Its not like I am on a gf diet. A lot of indian meals and snacks just happen to be naturally glutenfree, like these khaman Dhokla. If you are on a gf diet, you would love all the meals from south India and most snacks from Northwest states like Gujarat.
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There are different types of Dhoklas, the instant Khaman with chickpea flour like this one, the fermented one made with whole lentils like chana daal(bengal gram), urad daal(black gram and rice, which are soaked, ground and fermented overnight. The one on this post is the instant version.
Serve these for breakfast or snack.. another nutritious Gameday Snack! You can even make a dhokla sandwich. Put some favorite chutneys and roasted veggies between 2.
Video for Instant dhokla(non vegan version).- uses Eno fruit salt and citric acid like most dhokla recipes.
Chickpea flour along with some other lentil and bean flours is used to make a variety of Gujarati snacks, baked, fried, fermented, steamed. Fafda, Kachori, Kahndvi, Muthiya, Khakra, Khaman dhokla, Handvo and lots more(you dont need to pronounce these to enjoy them:D). You can find some recipes here and on Sanjeev Kapoor’s site here, mostly vegetarian and but easily veganized.
More Snack/breakfast options on my Facebook Snack album here.
Recipe Card
Khaman Dhokla - chickpea flour steamed savory snack cakes
A traditional Indian savory snack
Servings: 4 cakes
Calories: 72kcal
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (30 g) chickpea flour besan
- 1/3 tsp (0.33 tsp) salt
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) raw sugar ground
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) baking powder scant
- pinch of asofetida hing
- generous pinch of turmeric optional, just for a brighter yellow color
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger or 1/2 tsp paste
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) grated green chili
- 3 Tablespoons non dairy yogurt I used SoDelicious plain coconut milk yogurt
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vinegar
- a generous pinch of baking soda
Tempering/Tadka
- 1 tsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 4-5 (4) curry leaves
- pinch of asofetida hing
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon raw sugar
- 1-2 Tablespoons (1 Tablespoons) finely chopped cilantro
- 1 Tablespoon shredded coconut optional
- Sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- Whisk all the dry ingredients of the dhokla well.
- Add in the grated or paste ginger and chili and mix.
- In another bowl, Whisk the yogurt, water and vinegar to remove lumps and combine well.
- Add the yogurt mix into the dry ingredients and mix/whisk to form a lump free flowy, not too watery, batter.
- Add the pinch of baking soda into the dhokla batter when ready to steam, mix well.
- Immediately pour the batter into the parchment lined baking pan and steam it in any way you find comfortable.
- Start up the steamer.
- I usually use my 6 inch round steel pan and steam in a pressure cooker without whistle. But not everyone has a pressure cooker, I used a deep pan(steamer set up) with a well fitting lid, the lid has a hole. I used a non stick 6 by 3 inch baking pan lined with parchment for the dhokla cake.
- This baking pan can be put in any steamer and steamed for 22-24 minutes.
- I filled up the deep pan with water that reached to about 2/3 the height of the baking pan.
- Once the water starts boiling, add the pinch of baking soda into the dhokla batter and mix well.
- Immediately pour the batter into the parchment lined dhokla pan.
- Place dhokla pan in boiling water, cover and steam on high flame for 18-20 minutes.
- Check on the 18 minute mark, a tooth pick from the center should come out almost clean. Cook for another 2-3 minutes and switch off.
- After a minute, Take the dhokla pan out of the steamer pan and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Remove parchment from pan and rest for another 5 minutes before peeling off the parchment. You can also use a greased pan, and using a knife loosen the edges.
- Cut the dhokla into squares or rectangles.
Tempering:
- Heat oil in a small pan on medium heat.
- When hot add the mustard seeds and wait for them to sputter.
- Add in the asofetida(hing) and curry leaves and reduce heat to low. You can add the chopped cilantro now and cook it for a few seconds, or use it uncooked as garnish.
- Add half a teaspoon of chopped green chili(optional)
- In a bowl, mix the lemon juice, water and sugar and add this carefully to the pan.
- Mix well and turn heat off. Pour this over evenly the cut dhokla.
- Garnish with coconut, sesame seeds, cilantro. Serve, with sweet tamarind date chutney or green cilantro mint chutney.
Notes
I used less garnish for the pictures so that you can see the texture and such of the dhokla. Use as much or as little tadka and garnish as you like. We like a good amount of mustard seeds and cilantro and chili, and not as much coconut. If you use a pressure cooker, it will be ready in 15-16 minutes. If you double the recipe, increase the cooking time by a few minutes. Also use 2 pans if making a bigger batch. Smaller and less deep pans will get cooked faster and evenly.
Nutritional values based on one cake
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Khaman Dhokla - chickpea flour steamed savory snack cakes
Amount Per Serving
Calories 72
Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Fat 3g5%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 245mg11%
Potassium 98mg3%
Carbohydrates 8g3%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 40IU1%
Vitamin C 21.9mg27%
Calcium 38mg4%
Iron 0.5mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This dhokla is headed to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays,Ricki’s wellness weekend, Allergy free Wednesdays
Zanna
Is the recipe card correct? I think it should have more than 1/4 cup besan…
Richa
Yup. It makes a the tiny loaf pan. The 5 inch by 2 inch one. Try my other dhokla recipe that makes a regular cake pan worth veganricha.com/?s=dhokla
Zanna
okay! I tried making it in the idli pot – I guess I made dhokli hahaha. I loved it, delicious!
Vegan Richa Support
awesome
Anu
Have you tried fermenting the batter overnight ?
Richa
i havent. the yogurt in the batter might get too tangy. You can ferment it for a few hours and then steam
MV
Hi, I tried this in the Instant Pot using the exact recipe you gave, except I used regular yogurt and not the coconut. 15 minutes in Steam Mode in IP wasn’t enough. Had to steam a little longer. Have you done this in the IP using the same method?
