Gujarati Khaman Dhokla Recipe

• Pour water into a bowl. Add ginger paste, green chili paste, salt, sugar, oil, and lemon juice or citric acid.
• Mix all the ingredients and stir well until the sugar dissolves. Keep this aside.
• Place a sieve over a large mixing bowl. Add besan and turmeric to it. Sieve them well. To the same bowl, add semolina & give a good mix.
• Pour the spiced water we made at step 2. Mix well with a whisk to a lump-free batter.
• Batter will be thick at this stage. Pour more water (about 4 to 5 tbsps) as needed to make a free-flowing yet slightly thick batter. The quantity of water to use depends on the texture of flour as well.
• Beat the batter very well in one direction (clockwise or anti-clockwise) with your whisk for exactly 50 to 60 seconds.
• Batter has to be neither too thick nor too runny. To check the consistency of the dhokla batter, dip a spoon. It has to be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon yet should not be of a ribbon consistency. (Check the step-by-step pictures). Keep this aside and prepare the steamer.

Steaming Dhokla

• Pour 2½ to 3½ cups water into a pot or a steamer. Place a steel rack or a ring or a long-legged trivet. Cover and bring the water to a rolling boil. (I pour about 4 cups as I use a large pot)
• Meanwhile, grease a 5 inch pan or container with ½ to 1 teaspoon oil. Grease the sides as well.
• When you see the water in the steamer is about to come to a boil, then add Eno (fruit salt) and pour 1 tablespoon water into the dhokla batter. You will see the eno activates and froths up.
• Quickly mix everything well to incorporate it. As you mix, the khaman dhokla batter begins to thicken and turn light. Run the whisk around the bowl including the sides to mix it evenly.
• Immediately pour this into the greased pan. Even out the top with the whisk. Quickly place it in the steamer and cover it.
• Steam it for 20 mins on a moderately high flame. It has to be steamed constantly for 20 mins. Once done, a knife inserted in the center should come out clean. Turn off the stove and leave it covered in the pot for another 5 mins.

Tempering Khaman Dhokla

• Pour oil to a tadka pan and heat it. Add mustard seeds. When they begin to crackle, add curry leaves and sliced green chilies. Saute for a while until the curry leaves turn crisp.
• Add hing, sugar, and salt. Pour water. Bring it to a rolling boil and turn it off. Stir a few times to dissolve the sugar. Cover this and leave it to cool down a bit.
• Remove the dhokla pan from the steamer and cool it completely. After it cools down, use a knife to loosen the sides if needed.
• Keep a plate over the pan and invert the dhokla to the plate. Ensure the dhokla has cooled completely before removing it. Cut to squares.
• Spread the spices all over the khaman dhokla. First, pour half a cup of the tempering water and wait for a while. Then pour the rest. All of the water will be absorbed by the dhokla.
• Cool completely. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds along with fresh coconut & finely chopped coriander leaves. Serve dhokla with green chutney or red garlic chutney.