Khaman Dhokla Recipe

Make the BEST Khaman Dhokla that’s soft, fluffy, moist and super delicious. I love treating friends and loved ones with warm homemade snacks & these gorgeous steamed cakes are one of the most appreciated. Whether you are entertaining guests or want to treat yourself with a healthy and protein-packed snack, you got to try this.

Khaman Dhokla is a savory steamed cake made with gram flour (besan), spices, herbs and a leavening agent. It’s finished with a super aromatic tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves and other pantry staples. To add some freshness Dhokla is garnished with grated coconut and fresh coriander leaves.

It is best eaten with a spicy Coriander chutney or/and hot Garlic chutney. If you don’t like coriander leaves, then try this Mint Chutney. You can also quickly transform Khaman Dhokla into a sweet and tangy chaat with a drizzle of date tamarind chutney, green chutney, sev, onions, tomatoes, pomegranate arils and coriander leaves.

About Dhokla

Dhokla is a savory steamed cake from Gujarati Cuisine, a Western Indian state. Traditionally it’s made by grinding soaked dal, later fermented and steamed. It’s somewhat similar to traditional Idli and has a characteristic tangy flavor. No leavening agent is used so it’s not airy, very fluffy or light.

Khaman also known as Khaman Dhokla is a type of dhokla made instantly without fermenting the batter. It differs from the traditional Dhokla in many ways –

• uses gram flour instead of chana dal.
• uses a leavening agent like Eno (fruit salt) or baking soda to rise the batter.
• uses a sour ingredient like citric acid or lemon juice or yogurt to replicate the tanginess which otherwise is got by fermentation.

Due to these adaptations, Khaman Dhokla turns out light, airy and very fluffy. It’s popular all over India in households, chaat houses/ eateries and as a party food.

Ingredients & substitutes

• Besan is gram flour & is made from skinned desi chickpeas. It is different from chickpea flour which is made from kabuli chana/ white chickpeas. Use good quality fresh flour for best flavor and color.
• Semolina/ suji gives a texture to your khaman dhokla & prevents it from collapsing, for various reasons. Use the fine variety and if you eat gluten-free, feel free to omit it and cut down 3 tbsp water mentioned in the recipe.
• Leavening agent – I use unflavored plain Eno that comes in a blue pack or bottle. It is also known as fruit salt, which is a mix of citric acid, sodium bicarbonate & sodium carbonate. It’s used in several Indian dishes like rava idli, bhatura, appam and dhokla to rise batters without leaving an aftertaste. Though it can be substituted with baking soda, you get a better rise with eno.
• Acidic ingredient – Citric acid provides the required tang for khaman dhokla. But it can be substituted with yogurt, lime or lemon juice. I’ve given the quantities for substitutes in the recipe below. However I felt citric acid gives me the best results for a dairy-free option & is storable for few days. Please look for food grade natural non-gmo citric acid.
• Turmeric is used to impart a vibrant color. Too much can leave red spots in your dhokla. Green chili is used for heat and flavor. You may use Indian/ Thai chilies or serrano peppers. Fresh ginger adds a nice aroma to the khaman dhokla.
• Mustard seeds, hing, green chilies and curry leaves in the tempering add aroma. Use gluter-free hing if you eat gluten-free

More Snacks Recipes
Misal Pav
Masala Puri
Handvo Recipe
Ragda Patties
Potato Wedges
Aloo Bhujia

Photo Guide

How to make Khaman Dhokla (with photos)

This recipe makes 4 to 5 servings. (if you want to halve the recipe, use a 5 to 6 inch pan & scale down the quantities from the recipe card).

Preparation

1. Grease a 7 to 8 inch round cake pan or a steel container like your masala dabba. Line with a parchment if using an aluminum pan or nonstick coated pans to prevent metal leaching into the food.

2. To a mixing bowl, add

• 1¼ cup water (300 ml Or if you want you may use 1 cup yogurt + ¼ cup water + 1 tbsp lemon juice & omit citric acid )
• 1 teaspoon natural citric acid (5 grams or 2 tablespoons lemon juice, If you don’t like the tart taste of citric acid you can cut down to ¾ teaspoon)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons oil (30 ml, coconut or peanut)
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger or ¾ tbsp paste
• 2 green chilies deseeded & minced or paste
• 2 tablespoons fine semolina/ suji (20 grams, to omit cut down water by 3 tbsps) & Stir well until the sugar dissolves. 

