Khaman Dhokla Recipe — Khaman Recipe — Alfa Foods

This recipe for Khaman Dhokla creates a deliciously soft and fluffy cake that is mildly sweet and flavorful and is ideal for any time of day. With my detailed photographs, video, and instructions, making Khaman dish cooked on the stovetop or even in the Instant Pot is simple.

Describe Khaman

Khaman is a well-liked Gujarati delicacy that is also known as khaman dhokla in other Indian states.
A straightforward mixture of gramme flour (besan), spices, and herbs gives it a light, spongy texture and a hint of delicious savoury flavour. Grinded black chickpeas are what is used to make gramme flour.

A nutritious savory-sweet snack that is also vegan is called khaman. Additionally, if you omit the semolina and asafoetida from the batter, you may make it gluten-free. Khaman is often referred to as besan dhokla or yellow dhokla because of its yellow tint. Instant khaman is another name for it.

I either use an Instant Pot or a pan to steam the khaman dhokla that I make. They are ideal as a filling afternoon or evening snack or as a robust and delicious breakfast.

Also, take ideas from our previous blog on: What is Makhana (Fox Nuts) and Where Does it Come From?

Dhokla and Khaman Dhokla differ from one another.

Although khaman is sometimes mistaken for khaman dhokla, khaman is really produced differently from dhokla. A ground, fermented batter of rice and lentils like chana dal or urad dal is used to make dhokla. For a real Dhokla made with rice and chana dal, see my recipe.

While using gramme flour, the khaman dish can be prepared quickly. Unlike dhokla batter, khaman batter does not undergo fermentation.

Dhokla has a wonderfully deep, flavorful flavour because to fermentation, but khaman also tastes fantastic. Dhoklas come in a variety of colours, from cream to light yellow or yellow, while khamans are always brilliant yellow in colour.

Ingredients

You can use any combination of two of the three leavening ingredients to make the khaman dhokla dish soft and fluffy. These ingredients, which include fruit salt, baking soda, and citric acid, will be discussed in greater detail below.

Eno (Fruit Salt)

In order to achieve a light and fluffy texture, I add fruit salt as a leavening agent in this khaman recipe. Eno is a well-known brand of fruit salt used in India to treat acid reflux and heartburn.

Citric acid, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), and sodium carbonate make up fruit salt. When introduced to water, the effervescent salts sodium bicarbonate and sodium carbonate bubble and emit carbon dioxide.

Eno or baking soda

Baking soda can also be used to manufacture khaman. But if used in excess, baking soda emits a soapy smell, so be careful not to add too much.
While the khaman made with baking soda is not as puffy or spongy as the one made with Eno, it is perfectly soft and fluffy.

Since it produces the best results, I personally like to use eno in the khaman recipe. In comparison to the khaman dhokla dish produced with eno, baking soda does not have the same airy or spongy feel, and we cannot abide the soapy odour.

Utilize fresh eno that is still within its shelf life. Khaman will have a flat, thick texture if your eno is not active or fresh. Additionally, avoid using flavoured eno; plain eno that lacks flavour works best. Eno and baking soda both react with the turmeric powder, giving the khaman dhokla a red tint or red dots. So either add a little turmeric powder or omit it altogether.

Citric acid or lemon juice

Both lemon juice and citric acid have been used in my preparation of the khaman dhokla dish. An excellent fluffy texture is provided by citric acid. Although lemon juice also works well, citric acid comes out on top. Use whatever is readily available to you after that. Use the following ratio of citric acid to lemon juice to replace it:
Lemon juice equals 1/4 tsp citric acid per tablespoon (in the powdered form) Use pure, food-grade citric acid for your citric acid needs. I also advise adding lemon juice that has just been squeezed. Apply a fresh lemon.

Recipe for Khaman Dhokla: Instructions

Setup Pan

1. Add two to three teaspoons of oil to a steamer pan. circular pan with oil grease

Prepare Batter

2. Take 1.5 cups gramme flour (120 grammes besan) in a mixing bowl or pan. Use fine-textured gramme flour wherever possible.