Thank you.
Richa
I havent tried it in IP. In general IP will take a few additional minutes as it is a lower pressure pressure cooker. So add atleast 5 minutes during steaming. Also regular yogurt would be heaver than non dairy which is generally a lighter yogurt so that might add time as well. I havent used dairy yogurt in a while. This recipe is adjusted wih non dairy yogert amounts for the best results which is lighter after testing with different amounts.
Andrea
Hello Richa,
I made this for one of my Vegan friends, however, it retained the strong chickpea smell and taste when it was done. Took about 45mins to steam till done. Not sure where I went wrong. Can you please advise?. The normal dokla’s do not seem to have the typical chickpea smell.
thanks,
Andy
Richa
Hi Andrea, what flour did you use? Besan(gram flour) or chickpea flour? What kind of non dairy yogurt? and did you steam the dhokla? 45 minutes is way too long, which I imagine would dry it out and hence cause the flavor to be stronger.
There are various kinds of dhokla that are yellow or white or made with all besan/chickpea flour or a mix of flours. The yellow khaman dhokla usually uses besan, and is steamed for just 10 to 15 minutes. It has the flavor profile of besan which gets less strong as it sits soaked in the tempering.
Clover Morell
These look delicious! CELIACS BEWARE: Asafoetida (hing) is generally not gluten-free.
Richa
Asafetida(hing) the spice is gluten-free. the hard crystals are cut/ground with a starch or flour which is generally wheat. So ground asafetida can have gluten. It can also be ground with rice flour. So check the label or get the whole asafetida and get it ground at a spice store with a flour or starch of choice.
Jennifer
Is asofetida gluten free? How do you pronounce it?
Jennifer
Is asofetida gluten free? How do you pronounce it?
Richa
Hi Jennifer, Pure asafetida is glutenfree. It is a spice powder. It is also called hing. You can find it in indian stores or on amazon or health stores. Look for pure asafetida. it is usually sold mixed with starches and usually wheat starch. you can also skip it. Its a somewhat garlicky taste, so you can sub it with garlic or onion powder.
Slytherin
Can I use almond or soymilk instead of yogurt?
Richa
you can try with thick non dairy milk. Add a few teaspoons more flour so that the batter is not too thin. Let nme know how it turns out!
Anonymous
can i just use the steamer on a rice cooker? I’m really confused with the instructions it sounds super complicated
Richa
Yes, you can. The cooking time might vary slightly. Try steaming for 25 minutes. The cake should feel dry to touch in the middle when done.
enlustered
Can I just bake this in the oven?
Richa
it will turn out very dry in the oven. The steaming keeps it soft and moist. you can steam it on the stove top in any pan with a lid. I use my regular non stick deep pan and put bread pan in the center and add water till it comes to 2/3 the height of the bread pan.
Hannah
This is so fantastic; I’ve never made anything like it!
Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes
You had me at roasted veggies and chutney – uttering those two words instantly made me wish I had this right this very moment!
Deeps @ Naughty Curry
looks super spongy! i never made it frm scratch, always used gits.. this recipe looks promising 🙂
Cara
You might not be on a gf diet but you surely are becoming a gf expert!
Tiffany
This looks and sounds delicious. I’ve always liked steamed cakes and am developing a fondness for chickpea flour.
Caitlin
it looks so fluffy! yummm..chickpea flour..
Julie
Very delicious n yummy dhokla ..perfect snack!!
Erivum Puliyum
Amber
Thank you for stopping by and sharing on Allergy Free Wednesdays! Check back next week for recipe highlights (including the top 3 reader choice submissions and hostess favorites).
Best,
–AFW Hostesses
Richa
Thank you Amber! Its my pleasure.. you have a great collection of allergy friendly links!
Laura
My husband and I love Indian food. It is our go to place when we eat-out as almost the entire menu is gluten-free. This recipe looks super tasty. You’ve inspired me to bake with chickpea flour more often!
Richa
Thanks Laura.. give it a try.. it works great in savory bakes!
Aarthi
Wow..You have made it perfectly..Totally YUMMY…Love it..Bookmarked..
Aarthi
https://www.yummytummyaarthi.com/
Richa
Thank you Aarthi
Jay
surely delectable ..looks awesome..
Tasty Appetite
Richa
Thanks Jayanthi
dassana | veg recipes of india
what a coincidence…. i just made dhoklas…. waiting for it to cool down…
great shots. in fact i was thinking of how to present it 🙂
Richa
Great minds think alike Dassana!:)
easyfoodsmith
Yum! Dhokla is my favourite way to snack healthy. Your dhokla looks purrfect!
Richa
thank you!
Scissors and Spice
This is my favorite food in the world! I could eat it for every meal!
Richa
that will make you a chickpea:)
Raji
Dhokla looks extremely soft and superb..vegan version sounds good..I usually make ready made dhokla, never tried from scratch though.
Richa
Thanks Raji. Give it a try.. its very simple, you can make it in an idli stand:)
Tessa Domestic Diva
This is calling my name!! I’ve never had anything like this, but I adore Indian food. I picked up a few of Madhur Jaffreys books, and learned some tatsy recipes as a start, this will be next!
Richa
Thank you Tessa. There are a lot of simple as well as long recipe here.. let me know if you need any help!
Vicky
This looks lovely! This is what I ate for the first time a couple of weeks ago at the vegetarian Indian restaurant. I wonder if it would work with a nut flour? I might experiment!
Richa
thanks Vicky.. I havent tried a nut flour.. the other versions usually have semolina or other lentil flours. It might work.. i think coconut or almond flour mixed in with the chickpea flour would work to keep it similar taste wise