment on Pinterest @mayuri62

