khaman dhokla or khaman as its called, is a savory steamed cake made from gram flour. khaman is soft and fluffy, mildly tangy-sweet and a great snack anytime of the day. this is also an instant khaman dhokla recipe.

gujarati food as well as snacks are mine and hubby’s favorite. thankfully one cuisine is in common between us. otherwise it always a trouble for me what to cook. north indian or south indian recipes. eventually i end up cooking north indian food and the hubby wins.

khaman is one healthy great vegan snack. can be gluten free too, if you skip asafoetida in the batter. these savory cakes are really light and fluffy. khaman dhokla goes well with some mint or coriander chutney or even raw papaya chutney.

usually i prepare dhokla with steaming method. but when i am short of time i cook it in the microwave oven. the step by step pics here are of both the steamed & microwave versions and taken on separate occasions. below is a pic of dhokla made in the microwave oven.

of course, preparing dhokla in the microwave is super easy, quick and just take about 5-6 minutes. then you need to the tempering. however, we prefer the texture of the steamed dhoklas more than the microwaved ones.

lets start step by step khaman dhokla recipe:

1. grease a steamer pan with ¼ to ½ tsp oil.

2. take 1.5 cups besan/gram flour in a mixing bowl or pan.

3. add 2 to 3 pinches of turmeric powder, a generous pinch of asafoetida (skip to make a gluten free version), 1 tsp lime juice and 3 tsp ginger-green chilies paste and salt. avoid adding too much of turmeric powder as then the fruit salt or baking soda reacts with the turmeric powder and makes it red in color, thereby giving reddish specks or tones in the dhokla.

4. 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.

5. then add 1 tbsp rava or sooji. this is entirely optional. skip rava or semolina for a gluten free option.

6. stir to a smooth thick batter without any lumps.

7. the batter should be thick yet flowing. a quick tip is that if the batter become thin, then 1 to 2 tbsp more sooji/rava or besan. also bring to a boil 2 to 3 cups of water in a steamer pan or electric cooker or pressure cooker. the amount of water to be added depends on the size of the steamer or pressure cooker.

8. the ingredient which we use to leaven the dhokla batter is fruit salt. eno is a popular indian brand of fruit salt. you can also use baking soda. however baking soda gives the soapy aroma if used in excess. as i have mentioned above, both eno and baking soda react with turmeric powder and gives a red tinge or red spots in dhokla. so add little turmeric powder or skip it completely.

9. then add 2 tsp eno or fruit salt. 2 tsp of eno makes the dhokla soft and fluffy. but there is a slight alkaline taste. some people might prefer this taste and some won’t. if you are one of those who do not prefer this taste, then add 1.5 tsp of eno. if adding baking soda, then add from ½ tsp to ¾ tsp.

10. begin to stir the eno with the batter briskly and quickly.

11. the fruit salt should be mixed evenly with the batter. or else you get uneven texture in the dhokla.

12. the batter would froth and become bubbly, so you have to be quick.

pour the batter in the greased pan.

13. gently shake so that the batter evens out in the pan. here’s the dhokla batter ready to be steamed.

steaming khaman:

1. place the pan in a steamer or electric rice cooker or pressure cooker. the water should already be boiling or hot when you place the pan with the dhokla batter. when using pressure cooker, remove the vent weight/whistle from the lid and cover the cooker tightly with its lid.

2. steam for 15 to 20 minutes in an electric rice cooker. if using a pan or pressure cooker, steam for 12 to 15 minutes on a medium to high flame. here the khaman is ready after 17 minutes.

3. to check the doneness, insert a toothpick and if it comes out clean, the dhokla is done. if the toothpick has the batter on it, then you need to steam for some more time.

4. when the khaman become warm, with a butter knife gently slid along the edges. keep a plate or tray on top of the pan.

5. invert the pan.

6. if greased well, the khaman will easily get inverted on the plate.

7. slice the khaman and keep aside. since i used a concave plate, the dhokla settled down in the center. won’t be the case, if you use a flat plate.

making khaman dhokla in microwave:

1. grease a microwave safe bowl or pan with oil. then add the batter in a greased microwave safe bowl.

2. cover with its lid.

3. microwave on high for 2.5 to 3 minutes. insert a toothpick to check for doneness. if the toothpick comes with the batter, than you have to microwave for some seconds or a minute. again don’t over do the microwave cooking as the khaman dhokla might become hard and dense. when warm or cooled unmould the khaman dhokla on a plate.

tempering the khaman dhokla:

1. in a small pan, heat 2 tbsp oil.

2. add 1 tsp mustard seeds and allow them to crackle.

3. when the mustard seeds are crackling, add the 1 tsp cumin seeds (optional), 8 to 10 curry leaves and to 1 tsp chopped green chili (optional).

4. stir and then add 2 tsp sesame seeds.

5. fry till the sesame seeds change color. don’t brown them.

6. then add ⅓ cup water. be careful while adding water as the mixture sizzles.

