Love soft, spongy dhokla? This Khaman Dhokla recipe shows you exactly how I make it fluffy every time in just 20 minutes, plus how to scale it up for a party and turn it into a crowd-favorite dhokla chaat appetizer!
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Growing up around many Gujrati friends in Mumbai and being married to a Gujrati, fall in love with Khaman was very natural. My MIL taught me how to make the fluffiest Khaman, so I often make it now.
Infact in this post I am showing you not only how I make Khaman for a large crowd in just one batch but also how I give the traditional Khaman a twist by converting it into a chaat appetizer at my parties.
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Ingredient Notes
This is just a gist of the ingredients. See recipe card for quantities.
- Besan / Gram Flour : Often times when I want to make Khaman Dhokla I have realized I have run out of Besan, so I get my WonderMill Grain Mill out and make my own besan using Channa Dal. Ofcourse this is optional if you have besan handy. I have realized when the besan is stale, the Khaman isn't fluffy enough.
- Oil : I recommend using a neutral flavor oil like sunflower oil. I tried making this with olive oil and I don't think the two of them work well together.
- Fruit Salt or Soda : This is what makes the dhokla fluffy. Make sure your Eno or Soda are not to old or else it won't create the necessary reaction. More details in Common Mistakes & How to fix them,
- You will also need, ginger, green chillies, lemon juice, fresh cilantro and optionally shredded coconut.
How to Make Khaman Dhokla
See recipe card for quantities.
- Fresh Besan (optional): If making fresh besan, mill your channa dal in your grain mill.
- Make the Batter : Before your start mixing the ingredients, pour hot water in the steamer or Insant Pot. Mix besan, ginger, chilies, turmeric, sugar, salt, lemon juice, oil, and water into a smooth batter.
- Add Leavening : Add Eno fruit salt or baking soda right before steaming and mix gently. Don't overmix it, just until you have incorporated it into the batter.
- Grease Pan & Pour Batter : Grease the steaming container and pour the batter evenly.
- Steam Dhokla : Once the steamer or the water in the Instant Pot is heated, place a trivet followed by the pan. Close the lid, seal the vent and pressure cook on normal for 15 minutes until a knife inserted comes out clean.
- Cool the Khaman : Remove the Khaman and let it cool for 10 minutes. For a moist Khaman, sprinkle ¼ cup of water on Khaman.
- Temper the Khaman : Heat oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, and chilies for tempering. Pour tempering over dhokla, and garnish with chopped cilantro and grated coconut.
- Serve : Cut dhokla into pieces and serve warm or at room temperature.
Anvita's Hack to Make a Large Batch for a Party
I use my Idli steamer which can make 30 Idlis in one time and pour the batter into the Idli plates and steam for 15 minutes.
How to serve Khaman Dhokla Chaat as Party Appetizer
- Flavor the Yogurt: Water down the yogurt to a thick but running consistency. Mix yogurt with sugar, roasted cumin powder, and kala namak.
- Plating: For individual servings, place two pieces on a plate or for a large platter arrange all the khaman on a large platter.
- Assembling: For individual servings, pour a ladle of the flavored yogurt on the pieces and for a platter pour it all evenly over the dhokla.
- Add Chutneys: Drizzle green chutney and sweet chutney on top.
- Garnish: Sprinkle sev, pomegranate arils, and chopped cilantro.
Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them
Over the years I have made several mistakes while making this recipe and have leant the following
| Mistake | Problem Caused | How to Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Not preheating steamer | Dhokla cooks unevenly or takes too long | Always preheat the steamer before adding batter |
| Adding too much water | Batter too thin; dhokla is soggy | Measure water carefully for thick batter |
| Using stale Eno or baking soda | Poor rise, dense, flat texture | Use fresh Eno or baking soda |
| Overmixing after adding ENO or baking soda | Dhokla will be less fully as the bubbles are lost | Mix ENO gently, do not whisk vigorously |
| Not cooling the Dhokla | Breaking or sticking to the mold | Allow the Khaman to cool for 10 mins. Trust the process |
| Not balancing the sweet and tangy taste | Khaman doesn't taste good | Do not skip the lemon juice and sugar |
More recipes to try
These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:
Soft & Spongy Khaman Dhokla in 20 minutes
Love soft, spongy dhokla? This Khaman Dhokla recipe shows you exactly how I make it fluffy every time in just 20 minutes, plus how to scale it up for a party and turn it into a crowd-favorite dhokla chaat appetizer!
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Servings:
servingsCalories:
546kcal
Ingredients
Milling your own flour
Khaman Dhokla Batter
- 2 cups Besan / Gram Flour
- 2 tablespoon Sooji / Semolina
- 2 tablespoon Neutral Oil
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon Ginger- chilli paste
- 2 teaspoon Sugar
- 2 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon ENO or 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1.5 cups Water add gradually
Tempering
- 4 tablespoon Oil
- 2 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon Urad dal
- 4 Green chillies halved (optional)
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
Garnishing
- 1 tablespoon Grated coconut optional
- Cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Fresh Besan (optional): If making fresh besan, mill your channa dal in your grain mill.
Steaming Khaman
- Make the Batter : Before your start mixing the ingredients, pour hot water in the steamer or Insant Pot. Mix besan, sooji, ginger, chilies, turmeric, sugar, salt, lemon juice, oil, and water into a smooth batter.The batter should be the consistency of a pancake batter.
