Khaman is probably the most recognized Gujarati appetizer or snack. This moist and delicious savory cake is a must for a Gujarati feast but don’t get it confused with Dhokla. A little bit of pre-planning is needed for this traditional khaman recipe but it’s worth every minute. Try it for your next party or get together!
Ingredients:
Chana Daal – 1 cup
Urad Daal – 1 Tbsp
Yogurt – 1/3 cup
Water – 1/4 cup
Chickpea Flour (Besan) – 1 Tbsp
Salt – 2 tsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/8 tsp
Asafoetida – 1/8 tsp
Green Chili Paste – to taste
Minced Ginger – 2 tsp
Oil – 2 Tbsp
Lemon/Lime Juice – 1 Tbsp
Baking Soda – 1/2 tsp
Seasoning:
Oil – 2 Tbsp
Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
Asafoetida – 1/8 tsp
Green Chilies – to taste, slit
Water – 6 Tbsp
Sugar – 1 Tbsp
Lemon/Lime Juice – 1 Tbsp
Cilantro – chopped for garnishing
Coconut – 1 to 2 Tbsp, grated for garnishing
Method:
1. Combine Chana and Urad Daals, wash well and soak in water overnight (at least 8 hrs).
2. Drain out water and add daals to food processor or blender.
3. Add Yogurt and grind daals into a coarse mixture but not too coarse (If using blender, add 1/4 cup water to help with grinding).
4. Remove mixture into a bowl and add Chickpea Flour, Salt, Turmeric Powder, Asafoetida. If you used a food processor to grind and did not add the 1/4 cup water for grinding, add it now.
5. Mix well, cover and keep in warm place overnight to ferment.
6. Once fermented, add Green Chili Paste, Ginger, Oil and Lemon/Lime Juice. Mix well.
7. Grease a steel dish with a high rim and place it empty in a pot with 1 inch water for steaming. Use another bowl at the bottom of the pot to prop up the dish out of the water. Cover pot and allow the water to come to a boil.
8. When the water starts to steam, add Baking Soda to the batter and mix well in one direction.
9. Remove the empty dish from the pot and pour in batter.
10. Place dish back into the pot, cover and steam for 20 minutes.
11. After 20 minutes, remove Khaman from the pot and leave on counter to cool for 15 minutes.
12. When 5 minutes are left, start on the Seasoning.
13. Heat Oil in a small skillet.
14. Add Mustard Seeds and allow them to pop.
15. Add Asafoetida and Slit Green Chilies. Cook for 1-2 minutes, turn off stove and sprinkle a little salt. Keep aside.
16. In a small bowl, mix 6 Tbsp Water, 1 Tbsp Sugar and 1 Tbsp Lemon/Lime Juice. Keep aside.
17. Grease a sharp knife and cut Khaman into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Remove and arrange pieces on a platter.
18. Mix Water/Sugar/Lemon solution with Green Chili Seasoning and mix well.
19. Drizzle the mixture over the Khaman pieces and allow them to absorb all of the liquid.
20. Garnish with chopped Cilantro Leaves and grated Coconut.
21. Serve with Coriander or Mint Chutney.
Hi
This recipe looks fab !!! Quick question , what chillies do you use ? I know serrano peppers are really hot but the ones that you used are not. Can you please help me with the name of the chillies that you put for garnishing ?
Thanks , you guys are simply awesome !!!!!!
Hi Sheetal,
If you want bulk without the extreme spice, you can use seeded jalapenos. Even after being fried in the oil, they keep their shape and don’t wilt away like some of the smaller chilies.
I notice that you use a standard food processor for this and many of your other recipes that require wet grinding. What do think of a Indian mixie-blender, like the Sumeet Asian Kitchen machine? I notice that a lot of my (South) Indian friends have these monsters in their kitchens.
Hi Jan,
The Indian mixies are wonderful. They really work great to finely grind idli/dosa batter and chutneys. In this particular recipe, we use a food processor because we DO NOT want the batter finely ground. Food processors work great if you want something processed up to a certain point without overdoing it.
