candidum, Torulopsis species) feed on the sugars and produce acids, aroma compounds, carbon dioxide gas, and viscous, sticky carbohydrates that thicken the batter and help trap the gas bubbles The batter is then steamed to produce a spongy, delicately flavored cake Dhokla is a similar preparation made using rice and chickpeas The dosa, a large fried disc, crêpe-like but crisp, is made from a thin fermented batter of rice and black gram Papadums, a familiar side dish in Indian restaurants in the West, are thin wafers of black gram paste that has been allowed to ferment for a few hours before being cut into discs and dried; they’re then fried and develop a blistered, delicately brittle texture Soaking Times Depend on Temperature Medium-sized beans absorb more than half of their total water capacity in the first two hours of soaking, and plateau at about double their original weight after 10–12 hours As the soaking temperature goes up, absorption accelerates; and if the beans are first blanched for 1.5 minutes in boiling water, the subsequent water absorption takes only two to three hours in cool water, because the blanching rapidly hydrates the seed coat that controls water movement Salt and Baking Soda Speed Cooking Cooking times can be reduced even more by adding various salts to the soaking water Plain salt at a concentration around 1% (10 g/l, or 2 teaspoons/qt) speeds cooking greatly, apparently because the sodium displaces magnesium from the cell-wall pectins and so makes them more easily dissolved Baking soda at 0.5% (1 teaspoon/qt) can reduce the cooking time by nearly 75%; it contains sodium and in addition is alkaline, which facilitates the dissolving of the cell-wall hemicelluloses Of course, added salts affect ... soda at 0.5% (1 teaspoon/qt) can reduce the cooking time by nearly 75%; it contains sodium and in addition is alkaline, which facilitates the dissolving of the cell-wall hemicelluloses Of course,... Plain salt at a concentration around 1% (1 0 g/l, or 2 teaspoons/qt) speeds cooking greatly, apparently because the sodium displaces magnesium from the cell-wall pectins and so makes them more easily...original weight after 10–12 hours As the soaking temperature goes up, absorption accelerates; and if the beans are first blanched for 1.5 minutes in boiling water, the subsequent water absorption takes only two to three hours in cool water, because the