Khaman Dhokla Recipe
Dhokla, also known as Khaman Dhokla. It is a popular delicacy from the Gujarati cuisine.
This popular light and spongy snack is made with a leavened batter of a spiced gram flour batter, that is later steamed in a pan.
This recipe makes a light, spongy dhokla and includes a hint of great savory flavor from a simple combination of gram flour (besan), spices and herbs.
If you are wondering what is gram flour, it is simply finely ground hulled black chickpeas. We also call it besan in Hindi.
Ingredients
For Khaman Batter

- 1.5 cups gram flour (besan), 180 grams
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1.5 inches ginger – crushed to a fine paste in a mortar-pestle
- 1.5 teaspoons green chillies – chopped and then crushed to a fine paste in a mortar-pestle
- 2 to 3 pinches turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- 1 to 2 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 1 tablespoon oil – any neutral oil or peanut oil
- 1.5 to 2 teaspoons eno (fruit salt) or 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt or add as required
- 1.5 tablespoon lemon juice or 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon pure food grade citric acid
- 1 cup water or add as required
For Tempering Khaman Dhokla
- 2 tablespoons oil—any neutral oil or peanut oil
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 teaspoon musturd seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, optional
- 2 teaspoons white sesame seeds
- 1 sprig curry leaves—about 10 to 12 curry leaves
- 1 teaspoon green chilies, chopped optional
- 2 teaspoons sugar or add according to taste
For Garnish
- 2 to 3 tablespoons coriander leaves – chopped (cilantro)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons coconut, grated and fresh, optional
Instructions
Making Khaman Batter

- Grease a steamer pan with 2 to 3 teaspoons of oil.
- Take besan or gram flour in a mixing bowl or pan.
- Add turmeric powder, asafoetida, lemon juice, ginger paste, green chili paste, sugar, and oil.
- Add 1 cup water or as required to make thick yet flowing water. The amount of water required depends on the quality of flour, so add as required.
- Stir and then add the rava or sooji.
- Stir to a smooth, thick batter without any lumps.
- The batter should be thick yet flowing. A quick tip is that if the batter become thin, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons besan.
- Bring to a boil 2 to 2.5 cups of water in a steamer pan or electric cooker or a stove-top pressure cooker.
- The amount of water to be added depends on the size of the steamer or pressure cooker.
- Now add the eno or fruit salt to the batter.
- Stir briskly and quickly. The fruit salt to the batter.
- The batter would froth and become bubbly, so you have to be quick.
- Pour the batter in the greased pan.
Steaming Khaman Dhokla

- Place the pan in a steamer or electric rice cooker or pressure cooker. The water pressure cooker, remove the vent weight / whistle
- Steam for 15 to 20 minutes in an electric cooker. If using a pan or pressure cooker, steam for 12 to 15 minutes on a high heat.
- To check the doneness, insert a toothpick and if it comes out clean, the khaman is done. If the toothpick has the batter on it, then you need to steamed for some more time.
- When the khaman become lukewarm or cool, then with a butter knife gently slid along the egdes. Keep a plate or tray on top of the pan.
- Invert the pan. If greased well, the khaman will easily get inverted on the plate. Slice and keep aside.
Tempering
- In a small pan, heat oil.
- Add mustard seeds and let them crackle.
- When the mustard seeds are crackling, add the cumin seeds, curry leaves and chopped green chilies.
- Stir and then add sesame seeds.
- Fry the sesame seeds for some seconds but do not brown them.
- Then add water. Be careful while adding water as the mixture sizzles. You can switch off then adding water.
- Add sugar. Stir and allow the tempering mixture to come to a boil. Make sure that the sugar has dissolved in the water.
- Then pour this tempering mixture evenly on the steamed and sliced khaman.
- Garnish with chopped coriander seeds and grated coconut.
- Serve khaman dhokla straight away or you can store them in an air tight box and then serve later after some minutes or an hour.
- If serving khaman after many hours, then do not garnish with coconut and coriander leaves
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