Dear Hetal and Anuja,
I have tried many different recipes of khaman and was always disappointed.
Your recipe is a winner, came out just wonderful. Thanks so much for the recipe.
keep up the good work.
Thanks and Regards,
Reena
yeah it awesome
VEREY NICE RECIPE THIS MY FAVORATE
FROM:EKAM FROM CANADA
TO: HETAL AND ANUGA
Nice recipe…!!!
Thanks..
(one little tip- Kadhi patta would give great flavor in Seasoning?)
Thanks Neel, for your tip. Will try it out next time 🙂
VERYYYYYYYYYY TESTY AND YUMMYYYYYYYYYY………..
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
Thanks for sharing this great & easy recipe. I love Khaman & everyone in my home loves it too. This is the first recipe which came out perfect in first trail exactly like we buy in India.
Good job & good wishes.
Bye.
Hi there,
Great reciepe ! Thank you so much !
Could we use ENO instead of Baking soda?
pls. advise !
Thank you ! Lovely reciepes….Keep up the great presentations !
Hi there,
Yes, you can use ENO (which is just baking soda mixed with citric acid). You can use 1 tsp of ENO, but may have to reduce the lemon juice by a bit to compensate for the citric acid in ENO.
Hope that helps 🙂
Thank you so much!
appreciate a lot about the time and seva that you guys are doing online..It is helping a lot of people out there and I pray for you guys that eventhough you are not asking anything in return but God bless both of you and your families !
It is wonderfull to see how you guys are making difficult indian cooking very smooth and easy ! Yes there are lot of ways to learn if anyone really wants to learn but when the sources are availble to teach which really makes the difference. And truely believe that show me the curry is one of those who does makes the difference !
Easy to learn, understand and follow…
appreciate you guys a lot ! please keep up the great seva that you guys are doing!A Perfact Presentation !
Have a great Day !
Hello there,
Thank you so much for the blessings and the compliments 🙂
This was fantastic.
I agree with Hetal and Anuja that grinding the batter and allowing it to ferment is worth every minute of our effort.
I finished all the pieces in one go, it was that yummy.
Thanks Ladies
Hi ladies,
one more hit recipe from you . I tried it and it came out very well.
I just need to know if I can grind the batter in advance (1-2 days) if I plan to make khaman for a week end?
Hi KR,
You can ferment it and then keep it in the refrigerator for a couple of days without any issues 🙂
Enjoy 🙂
thanks!!
Hi,
Tried your khaman. It came out perfect. I had been trying several khaman recipes but with not much success. Your right measurements and procedure helped me make it perfect this time. Thanks! Good job..
Veena.
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
As an Indian student in America, I cannot tell you guys how much your awesome website has helped me. I love your recipes and step by step (idiot-proof) instructions. Here there’s a “tradition in which my american friends bake all sorts of goodies and bring to school and I have been meaning to make something Indian for to take to school and share with them. So, khaman looks lie a good choice. But, can it be served “cold” or doe sit have to be warm/hot? And I will be serving it with tamarind chutney! The thing is that I will be just putting it on a table and people can help themselves all day but if it has to be something served hot, that would be a disaster! Please let me know. And thanks again! 🙂
Hi Jenny,
Thank you for the compliment, love the “idiot-proof” tag 😉
This seems to be a good option because it is best served at room-temperature.
Good Luck and Enjoy 🙂
HAI HETAL ANUJA,
THIS RECIPE WAS AWSOME .THANKS
Hi Hetal, Anuja
Great recipe, needless to say ! I have a question. Is it possible to refrigerate a large quantity of the batter after fermenting overnight so that we could make the khaman at a later time like we do for idli batter ? Thanks.
Surya,
Yes, you can refrigerate the batter. Just be sure you add the baking soda right before steaming.
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I’m a regular visitor of your blog…u guys are really good…I tired this recipe yesterday….It came out so well…my husband just ate like that…he loved it….Thanks so much 🙂
Thanks for the feedback Roopa. So happy you guys enjoyed the khaman!
