A traditional western India dish. Dynamic in nature as it can be served and enjoyed at any time of the day!
Khaman Dhokla is a steamed snack made with gram flour (besan) and spices. Topped with flavourful of mustard, green chilies, sesame seeds, hing and curry leaves.
Making the dish consists of 3 parts:
- Preparing the batter
- Steaming the batter
- Tempering the steamed dish
This recipe is healthy as the main ingredient Besan (gram flour) is made of chana dal, therefore making it high on protein. The Dhokla is steamed using very little oil.
The traditional recipe is made by grounding the soaked chana dal which is later allowed to ferment overnight (10-12 hours process). However, sometimes we need to make instant dhokla. We use Eno fruit salt which helps the batter rise immediately and achieve the soft texture and sponginess in much less time.
- Times
- Description
- Image
- Ingredients
- Method
- Notes
- Nutrition
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- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
For Batter:
- 2 cups gram flour (besan)
- 1½ tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp Eno fruit salt/baking soda
- 1 inch crushed ginger
- 2-3 crushed green chilies
- ½ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup curd
- 1 tsp oil
- ½ tsp salt or as per taste
- Pinch of sugar
For Tempering:
- 2 tsp oil
- 10-15 curry leaves
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp sugar
- 4 green chilies, slit lengthwise
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
- 2 tbsp grated fresh coconut (optional)
- ½ cup water
Method
- 1)
Sieve the besan and add all the ingredients for the batter except Eno in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 cup water (or as required) and mix to prepare a smooth batter.
- 2)
Add Eno to the batter and mix in one direction for about 30 sec. You will notice the size of the batter has almost doubled.
- 3)
Now immediately pour the batter into the greased mould that will go in the steamer till half the height so that the batter has space to rise in the steamer.
- 4)
Place the mould in the steamer and steam for about 15-20 minutes over medium flame.
- 5)
After 15 minutes insert a knife or toothpick into the dhokla and if it comes out clean then our dhokla is ready. If it doesn’t, then cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- 6)
When the dhokla is properly cooked, immediately take out the mould from the steamer otherwise the dhokla will flatten.
Let it cool for a few minutes.
- 7)
Cut the fluffy dhokla into small squares or any other shape of your choice!
TEMPERING
- 1)
Heat the oil in a tempering pan.
- 2)
- 3)
When the seeds start to crackle, add the sesame seeds, hing, green chilies, curry leaves and sauté for a few seconds.
- 4)
Add water and sugar to the pan and bring it to a boil. Let it cook for a minute over high flame. (This is an optional step)
- 5)
Pour the tempering over the dhokla and toss gently until each dhokla piece is coated well with the tempering.
- 6)
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and grated coconut. Serve with green coriander chutney.
Notes
- Sieve the besan (gram flour) to aerate the batter so that the dhokla is soft.
- Whisk the dhokla batter well before adding Eno for a soft and spongy texture.
- It is very important to mix the batter in one direction to ensure proper aeration of the batter which gives the dhokla its soft texture. You can also use a hand whisk to mix the batter.
- Steam on a medium flame for about 15-20 minutes or until it is cooked completely.
- Take out the dhokla from the steamer as soon as it is cooked else it will flatten.
- The cooked dhokla should be de-moulded only after cooling down else it will crumble.
- If you add haldi (turmeric powder) to the batter, then add Eno instead of baking soda as baking soda will react with haldi and give orange spots on the surface of the dhokla.
- The water in the steamer should be boiling when you put in the mould with the batter.
