Go Back
–+ servings
Dhokla (Khaman Dhokla) is a soft and fluffy Gujarati recipe for breakfast or snack using besan.
Print Recipe
5 from 13 votes

Dhokla Recipe | Khaman Dhokla

Dhokla or Khaman Dhokla is a soft, spongy, instant steamed dish made using gram or chickpea flour (besan) and a few spices. This savory cake is a popular recipe from Gujarat, India that can be served for breakfast, snack, main course, or side dish for lunch or dinner - almost for any meal.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Snack
Cuisine: gujarati, north indian
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 20
Calories: 91kcal
Author: Kushi

Equipment

  • Pressure cooker

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Besan or Chickpea flour
  • 2 tablespoon Semolina or Fine sooji rava
  • ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
  • 2 teaspoon Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • Juice of 1 lemon or lime
  • 2 tablespoon Vegetable oil or cooking oil
  • 1 tablespoon Ginger paste
  • 2 to 3 Green chilies paste (adjust to taste)
  • 5g Fruit Salt or Eno , 1 sachet
  • 1 cup + ½ cup + 2 tablespoon Water (adjust accordingly)

For tempering Dhokla

  • 1 ½ tablespoon Vegetable oil or cooking oil
  • 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida or Hing
  • 1 sprig Curry leaves
  • 3 to 4 Green chilies , slit
  • 3 tablespoon Sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt
  • ¾ to 1 cup Water

For Garnish

  • Grated coconut as needed
  • Cilantro or Coriander leaves, finely chopped

Instructions

Make Your Steamer Or Pot To Steam The Dhokla Ready (I Have Mentioned 3 Ways To Steam Dhokla, Read The Blog Post Above To Know More)

  • Add water depending on the type of steamer or cooker you are going to use. See the instructions in the blog post.
  • Place steel ring or rack, cover the steamer, and bring it to a rolling boil.
  • We are steaming dhokla for around 20 minutes, so make sure you add enough water to the steamer.
  • Grease the bottom and sides of the cake pan or any steel pan of your choice (whichever fits in your steamer) with oil or use parchment paper if desired.

Make Khaman Dhokla Batter

  • In a bowl, add 1 cup water, sugar, salt, lemon juice, oil, ginger, and green chili, and mix till sugar dissolves. Keep this aside.
    2 tsp Sugar, 1 tsp Salt, Juice of 1 lemon or lime, 2 tbsp Vegetable oil, 1 tbsp Ginger paste, 1 cup + ½ cup + 2 tbsp Water , 2 to 3 Green chilies paste
  • In another bowl, add besan, sooji, and turmeric powder and mix (sieve the flour if needed).
    2 cups Besan, 2 tbsp Semolina, ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
  • Pour the spiced water from above into the flour mixture and mix to form a lump-free batter. The batter may be thick at this point. Add water in 1 tablespoon increments as needed. The batter should be a thick yet free-flowing consistency. I have added another ½ cup of water. Quality and brand of flour and texture matter here. So adjust the water accordingly.
    1 cup + ½ cup + 2 tbsp Water
  • Now beat the batter very well for 1 minute so that everything is well mixed and the batter is lump-free.
  • The batter should coat the back of the spoon well but not be too runny or too thick. If it’s too thick, adjust with water, if it becomes watery, add gram flour and adjust.
  • Once the steamer is ready, when the water is hot or boiling, add Eno and 2 tablespoon of water to the dhokla batter. ENO activates and bubbles up. Once Eno is added, the batter should not rest.
    5g Fruit Salt, 1 cup + ½ cup + 2 tbsp Water
  • At this point quickly mix everything well so that eno is incorporated with the batter. Make sure you whisk the batter and even the sides of the bowl so that the batter is mixed evenly. If you miss this step, you may get dense dhokla in some parts.
  • Pour this batter into the prepared greased pan and smoothen the top.

Steaming The Dhokla

  • Place the pan in the steamer and cover it. I have used a pressure cooker without a whistle. The point here is we want the steam to escape so that the moisture doesn’t accumulate on top of the dhokla. So a steamer with a vent is what we are looking for.
  • Steam this for 20 minutes on medium flame. The time may vary depending on the intensity of the flame and the thickness of the dhokla. The knife inserted at the center should come out clean when cooked through.
  • Switch off the flame and leave this undisturbed for another 5 minutes.

Prepare Tempering For Dhokla

  • Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add hing, curry leaves, green chilies, and saute till curry leaves become crisp.
    1 ½ tbsp Vegetable oil, 1 tsp Mustard seeds, ¼ tsp Asafoetida, 1 sprig Curry leaves, 3 to 4 Green chilies
  • Add sugar, salt, and mix.
    3 tbsp Sugar, ¼ tsp Salt
  • Finally, add 1 cup water and bring it to a rolling boil. Switch off the flame. Make sure the sugar is dissolved completely. Keep this aside.
    ¾ to 1 cup Water

Arranging The Dhokla

  • Remove the dhokla pan from the steamer and let it cool completely. After it cools down, run a knife around the inner edges of the pan to loosen the sides.
  • Keep a plate over the pan and invert the dhokla to the plate.
  • Cut the dhokla into squares or any desired shape.
  • Now pour ½ of the tempering water and give it some time. All the water will be absorbed by dhokla. Then pour the remaining tempering water.
  • Garnish it with freshly grated coconut and coriander leaves. Serve with chutney of your choice and enjoy.
    Grated coconut, Cilantro

Dhokla in Instant Pot

  • Follow the same steps given above to make khaman dhokla batter.
  • Pour 2 to 3 cups of water in the steel insert of your instant pot (IP). Place trivet or ring.
  • Use saute mode, let water get heated up, and start boiling.
  • Place the pan with khaman dhokla batter into the IP. Close the instant pot lid. Set the steam mode on. Steam for 13 to 15 minutes in venting mode. The timer does not work on venting mode, and the instant pot will not beep here, so set an external timer.
  • After the cooking time is done, let this sit for 5 minutes before removing from the IP. Insert a toothpick, and it should come out clean at this point. If not steam for another 2 to 3 minutes.
  • For the tempering: Turn on saute mode of your instant pot. Add oil and mustard seeds. when they splutter, add hing, curry leaves, green chilies, and saute till curry leaves become crisp. Add sugar, salt, and mix. Finally, add 1 cup of water and bring it to a rolling boil. Switch off the IP. Make sure the sugar has dissolved completely. Keep this aside.
  • Follow the same steps given above for Arranging Dhokla.

Notes

  • If fruit salt (Eno) is unavailable, you can use ½ teaspoon of baking soda. Make sure the fruit salt you use is unflavored.
  • Do not add too much Eno or baking soda. This leaves a bitter after taste and spoils the entire dish and effort.
  • The consistency of the batter is the key to making soft and spongy dhokla. A thicker batter will make your dhokla dense, and a thinner batter will make it flat and messy. The batter should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but also flow freely.
  • The amount of water to flour ratio varies with the brand of flour used, its texture (fine or coarse), and weather conditions. So, after forming a thick batter, add water in 1 tablespoon increments to get the batter to the right consistency.
  • To make dhokla gluten-free, skip semolina and asafoetida.
  • If you are looking for smaller dhokla pieces, then reduce the quantity given above for all ingredients by half.

Nutrition

Calories: 91kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 234mg | Potassium: 112mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 31IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg