S03 · Snacks · Gujarat and Kathiawad
Khaman Dhokla
Gujarat's spongy steamed besan cake, tempered with mustard seeds and chillies; a soft, light snack that delivers useful protein from besan alone.
- Region
- Gujarat
- Diet
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Time, as written
- Prep 10 min · Cook 20 min · Rest 10 min
- Serves
- 4 (4 pieces, about 110 g, each)
- Difficulty
- Easy–moderate
- Status
- Traditional; sugar reduced
- Good for
- Tea-time, tiffin, guests
Nutrition
Good source| Per serving | kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Sugars | Protein per 100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per serving | 185 | 9 g | 22 g | 7 g | 2 g | 6 g | 5 g | 5.0 g |
Tier: Good source. Contains 15 g sugar for the batch (about 4 g added sugar per serving), against 25–30 g in many recipes. With 75 g hung-curd mint dip: 260 kcal, 13 g protein. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 14 Oct 2026.
Values are estimates calculated from the listed ingredients and quantities (IFCT 2017 and product labels), not laboratory measurements. How the numbers were calculated.
Ingredients
Tempering
Garnish
Method
Set up a steamer with 5 cm of water and bring to a boil. Grease a 20 cm round tin.
Whisk besan, curd, water, ginger-chilli paste, turmeric, sugar, lemon and salt into a smooth, thick batter (like idli batter). Rest 10 minutes.
Just before steaming, add fruit salt and 1 tsp water on top of it; whisk briskly in one direction for 10 seconds. The batter will foam and nearly double.
Pour immediately into the tin. Steam on high 15–18 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Rest 5 minutes and cut into 16 squares.
Heat oil; add mustard seeds, sesame, curry leaves and chillies. Add 80 ml water and 5 g sugar; boil 30 seconds.
Spoon the tempering evenly over the dhokla so it soaks in. Garnish and serve.
Protein optimisation
- Where the protein comes from
- Besan supplies 8 g per serving; curd 0.5 g.
- Boost
- Serve with 75 g hung-curd mint dip (+4 g protein, +70 kcal), or replace 30 g of the besan with 30 g moong dal flour (similar protein, softer crumb).
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional
- Surti-style — sprinkle crushed black pepper and a little red chilli powder before steaming.
- Substitution
- Sour buttermilk (100 ml) in place of curd and water for tang.
- Storage
- 2 days refrigerated; steam 2 minutes to refresh.
- Food safety
- Refrigerate within 2 hours in hot weather.
- Meal prep
- Good.
Allergens
Milk (curd), sesame
Labels: Good source · Quick · Soy-free · Whey-free · Gluten-free* · Meal-prep friendly
Gluten-free* means gluten-free only when certified gluten-free hing is used; most hing contains wheat flour.