Which food processor are you using? Where did you get it from? I am waiting for your reply
We have a Black & Decker Power Pro II however, it is pretty old and we’re not sure they carry that model anymore.
I am having a family get together around 35 people and would love to get receipe for Gujarati shrikand….please provide recipe…it will be for my son’s badha in June
HI
If we are making khaman for the next day , should we season it with water as you shown one day before. Kindly reply it.
Thanks
If you make the khaman just one day before, you can go ahead and season it. Over time, it may get soggy, but just one day will be fine.
Hi,
tried the khamman recipe n it tasted awesome.thx for sharing the lovely recipe.
Hi Hetal,Anuja,
Thanks for this wonderful recipe,i made it and its just awsome.I have tried lots of recipes and the all r very good thankyou so much for all ull r doing for us.
I like ur food processer,i want to buy one,is it posiable to show us the uses of what all we can use our food processer for in tip tuesday that will be great as i have heard we can chop veges in it .thanks again and god bless u both takecare.
Hey hetal anuja,
Your recipes always inspire me to try new dishes and they are always a hit in my family.
Regarding this recipe what is the substitute for green chili paste which is easily available or where can i buy in Dallas TX.How much will it cost?
Hi Rakhee,
Green chili paste is just ground up green chilies :). You can use any type of green chili you like. Thai chilies will give you more spice…serano a little less and jalapeno even less.
ohhh i thought you bought it from the market lol my bad. so that means i can ground chilli on my own at home and use it
hi both of u,
i tried this recipe and i want to say that it didn’t come out nice but excellent.thanks a lot for this recipe being away from india i used to miss all the snacks so much but now not much coz of yours recipe.thanks once again.can u plz show the recipe of bhakarwadi really waiting for that.bye.
Hi Sonia,
Thanks for the feedback. We’ll put bhakarwadi on our list.
Which food processor are you using? Where did you get it from?
OMG it looks soooo good. I have never tasted khaman. But the recipe looks complicated for me to make 🙁 so i was wondering is there any way i can steel the plate of khaman from the video.
hiiii
my question is about molten lava cake,,,,,, is it the uncooked mixture that is oozing out from the cake,,,, am little skeptacle to eat uncooked eggs. please reply
thanks
Hi Amulya,
The cake is a little undercooked (which causes the lava). If you are are really worried about it, just cook it longer. The molten lava effect will not be there, but it still tastes great.
Hi Hetal/Anuja,
Thanks for all the wonderful recepies. Would request you to please put up receipe for Surati Sev Khamani. Have been trying to get it since long but couldn’t
Thanks,
Priya
put some biscuits up
say please!!! please 🙂
Hi Anuja and Hetal
This Khamman looks great…. I never knew that khamman and Dhokla are different.
Do you guys have an email id, where I can ask you a couple of questions.
Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Hi Sweta,
If you feel that your questions may benefit others, you can just ask here. If not, you can email us at hetal@34.233.61.50 or anuja@34.233.61.50.
Hi,
I have tried out the recipe, it came out great…I love the taste of Khaman and the real taste of it only came if we make it frm scratch…Its awesome…!!! Thank u for the wonderful recipe…. 🙂
Manju
Hi Manju,
Thanks! Glad the recipe worked for you!
can we steam this batter in the idli moulds as well?
thanks!
Hi SS,
The steaming process is the same as idli so you should be able to do that. They may not look like khaman but it will taste the same. Maybe you can cut the khaman “idli” in 4 pieces.
hello ladies,
1st n foremost, u ladies r lookin very preety in tis video.. :))
& i made this khaman today morning, n it was flawless.. just perfect… m sooooo happy tht i made d perfect khaman.. it tasted like heaven..
thank u sooooooo much for this super easy n perfect recipe..
one can neva go wrong by SMTC’s step by step instructions..
u guys rock!! simply the bestesttttt!! :))))))))))))))
love,
Deepal 🙂
Hi Deepal,
Thanks for the compliments! We’re so glad you had a chance to try the recipe out so soon! Thanks for the feedback.
nice recipe!! authentic one!!
and what a coincidence!! I made khaman in morning only…but using instant recipe!!
keep up the good work!!
please do the dhoklas soon..i really like steamed food!