- Add Leavening : Add Eno fruit salt or baking soda right before steaming and mix gently until you see bubbles. Don't overmix it, just until you have incorporated it into the batter.
- Grease Pan & Pour Batter : Grease the steaming container and pour the batter evenly.
- Steam Dhokla : Once the steamer or the water in the Instant Pot is heated, place a trivet followed by the pan. Close the lid, seal the vent and pressure cook on normal for 15 minutes until a knife inserted comes out clean.
- Cool the Khaman : Remove the Khaman and let it cool for 10 minutes. For a moist Khaman, sprinkle ¼ cup of water on Khaman.
- Temper the Khaman : Heat oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, and chilies for tempering. Pour tempering over dhokla, and garnish with chopped cilantro and grated coconut.
- Serve : Cut dhokla into pieces and serve warm or at room temperature.
Microwaving Khaman Dhokla
- Place individual container in the microwave.
- Set cook time to 8 minutes at power level 6
Baking Khaman Dhokla in a large tray
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F / 220ºcelcius.
- Place container in over and bake for 15 minutes.
- Run a toothpick test to make sure it comes clean before tempering
Video
Notes
Tips to make soft spongy Khaman Dhokla
- Once you add the Eno fruit salt, do not over whisk the batter. stop when the batter starts getting bubbly.
- Don't let the batter sit for long after adding the fruit salt. Immediately start the steaming process.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servings | Calories: 546kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 679mg | Potassium: 280mg | Fiber: 27g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 36IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 180mg | Iron: 5mg
Pamela Whistley says
Tried this last night and it was really good. I used basil leaves for the curry leaves and did not have urad dal which I'm not sure how to use and added some chipotle seasoning to the tempering. So very good!
Anvita says
We are so glad to hear that Pamela ❤️ Thanks for taking your time to share your feedback with us! Chipotle seasoning sounds very tempting..I might try it myself ❤️
xoxo
Shweta says
In IP on steam mode vent close or open?
Anvita says
Shweta, cover the lid and seal the vent please
Vina says
What is fruit salt? Can u use regular salt if you don't have baking soda?
TheBellyRulesTheMind says
Vina, a popular brand of fruit salt is Eno,available at any Indian grocery store. Baking soda is what you will find in the local stores. They are both do the same job and act as raising agents.
Seema says
Store bought besan ok or this fluffy khamman is made only using home milled besan
Anvita says
Hi Seema, You can definitely use store bought Besan.Hope you try this khaman recipe 🙂
Aaradhana says
Hey. Great recipe. Would love to try it. Could you tell me the process to be followed in a regular pressure cooker? I don’t have an IP. Thank you. ?
Anvita says
Everything remains the same, just like how you would make idlis. Same timing.
TheBellyRulesTheMind says
Aradhana, Sorry for the late reply.
Follow the same process of steaming like an IP, just steam in a pressure cooker for upto 12 minutes.
Meenu says
Can you suggest salt and turmeric proportions
Anvita says
Hi meenu, it's 1tsp salt and 1/2 tsp turmeric powder.
Ankita says
The lemon and turmeric turned my dhokla red. Every other recipe on the net calls for adding either of those two. Also it wasn't spongy. would recommend resting the batter for an hour to let it ferment.
TheBellyRulesTheMind says
Ankita,
yes the red color is from the reaction of turmeric with acid. Sometimes it also depends on the quality of the ingredients. Also don't put the two on top of each other instead when you throw them into the batter, throw them in separate places. It wasn't spongy cos the reaction didn't take place correctly or if u didn't add the right amount of water. Since this is an Instant Khaman Dhokla Recipe, the batter doesn't need to rest for long.
poonamchuri says
Waaw it looks so perfectly soft and spongy. How did you cut dhokala so beautifully. I mean which knife did you use for this?
TheBellyRulesTheMind says
I used a knife that I buy from India.
Felvira says
For steam in instapot do you keep the valve in venting or sealing?
Anvita says
Hi Felvira, we keep the vent open when on steam mode.
Prabpreet Kaur says
hi ! I have the small instant pot and have a 4.5 inch pan that would fit in the instant pot. I'm planning to cut recipe in half but any recommendations for time in instant pot? Really want to make this recipe.
Anvita says
The time won’t change everything else remains the same
manisha says
don't we need steaming while baking in the oven?
Samskruthi Katta says
I tried it somehow my Dhokla did not come pluffy.
I used eno instead of fruit salt.
Taste is okay but it’s kind of hard..
I used IP to make it.
Not sure what mistake I did
Heather says
Hi!! I don’t have besan or gram flour in the house and would prefer not to venture out for it. Can it be substituted in, or is it best to wait for the correct flour?
Soniya Saluja says
Hi Heather, please save the recipe and wait till you get the flour.. I promise it would be worth it
Saloni Acharya says
Had microwaved the dhokla.. It came out really yummy.. Ty for the recipe
Mona says
As a Gujarati,I think this recipe is khaman. Dhokala is made off of rice, Toor daal and Chana daal. You soak all three together and then grind, ferment and steam cook.
gunjan says
It dint turn out fluffy..
Vinita says
Mine turn out the same way ??
sonia says
Hello Soniya & Anvita, the dhokla is looking amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Tara says
I just made this... it's very dry, very plain, actually one of the worst things I've made... my friend made this for me and this is nothing like hers. I threw it all out.