Clove-Ginger Butternut Soup with Dhokla

With these cold days lately, I have been gravitating towards soups a lot. I tried out a butternut squash soup with an Indian twist with cloves, ginger & black pepper as the prominent spices and was surprised by how well it turned out. The coconut milk that gets added to the soup at the end adds creaminess and makes the soup hearty enough to be eaten as a main course with some bread on the side.

I recently tried a version of dhokla with chickpea flour (dhokla is a steamed, and sometimes fermented, Indian savory cake). I really liked the chickpea version but decided to explore a few more options for the flour. My Mangoes & Curry Leaves cookbook had a version with rice and tuvar dal/lentil that sounded interesting. I was just worried about not being able to get a smooth consistency of the batter after soaking and grinding the rice and lentils but it was actually a breeze after an overnight soak. Now that I know how easy it is to make dhokla, I'll be making it more often. It's a perfect accompaniment to soup and is a good snacking cake as well. The best way to describe it for a western palate is to think of it to an Indian cornbread. It has the crumbly, slightly coarse texture of traditional cornbread and works well with savory dishes (or perhaps drizzled with honey if you skip the tempering oil!).

I had to MacGyver a steaming rig situation for the steamed cake by using my deep 6 quart stockpot with a pasta drainer insert and a 9" cake pan on top with a domed lid. I have to say, I felt pretty good about figuring it out instead of buying a new bamboo steamer.

The dhokla & soup were the perfect accompaniment to a cozy night at home on a cold day, snuggled up in blankets and watching a movie (speaking of which, watch A Man Called Ove immediately if you haven't already!). I hope you try this simple variation on the butternut squash soup as well!

Dhokla recipe adapted from Mangoes & Curry Leaves (Jeffrey Alford & Naomi Duguid) & Soup recipe adapted from My Two Souths (by Asha Gomez) 
Serves 6-8 

Dhokla:
1/2 cup tuvar dal
3/4 cup rice (any kind, I used basmati)
1/4 cup water
1 tsp salt
115 gm yogurt (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 sprig curry leaves, leaves picked
2-3 broken red chilis (optional)

Clove-Ginger Butternut Squash Soup:
3 tbsp olive oil, divided use
2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
2 medium shallots, chopped
1 tsp ground cloves, divided use
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 1/2 lbs butternut squash, peeled and dice (with 1/2 lb set aside for garnish)
2 1/4 tsp sea salt, divided use (or to taste)
4 1/2 cups water
1 14 oz. can coconut milk

Instructions:
For the dhokla: This bread can be made well ahead, so starting 24 hours before you plan to serve it works well. Wash rice and tuvar dal well till the water runs clear and soak it in plenty of water overnight. Drain the water and process it to a semi coarse puree in a food processor. You might need to use a spatula to keep mixing it in between as it tends to run up the sides. Add the 1/4 cup water and blend it till it's a smooth puree. Add yogurt & salt and process it well. Let it sit in the food processor while you start your steamer. Once you have the steamer going full speed, grease a 9 inch cake pan. Add baking soda to your batter and process it briefly to mix. Pour this batter into the cake pan and cover and steam for about 30 minutes, until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Take the cake pan out of the steamer and let it cool in pan for 10 minutes, then loosen the sides with a knife and invert it onto a plate and cut into 12 slices. Make the tempering oil, by heating oil in a tiny saucepan (with a lid) on medium hight heat and adding mustard, curry leaves and broken red chiles. Immediately cover the pan with the lid, so it won't splatter on you. Let it splutter for 30-45 seconds and then quickly put this tempered oil over the dhokla evenly. Let the bread cool down. It can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge. Microwaving for 30-45 seconds works great for reheating.
For the soup:
Preheat the oven to 450 F. Grease a baking pan with oil. Toss the 1/2 lb set aside diced squash with 1 tbsp oil, scant 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp cloves. Bake for 15-20 minutes shaking in between, until a nice brown on some of the sides. Set aside.
Heat the rest of the oil in a soup pot on medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for a minute till it turns a nice light brown. Add the chopped shallots and sauté for 3-4 minutes till translucent. Add the diced butternut squash and 1/2 tsp cloves, black pepper and 1.75 tsp sea salt and all the water. Bring it to a boil on high. Cover and simmer on low for 20-30 minutes till tender. Using a stick blender, blend the soup well. Add the coconut milk to the soup and quickly bring it back to a boil. Take it off heat and serve with the dhokla. Enjoy!