Growing up, once-in-a-while our Sunday breakfast treat used to be Jalebis, Dhoklas and Samosa. Since i wasn't a big fan of Sweets back then (whatever happened now?), i would happily trade my share of the oh-too-sweet-and-darned-drippy Jalebis for the spongy-spicy Dhoklas.

For those of us who've never had afternoon tea in an Indian household - Dhoklas are feather-light and fluffy yellow savoury cakes made from a fermented batter of gram flour (besan) and semolina. Spiced with a bit of chilli, tempered with mustard, cumin seeds and curry leaves, these light and airy bites are packed with flavour - one can easily down quite a few without noticing. Steam cooking makes it easily digestible, so there’s always room to enjoy one extra fluffy-as-a-cloud, melt-in-the-mouth Dhokla…and still not feel heavy or guilty for that matter.

So on this Bone-Chilling Cold Day, i decide to try it out myself - Armed with Besan, Suji and Yoghurt. Though some key ingredients like fresh Hara-Dhania (Coriander), Hari-Mirch (Green Chilli) and Eno are missing, it doesn't impede my zest for Dhokla. Living here off the beaten track, where you don't have the luxury of a grocery store in the vicinity, I've learnt to adapt and improvise.

An hour and half later, my version of the not-totally-fluffy-yet-utterly-divine Dhokla with a cup of Hot Adrak-Chai is just perfect on this cold-cold day..