3. Make sure the citric acid and sugar has dissolved completely. Place a sieve over the mixing bowl. Add 2 cups besan (220 grams) and ¼ teaspoon turmeric.

4. Sieve and mix to a lump free smooth batter.

5. Whisk well for 40 to 60 seconds in one direction (clock-wise or anti-clock).

6. You should have a medium thick, yet free flowing consistency (not very runny & not ribbon consistency. If you are using thick yogurt you may need a few tbsps more water). Cover and rest for 10 mins while you prepare the steamer.

Steam the Dhokla

7. This is the setting inside my 24 cm steamer (same as a idli steamer). Place a long-legged trivet or a rack inside the steamer and pour 3 cups water.

8. When the water begins to boil, add 1½ teaspoons eno (8 grams) or 1 teaspoon baking soda and pour a tablespoon of water to activate.

9. Mix until well combined, thick and frothy. Don’t overdo.

10. Transfer to the greased prepared pan and knock to the counter twice to reduce air bubbles.

11. Steam for 18 mins on a medium to medium high heat (not very high). I used an 8 inch pan and took 18 mins, if you are using 7 inch pan, steam for 20 to 21 mins.

12. When it is done, a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and cool down the pan, on a rack to prevent sweating. Leave to cool down completely.

Tempering

13. In a small pan,

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil (15 ml) on a medium flame
• Add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds.
• When they begin to splutter, add 12 curry leaves (par dry) & 2 slit green chilies (or chopped, omit for kids).  
• When the leaves turn crisp, add 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional) and fry for a minute.

14. Add

• ¼ teaspoon hing /asafoetida – optional
• 1 to 1½ tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• Pour 1½ cups water (360 ml)

15. Bring to a rolling boil to dissolve the sugar. Turn off and cool down to warm.

16. When the khaman cools completely, remove the parchment. If you don’t use parchment, run a knife across the sides/edges of the khaman to loosen it from the pan. (very important)

17. Place a plate on the pan and invert the cake pan gently to unmold khaman dhokla.

18. Remove the parchment.

19. Slice to 16 squares/portions and spoon the floating spices all over. Lastly pour the water all over, reserving a little (¼ cup) for later if you want to top while serving.

20. Garnish with 1 to 2 tablespoons grated coconut and 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves, both optional.

Serve khaman dhokla with Coriander Chutney or Red Garlic Chutney.

Storage & Reheating

• Room Temperature: Khaman keeps good (covered) for 4 hours at room temperature due to the citric acid working as a preservative. If you feel it has become dry during this time, you may pour the reserved tempering water or make a fresh tempering with little more water and pour just before serving.
• To refrigerate:  Keep the cooled dhokla (without coconut) in an air tight container and use up within 4 days. To reheat, steam again in a steamer or a cooker until very hot. My favorite way is to place the bowl uncovered in the Instant pot and pressure cook for 2 mins.
• Steaming dhokla after refrigerating will make it super soft and spongy without ruining the texture.
• Freezing: You can freeze for a month in an air tight container or zip lock bag. Defrost overnight or longer in the refrigerator and steam them until very hot.

Expert Tips

• Pan Size: It is ideal to use a 7 to 8 inch round or square cake pan or a steel container/box for this recipe. If you intend to use any other size, adjust the steaming time. To use a 5 or 6 inch pan, halve the recipe.
• Pan Type: Khaman will release easily in a regular bare aluminum, steel or non-stick cake pan. However I use parchment while using an aluminum pan, for easy cleanup and to prevent the batter reacting with the pan. You can also use a removable cake pan or a spring foam if you want.
• Consistency of batter (before adding eno/baking soda) is the key to make a proper spongy dhokla. Ideally it should not be too thick and not too thin/ runny. It has to be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and thin enough that it doesn’t have a ribbon consistency. Thicker batter will result in a dense and crumbly dhokla.

Older version

To get the older version of this, simply halve the recipe – cut down the serving size to 2 in the recipe card. The previous version had 15 grams extra besan (125 grams) + 2 tbsps water (30 ml). The amount of citric acid got rounded out to ½ from ⅓ tsp. The current recipe produces the same result as the previous with an extra tart taste.

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