3. Add the next three components:

• Turmeric powder, 2 to 3 pinches
• a healthy dose of asafoetida (skip to make a gluten-free version)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons of pure citric acid, or 1.5 tablespoons of lemon or lime juice
• ginger paste, 1.5 tablespoons (crush 1.5 inch ginger and 1.5 teaspoons green chilies in a mortar-pestle)
• Green chile paste, 1.5 tablespoons
• 1 tablespoon sugar, or more as desired
• 1 teaspoon salt, or more as desired

Avoid using too much turmeric powder because this can cause the khaman to have crimson specks, spots, or tones because the fruit salt or baking soda will react with the turmeric powder and turn it red.

4. To create a thick but fluid batter, add 1 cup water (or more or less as needed) and 1 tablespoon oil. Start with 1 cup and add more as necessary because the amount of water required will depend on the quality of the flour. To blend, thoroughly stir.

5. Add 1 tablespoon of rava next (semolina). Although completely optional, this gives the khaman a nice texture. If you prefer a gluten-free alternative, omit rava or semolina.

6. Use a whisk to blend ingredients into a thick, lump-free batter.

7. The batter’s consistency should be thick but pour easily from the whisk. A fast trick is to add 1 to 2 teaspoons of gramme flour if the batter becomes thin.

Then, in a pressure cooker, electric cooker, or steamer pan, bring 2 to 2.5 cups of water to a boil. The size of the steamer or pressure cooker determines how much water needs to be supplied.

NOTE: Please read the tips section below to learn more about steaming in a pan, cooker, and Instant Pot in detail.

Also, take ideas from our previous blog on: The Best Banana Chips Brand in 2022: A Complete Buying Guide For You

Bake a leavened khaman

9. After that, add 2 teaspoons of fruit salt or Eno. The khaman becomes soft and fluffy when 2 tablespoons of Eno are added. Eno does, however, have a little alkaline flavour.

Add only 1.5 tablespoons of Eno if you don’t like this flavour. Add 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoons if you’re using baking soda as your leavening agent.

Khaman Dhokla being steamed

• Put the pan in a pressure cooker, rice cooker, or steamer. When you place the pan with the batter in the water, it should already be boiling or extremely hot. When using a pressure cooker, take the vent weight or whistle off the lid and tightly cover the pot.
• 15 to 20 minutes of steaming in an electric cooker. On a medium to high heat, steam for 12 to 15 minutes if using a pan or pressure cooker.
• Insert a toothpick to determine whether something is finished; if it comes out clean, the khaman is. You need to steam for longer if the toothpick still has batter on it.
• When the khaman cools or becomes lukewarm, carefully run a butter knife along the edges. Placing a plate or tray over the pan is a good idea.
• Flip the pan over. The khaman will invert on the plate with ease if it is sufficiently oiled. Slice, then set aside.

Adjusting Dhokla

• Oil is heated in a small pan.
• Add the mustard seeds and watch them pop open.
• Add the cumin seeds (optional), curry leaves, and chopped green chilies when the mustard seeds begin to pop (optional).
• Sesame seeds are added after stirring.
• Sesame seeds should be briefly fried, but not browned.
• Add water next. Water should be added slowly since the mixture will sizzle. When adding water, the heat can be turned off.
• Put sugar in. Stirring while waiting for the tempering mixture to boil. Verify that the water has dissolved the sugar.
• After that, evenly pour this tempering mixture over the sliced and steam-cooked khaman.
• Add shredded coconut and chopped coriander seeds as garnish.
• Khaman dhokla can be served immediately or you can store them in an airtight box and serve them later, after a few minutes or an hour.
• Do not add coconut and coriander leaves as a garnish if serving khaman after several hours.

Suggestions for Serving

1. The fluffy, sweet, savoury cakes go well with any sweet or sour Indian chutney.
2. Additionally, you might serve it with your evening chai.

Suggestions for Storing

• I do not suggest adding coconut or coriander leaves if you intend to serve khaman later or the following day. Pour the tempering simply.
• Khaman should be kept cold in a covered container. In the microwave or oven, reheat while serving with a sprinkle of water.
• Steam for one to two minutes if using the instant pot to warm food. Add the coconut and coriander leaves just before serving.

Also, take ideas from our previous blog on: Kara Boondi — Boondi Recipe — Spicy Boondi Mixture