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Khaman Dhokla
4.7 from 9 votes

Khaman Dhokla

Khaman dhokla is a steamed savoury cake made of gram flour/ chickpea flour and is flavoured with spicy and lemony oil. It is a traditional Gujarati dish that is now popular among Pakistani and Indian cuisines.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 5
Calories: 238 kcal
Course: Brunch
Cuisine: Pakistani

Ingredients

For khaman dhokla:
  • ¾ cup gram flour aka besan flour or chickpea flour
  • ¾ teaspoon citric acid
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • ½ salt
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda bicarbonate of soda
  • turmeric powder a pinch
  • asafoetida aka Hing, a pinch
  • ¾ cup of water
For tarka/ tadka:
  • 12 curry leaves
  • ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon sesame seeds
  • 2 green chili diagonally sliced
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • ½ lemon juice
  • ¼ cup water
  • asafoetida optional, a pinch
  • Coriander leaves chopped, fresh, a handful

Instructions

For Khaman Dhokla:
    Cup of Yum
  1. In a mixing bowl, put the gram flour, sugar, citric acid, salt, turmeric powder and Asafoetida. Give a stir until everything is mixed well.
  2. Make a hole in the middle of the flour mixture, and add in ½ cup of water. Then mix the water and the dry ingredients as you press the spoon against the bowl to help dissolve the sugar and citric acid. 
  3. When everything is dissolved, mix in the last ¼ cup of water and stir it well until you get a smooth and thick batter. Set aside and leave it to rest for about 20 minutes.
  4. Heat your steamer, grease the tin with a little bit of oil and put the tin in the steamer to heat up.
  5. When your steamer is hot and ready, and your batter has rested for about 20 minutes, stir in the bicarbonate of soda in the dhokla mixture. Mix the batter carefully and quickly. Make sure all the baking soda has dissolved.
  6. Put the batter in a hot tin and steam it for about 25-30 minutes at medium heat. 
For tarka/ tadka:
  1. Heat the oil with sugar, chilli slices, mustard seeds, sesame seeds, and curry leaves.
  2. When the spices and herbs give aroma, add in the lemon juice and water. Leave to cook for a minute or two.
To assemble:
  1. Using a skewer, pierce the steamed khaman dhokla several times.
  2. Spoon the tarka over the dhokla one at a time until all liquid is absorbed.
  3. Garnish the dhokla with coriander leaves.

Notes

  • Asafoetida that is also called Hing has quite a strong fragrance. I’m personally not very keen and have to be very careful in adding it to the mixture. A tiny of it is more than enough. 
  • When you mix the batter, press the spoon against the bowl so that you can feel the sugar and citric acid granules. The aim is to make all these granules fully dissolved.
  • Put something heavy on top of the steamer lid, to make sure there is no steam coming out of the steamer. I use a stone mortar. 

Nutrition Information

Serving 1g Calories 238kcal (12%) Carbohydrates 29g (10%) Protein 10g (20%) Fat 10g (15%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 8g (47%) Cholesterol 1mg (0%) Sodium 402mg (17%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 9g (18%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 5 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 238

% Daily Value*

Serving 1g
Calories 238kcal 12%
Carbohydrates 29g 10%
Protein 10g 20%
Fat 10g 15%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 8g 47%
Cholesterol 1mg 0%
Sodium 402mg 17%
Fiber 5g 20%
Sugar 9g 18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.