Hi the food processor that you have used,can i have the brand name as i am looking for one,and also would like to know if it blends idli and dosa batter nicely,thanks in advance.
Hi S,
Our food processor is a Black & Decker, but it’s old and we don’t think this model is available anymore. Food processors are not meant for idli/dosa batter. They do not grind finely. You have to use a blender or mixie (or a stone grinder).
Thank you for this yumm recipe. I want to try it out but I do not have a grinder. Does Magic bullet grind batter like this khaman batter /idli batter/dosa batter?
Please let me know
Hi KR,
We have a small Magic Bullet and it will probably grind batter in small batches. The Khaman batter is not supposed to be as fine as the dosa.
Thanks Hetal. Does Magic bullet help for grinding chutneys and dry ingredients?
Hi KR,
It is good for chutneys but not for dry ingredients. Coffee grinders work really well for dry spice grinding.
Thanks a ton ,Hetal.
Once again, Hetal and Anuja! Thank you for brightening my Saturday with an outstanding recipe so delightfully presented!
hi, can anybody tell me how to store the lemon juice for long period of time. i heard that it can be store like that..
i tried but it not stay fresh for long period for a big batch…
anuja and hetal also can reply….
ty in advance…
It can stored in the Refrigerator for a long time.
Hi Manju,
You can keep it in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Wow! This was my request some time back. It’s great to finally see it. The recipe is different from how my mom makes it, we are definitely going to try this recipe soon. We usually add sugar when we blend the chana dal and don’t add lemon juice.
What is the purpose of adding lemon juice and sugar to the oil at the end and not when blending? Your khaman looks really good so will try your way soon and hopefully get good results.
Thank you.
Hi Pinal,
The purpose of the water in the oil is to “stretch” the oil so that you get more coverage with less oil…making the khaman moist. We add sugar and lemon to the water so that it flavors the khaman rather than bland it out.
Hello Ladies:
WEll, you did it again….one good, yummy recipe…..will be trying this recipe during summer vacation.
P.S.-what are the different ways to use “Idli Rava?”Rizwana
Hi Rizwana,
We only use it for making idli 🙂 But now that you ask, we’ll be on the lookout for other uses.
you can use idly rava for making rice upma but it takes little longer time to cook than semolina
You can make steamed balls out of idli rawa. Takes some time but nice way to use it up. Tastes gr8 with a spicy curry on the side… like fish curry, or a spicy chutney.
Hi Veera,
Sounds great, tell us more about this.
Maybe you can email the recipe to either Hetal or me:
Anuja@ShowMeTheCurry.com
or
Hetal@ShowMeTheCurry.com
Thanx guys! I recently tried khaman but it came out hard,but now iwill try ur version for sure.also thanks for that liquid part u added to the seasoning,(used to get that kind in india from the sweet shop) This is really gonna give that kind of taste!and not something choking ur throat kinda feeling.1 question shud we boil that water and cool it down or is it ok to use a little warm water.Just to avoid raw kind of taste.
Hip Hip hooray to SMTC!
Hi Shalu,
We just used regular tap water and warmed it up in the microwave for a few seconds. For viewers in India, you may have to use boiled water.
Very nice recipe. Thanks. Two questions.
1. Why is it essential to stir the baking soda only in one direction?
2. How about for a variation and to ensure adequate chile distribution, mince your chiles and add them into the batter right before steaming?
Hi Muggs,
We stir in one direction so that the bubbles created by the baking soda do not get disturbed…it ensures a spongy khaman. We already added crushed green chilies in the batter. The ones in the seasoning are “icing on the cake” 🙂
Could you please show us how to make amritsari fish. Thanks for all your work.
Can I serve this with coconut chutney- will the flavours go?
Hi Rashmi,
hmmmm….haven’t tried it with coconut chutney but please let us know if you try it.