7. add 2 tsp sugar.

8. stir and allow the tempering mixture to come to a boil.

9. then pour this tempering mixture evenly on the khaman dhokla and let it seep through the sliced edges.

10. garnish with 2 tbsp chopped coriander seeds and 2 tbsp grated coconut.

11. here’s the microwaved khaman dhokla which has been tempered.

12. serve khaman dhokla straight away or you can store them in an air tight box and then serve later. if serving later, then don’t add coconut. you can also refrigerate them and while serving, just sprinkle some water and heat them in a microwave for few seconds.

khaman dhokla recipe details below:

INGREDIENTS (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

for batter

• 1.5 cups besan/gram flour
• 1 tbsp rava or semolina (optional)
• 3 tsp ginger-green chilies paste, 1 inch ginger + 1 or 2 green chilies crushed in a mortar-pestle
• 2 to 3 pinches of turmeric powder
• a generous pinch of asafoetida
• 2 tsp eno or fruit salt or ½ to ¾ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt or as required
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 cup water or add as required- the amount of water required depends on the quality of gram flour, so add as required to make a thick yet flowing batter.

for tempering:

• 2 tbsp oil
• ⅓ cup water
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (optional)
• 2 tsp white sesame seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaves, about 8 to 10 curry leaves
• green chili, chopped (optional)
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 2 tsp sugar

for garnish:

• 2 tbsp chopped coriander
• 2 tbsp grated coconut

INSTRUCTIONS

preparing the batter:

1. grease a steamer pan with ¼ to ½ tsp oil.
2. take 1.5 cups besan or gram flour in a mixing bowl or pan.
3. add 2 to 3 pinches of turmeric powder, a generous pinch of asafoetida, 1 tsp lime juice and 3 tsp ginger-green chilies paste and salt.
4. 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.
5. stir and then add 1 tbsp rava or sooji.
6. stir to a smooth thick batter without any lumps.
7. the batter should be thick yet flowing. a quick tip is that if the batter become thin, then 1 to 2 tbsp more sooji or rava or besan. also bring to a boil 2 to 3 cups of water in a steamer pan or electric cooker or pressure cooker. the amount of water to be added depends on the size of the steamer or pressure cooker.
8. the ingredient which we use to leaven the dhokla batter is fruit salt. eno is a popular indian brand of fruit salt. you can also use baking soda. however baking soda gives the soapy aroma if used in excess. again both eno and baking soda react with turmeric powder and gives a red tinge or red spots in dhokla. so add little turmeric powder or skip it completely.
9. then add 2 tsp eno or fruit salt.
10. stir briskly and quickly. the fruit salt should be mixed evenly with the batter. or else you get uneven texture in the dhokla.
11. the batter would froth and become bubbly, so you have to be quick.
12. pour the batter in the greased pan.
13. here's the dhokla batter ready to be steamed.

steaming khaman:

1. place the pan in a steamer or electric rice cooker or pressure cooker. the water should already be boiling or hot when you place the pan with the dhokla batter. when using pressure cooker, remove the vent weight/whistle from the lid and cover the cooker tightly with its lid.
2. 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 medium to high flame. here the khaman is ready after 17 minutes.
3. to check the doneness, insert a toothpick and if it comes out clean, the dhokla is done. if the toothpick has the batter on it, then you need to steam for some more time.
4. when the khaman become warm, with a butter knife gently slid along the edges. keep a plate or tray on top of the pan.
5. invert the pan.
6. if greased well, the khaman will easily get inverted on the plate.
7. slice the khaman and keep aside.

microwave method:

1. grease a microwave safe bowl or pan with oil.
2. cover and microwave the batter for 2 minutes on high.
3. check the doneness by inserting a toothpick in the dhokla. if not done, then microwave again on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute. still, if not done, then microwave again for some more seconds
4. remove the dhokla from the pan once warm or cooled.

tempering:

1. in a small pan, heat 2 tbsp oil.
2. add 1 tsp mustard seeds and allow them to crackle.
3. when the mustard seeds are crackling, add the 1 tsp cumin seeds (optional), 8 to 10 curry leaves and ½ to 1 tsp chopped green chili (optional).
4. stir and then add 2 tsp sesame seeds.
5. fry till the sesame seeds change color. don't brown them.
6. then add ⅓ cup water. be careful while adding water as the mixture sizzles.
7. add 2 tsp sugar.
8. stir and allow the tempering mixture to come to a boil.
9. then pour this tempering mixture evenly on the khaman dhokla.
10. garnish with 2 tbsp chopped coriander seeds and 2 tbsp grated coconut.
11. serve straight away or you can store them in an air tight box and then serve later. if serving later, then don't add coconut. you can also refrigerate them and while serving, just sprinkle some water and heat them in a microwave for few seconds.

NOTES

i used plain eno without any flavors.

for making dhokla gluten free, skip the asafoetida and semolina.

Enjoy!