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.
- Ingredient Notes
- How to Make Khaman Dhokla
- Anvita’s Hack to Make a Large Batch for a Party
- How to serve Khaman Dhokla Chaat as Party Appetizer
- Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them
- More recipes to try
- Soft & Spongy Khaman Dhokla in 20 minutes
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.
- Sooji / Semolina : to get that perfect jalidar texture, this is a must have.
- 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, sooji, 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]:
- Weeknight Onepot Sambar in 30 minutes
- Andhra Style Peanut Chutney | 3 flavors
- Fail-Proof Instant Rava Dosa (Crispy & Lacy)
- Soft Spongy Idlis using Idli Rava
Equipment
- Wonder Mill Grain Mill
- Instant Pot
- Vinod Idli Dhokla Steamer
- Dhokla Steaming Plates
Ingredients
Milling your own flour
- 2 cups Split Channa Dal or Bengal Lentils
Khaman Dhokla Batter
- 1 cups Besan / Gram Flour
- 2 tablespoon Sooji / Semolina
- 1.5 tablespoon Neutral Oil
- 1 teaspoon Citric acid / Lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Ginger- chilli paste
- 3 tablespoon Sugar
- ½ tablespoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda I prefer this to ENO
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder (optional)
- 1 cup 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 baking soda or fruit salt 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 baking soda or 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
Equipment
- Wonder Mill Grain Mill
- Instant Pot
- Vinod Idli Dhokla Steamer
- Dhokla Steaming Plates
Ingredients
Milling your own flour
- 2 cups Split Channa Dal or Bengal Lentils
Khaman Dhokla Batter
- 1 cups Besan / Gram Flour
- 2 tablespoon Sooji / Semolina
- 1.5 tablespoon Neutral Oil
- 1 teaspoon Citric acid / Lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Ginger- chilli paste
- 3 tablespoon Sugar
- ½ tablespoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda I prefer this to ENO
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder (optional)
- 1 cup 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 baking soda or fruit salt 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 baking soda or 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.
