khaman dhokla – microwave recipe

khaman dhokla is a savory steamed cake made from gram flour or chana dal (skinned spilt bengal gram). khaman dhokla are soft, porous, mildly tangy-sweet and a great snack anytime of the day.

gujarati food as well as snacks are mine and hubby’s favorite. thankfully one cuisine is in common between us. otherwise it always a trouble for me what to cook. north indian or south indian recipes. eventually i end up cooking north indian food and the hubby wins.

khaman dhokla is one snack where i have had a couple of disasters. i had almost given up making dhokla when i saw it again on anamika’s blog and the khaman in her pics looked so soft and fluffy….. her simple khaman dhokla recipe inspired me to make dhokla again. i also liked this recipe as it vegan and no curd is used to make the dhokla.

khaman dhokla are a great gluten free option as well. these are really light and healthy. khaman dhokla serve well with some mint or coriander chutney or even raw papaya chutney. i have made moong dal dhokla too which is a completely vegan recipe.

i have made khaman dhokla many times now from her recipe and it has never failed me.

also, i have made these dhokla both with the steaming method and microwave method. the pics here are of both the steamed & microwave versions and taken on separate ocassions.

in the step by step below, i present the microwave method to make khaman dhokla.

in the recipe details, i have mentioned both ways of making the khaman dhokla.

when i am short of time, i make the microwave dhokla. it is super easy and quick. in 5-6 minutes the dhokla is ready and you just have to do the tempering.

since curd is not added to this recipe, the sourness in the batter comes from adding lemon juice. so don’t skip adding lemon juice to the batter. the recipe is also a request from one of my readers.

step by step method for making khaman dhokla:

1: mix all the ingredients for the batter except fruit salt.

2: now add fruit salt and gently mix the batter. the batter will instantly rise as you can see below. you have to be quick but don’t over mix.

3: add the batter in a greased microwave safe bowl.

4: cover with its lid.

5: microwave on high for 2.5 to 3 minutes. insert a toothpick to check for doneness. if the toothpick comes with the batter, than you have to microwave for some seconds or a minute. again don’t over do the microwave cooking as the dhokla might become hard and dense. when warm or cooled unmould the dhokla on a plate.

6: heat oil. first add mustard seeds and let them pop up. the mustard seeds should pop. this is important. then add cumin and fry them. later add the other tempering ingredients except water and fry for a minute. finally add water and let it come to a boil.

7: pour this tempering immediately over the khaman dhokla all around.

8: since we have added water to the tempering the dhokla absorbs the water-oil tempering and this makes it more soft. garnish with coriander leaves. slice and serve the khaman dhokla with some chutney or you can just have them plain.

 khaman dhokla – microwave recipe details below:

khaman dhokla – microwave & vegan recipe

 

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Prep time

4 mins

Cook time

6 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

khaman dhokla – a steamed, spiced, savory gram flour cake.

Author: dassana

Recipe type: snacks, breakfast

Cuisine: indian

Serves: 4

Ingredients

for the dhokla batter

• 2 cups chickpea flour/besan
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp asafoetida/hing
• 1 or 1.5 tsp ginger-green chili paste
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 or 11/4 cup water
• 1 tsp fruit salt/eno

for the tempering:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (optional)
• 1 or 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• ½ cup water
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• ½ tbsp sesame seeds

for garnish:

• ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
• ¼ cup freshly grated coconut (optional)

Instructions

making the batter and steaming in microwave:

1. grease a microwave safe bowl or pan with oil
2. in a bowl or pan mix all the ingredients well except the fruit salt.
3. add the fruit salt and gently mix it in the batter.
4. the batter will rise.
5. be quick and add the batter to the greased microwave safe bowl or pan.
6. cover and microwave the batter for 2 to 3 minutes on high.
7. check the doneness by inserting a toothpick in the dhokla.
8. if not done, then microwave again for some seconds or minutes.
9. remove the dhokla from the pan once warm or cooled.

preparing the tempering:

1. heat oil.
2. add mustard seeds and let these pop.
3. once they pop up, add the cumin seeds.
4. fry for a minute.
5. then add the rest of the ingredients for tempering except water.
6. fry everything for a minute.
7. add the water and once it comes to boil, immediately pour it over the steamed dhokla.
8. garnish with coriander leaves or grated coconut.
9. slice the dhokla and serve with green chutney.

alternative method of steaming the dhokla in a pan:

1. grease a small pan with oil.
2. take a large pan or pot in which the smaller pan can fit.
3. add water in the larger pan and bring it to boil.
4. prepare the batter as given above and add it to the greased small pan.
5. keep it in the large pan containing boiling water.
6. cover the large pan with a lid.
7. steam for 10-12 minutes till the dhokla is done.

3.2.2028