Great recipe Hetal and Anuja! Sponginess is the essence of Khaman, and from the close up pics, it looks like this one’s spongyyyy 🙂
Can you show us how to freeze coriander chutney or tips for keeping them for long time in the refrigerator? I always like making such snacks, but never have the patience to make chutney each time!
Thanks! We always make a big batch of coriander chutney and freeze it. If you add a little bit of oil while grinding, it retains it’s nice green color. Freeze in ice cube trays and then pop them out and keep in a freezer ziploc bag. Please see our video for the detailed recipe: https://34.233.61.50/pickles-chutneys/coriander-dhaniya-chutney.html
Hi Ladies,
Nice recipe!!! but you can make this same Khaman by using besan, ofcourse texture will not be same, but on the other hand now a days no one has time first to soak the dal for almost 6 hours and then grind and wait for another 6 hours and then make the Khaman.
The instant version is convenient, but the taste and texture of this one is worth the effort.
hi, what kind of chilis r u using…?
are those regular indian store small spicy chili( called lavngiya marcha in gujarati) or jalapeno peeper?
Gud job 🙂
thanks……
those were the indian store chili,but i don’t think so it was lavngiya it was little bigger then lavngiya.
We used jalapeno peppers. They seem to hold up better when they are sauteed. You could also use Serano peppers.
Thanks a lot for this wonderful recipe…cant wait to try them…
Also request you to post “Muthiya” recipe:)
me too. since long time waiting for ‘muthia’ recipe.
requesting to put in your list plz…
To steam it we can use a steam tondoor instead of toppling a plate in it. 🙂
Hi Sonia,
Excellent idea but many viewers do not have well equipped kitchens 🙂 so we like to offer easy alternatives.
What is steam tondoor?
South Indians steam idlis in it.
hey ! great to know that Khaman and Dhokla are not the same !! yup, they r part f every Gujrati wedding / feast I have visited so far! Thanks for the yummy recipe and m waiting to try this too:)
Hi, does this have the same tangy flavour that regular dhokla has? I tried the sooji dhokla, and although it was very good, it was not very tangy. Also, do you have the regular dhokla recipe on your website? I could not find it. I hope to try this one in the future…and you are right…I see Khaman and dhokla put together as one title all the time. Thanks for letting us know the difference!! Keep up your wonderful work!
Hi Judy,
Dhokla are tangy and Khaman a have sweet/sour flavor to them. You could add additional lemon juice to the sooji dhokla recipe to make them more tangy. We do have traditional dhokla on our list to do at a later time.
Looks so yummy..I am gonna try this very very soon…
Can baking soda be subsituted with Eno ?if yes then wats the quantity needed ?
Hi Bhavika,
Yes, you can use ENO (which is just baking soda mixed with citric acid). You can use 1 tsp of ENO, but may have to reduce the lemon juice by a bit to compensate for the citric acid in ENO.
Hi,
Could I use baking powder instead? I assume baking powder does have baking soda in it already?
Thanks.
Hi Meenakshi,
Baking powder does have baking soda in it but it also has other ingredients to activate it if the recipe has no other acidic ingredient. You would have to use more to compensate for the other ingredients. It also has corn starch so the texture of the khaman may be different.
Thanks Hetal, Will give it a try and see how it works.
My 5 year old is a big fan of showmethecuury and can navigate your site all by herself. She even know which section the recipes come under 🙂
Awww, so sweet! Please say hi to her for us 🙂
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wow! Looks yummy! Hetal’s reaction said it all :->
I didn’t know khaman needed so much oil and about adding water-sugar-lemon mixture at the end! No wonder I never got that great taste!
Its like idli with upma kind of calories :->)
Generally is this made as a breakfast item?
BTW, the tops you guys are wearing are very nice.
Hi R,
Thanks for the compliments! The amount of oil we used in this recipe is far less than what is normally used (imagine that!). Khaman is not generally eaten for breakfast…more like a snack or appetizer with a big fancy feast.