Snacks & street food · Gujarat

Khaman Dhokla

Soft, spongy steamed gram-flour cake from Gujarat, soaked with a sweet-sour mustard seed and curry leaf tempering.

Prep 15 min · Cook 25 min · Total 40 min · Serves 4

Ingredients

Batter

• 1 ½ cups Besan (gram flour)
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tbsp Ginger-green chilli paste
• 1 pinch Turmeric
• 2 tbsp Lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Oil
• 1 cup Water
• 1 ½ tsp Eno fruit salt

Tempering

• 2 tbsp Oil
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 tsp Sesame seeds
• 1 pinch Asafoetida
• 4 Green chillies, slit
• 2 sprigs Curry leaves
• ½ cup Water
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Lemon juice

Garnish

• 3 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped
• 2 tbsp Fresh coconut, grated

Method

1. Set up the steamer. Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a wide pot or steamer with a stand. Oil a 20 cm round tin or thali.
2. Mix the batter. Whisk the besan, sugar, salt, ginger-chilli paste, turmeric, lemon juice, oil and water until smooth and lump-free, about the thickness of pancake batter.
3. Aerate and steam. Just before steaming, sprinkle the Eno over the batter with 1 tsp water and stir briskly in one direction until it foams and doubles. Pour straight into the tin and steam covered on high until a knife comes out clean.
4. Rest. Lift out the tin and let the dhokla cool slightly, then cut into squares in the tin.
5. Temper. Heat the oil, crackle the mustard seeds, then add the sesame, asafoetida, chillies and curry leaves. Pour in the water with the sugar, bring to a boil and stir in the lemon juice.
6. Soak and serve. Spoon the hot tempering evenly over the dhokla so it soaks in. Scatter coriander and coconut and serve warm or at room temperature with green chutney.

Tips

Don't open the lid in the first 10 minutes and work fast once the Eno goes in. A batter that sits after foaming makes a dense, flat dhokla.