Khaman Dhokla Recipe (Instant Gujarati Khaman)

45 degree angle shot of khaman dhokla squares on a white plate garnished with cilantro, curry leaves and the fried curry leaves and spices mixture

4.89 from 84 votes

Khaman Dhokla Recipe (Instant Gujarati Khaman)

This Khaman or Khaman Dhokla recipe makes a wonderfully soft and fluffy, lightly sweet and savory cake that's perfect to enjoy anytime of the day. It's easy to prepare steamed on the stovetop or even in the Instant Pot with my instructions.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Breakfast, Snacks

Cuisine: Gujarati, Indian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 161kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

For khaman batter

1.5 cups gram flour (besan), 180 grams
1 tablespoon rava (semolina) - optional
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 ½ to ¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt or add as required
1.5 tablespoon lemon juice or ⅓ to ½ 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
⅓ cup water
1 teaspoon mustard 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

US Customary - Metric

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 chilies paste, sugar, oil and salt.
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 (semolina).
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 should be mixed evenly with the batter. Or else you get uneven texture in the khaman.
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 should already be boiling or hot when you place the pan with the batter. When using pressure cooker, remove the vent weight/whistle from the lid and cover the cooker tightly with its lid.
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 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 steam for some more time.
When the khaman become lukewarm or cool, then with a butter knife gently slid along the edges. 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 to crackle.
When the mustard seeds are crackling, add the cumin seeds (optional), curry leaves and chopped green chilies (optional).
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 the heat when 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.

Serving Suggestions

The sweet, savory, fluffy cakes pair great with any spicy or sweet Indian chutney.
You can also serve it with your evening chai.

Storing Suggestions

If you plan to serve khaman after a few hours or next day, then I do not recommend to add coconut or coriander leaves. Simply pour the tempering.
Refrigerate the khaman in a covered container. While serving you can warm with a sprinkling of water in a microwave or an oven.
If using the instant pot to warm, then steam for 1 to 2 minutes. While serving add the coconut and coriander leaves.

Video

Notes

Ingredient Notes

Eno: Use the regular plain eno without any flavors.
Gluten-free: For making khaman gluten free, skip the asafoetida and semolina.
Baking soda or Eno: The ingredient which we use to leaven the khaman 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 khaman. So add little turmeric powder or skip it completely.

Recipe Notes

1. Batter consistency

The consistency of the batter is flowing but thick to medium-thick. 1 cup water with 1.5 cups of gram flour, always gives me perfect results, but you can add a few tablespoons of water if your batter looks very thick. A super thick batter will make the khaman hard and dense. A thin batter won’t hold shape and will become a mess.

2. Steaming Methods

You can steam khaman in a pan, stove-top pressure cooker, or in an Instant Pot. I list below in detail on steaming khaman in each.

a) Steaming in a pan or pot

Place a small trivet in a large steaming pan that has enough room to keep the pan with the batter. Pour 2 to 2.5 cups of water. Bring it to a boil.
Place the batter pan as soon you mix with eno. Cover with a lid (not tight fitting) but one that has a vent or will allow some steam to pass through.
Steam for 12 to 15 minutes on medium-high heat. The deeper the pan is in touch with the boiling water, the faster the steaming is. If it is away from the boiling water, the steaming will take a bit more time.

b) Steaming in a stove-top pressure cooker

Place the trivet in a pressure cooker. Add 2 to 2.5 cups water. Heat the water until it begins boiling. Secure the pan tightly between tongs and carefully place it on the trivet.
Remove the whistle (vent weight) from the lid and seal the lid tightly. Steam for 12 to 15 minutes on medium to medium-high heat.

c) Instant Pot Steaming

Pour 2 to 2.5 cups of water in the steel insert of your IP. Place a trivet (not short or long, but kind of in between).
Use the sauté function and let the water get heated up and start simmering.
Using tongs or with oven mitts carefully place the prepared pan with the khaman batter on the trivet. Do not cover with any lid.
Cover and seal IP with its lid and keep the vent position to steam release. Press the steam button and steam on high pressure for 12 to 15 minutes.
Keep a check of the time using a clock or watch as Instant pot does will not beep after the elapsed time and will continue to steam. Let all the pressure release and the valve fall down. Then open the lid carefully.

Nutrition