Khaman is a Gujarati steamed savoury snack made with a gram flour batter. It’s finished with a sweet & punchy tempering of mustard seeds and plenty of green chillies. Fair warning, self control goes out of the window!
Note – This recipe has been updated from the archives – first published in September 201o. I’ve added new images and helpful content, the recipe remains the same.
You might be surprised to know that the best khaman I’ve ever eaten out wasn’t in India, but at the Atlantis in Dubai for breakfast! They were so unbelievably spongy that when I took a bite, water literally dripped straight into my lap.
My mum often reminisces about the khaman she used to see piled high in sweet shops in Ahmedabad, and this recipe is the closest match. In fact, it actually came from her neighbour – who overheard the recipe being shared at the sweet shop just downstairs!
Ever since, we’ve stuck to this exact recipe, and it’s never failed us. As you can see from the close ups, the khaman turn out incredibly spongy with those big airy holes (called jalidar ). They’re incredibly delicate and soak up the tempering water just like … a sponge.
Technically speaking, these are called nylon khaman as they’re made with besan.
Khaman are typically Gujarati in flavour – they are savoury with a sweet and tangy taste that comes from the vaghar.
If you even need another reason to love them, khaman are also ready in an instant. This is unlike khatta dhokla or mag ni dal na dhokla that require soaking time and fermentation. I love them for breakfast (worth getting out of bed for) or as part of a Gujarati thali as a farsan.
Use leftover khaman (is that even a thing?!) to make dhokla chaat or sev khamani .
The Ingredients & Notes
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
- Besan – I’ve used fine besan which is the only variety that will work well for this recipe. It may be labelled as fine gram flour too.
- Sugar – balances the tanginess and gives that characteristic sweet-savoury taste.
- Citric acid – needed for tang and sponginess!
- Bicarbonate of soda – essential for the fluffy rise. Make sure yours is fresh — old soda won’t give the same lift. Don’t be tempted to add more than the recipe suggests as you can get an unpleasant bitter taste and red patches.
- Oil – what we’ve learnt from making this recipe over the years is that vegetable oil is by far the best. Heavy oils like olive oil prevent a good fluffy rise.
- Water – use room-temperature water for the batter — chilled water can affect how well it aerates.
For the Tempering:
- Oil – I use a neutral oil such as sunflower oil or vegetable oil.
- Mustard seeds & cumin seeds – mustard is essential for that Gujarati flavour, cumin adds a warm depth.
- Hing (asafoetida) – enhances aroma and digestion.
- Sugar – to give khaman that characteristic sweetness.
- Green chillies – I like to slit them for flavour without overwhelming heat but you can chop if you want extra spice.
- Water – this is what soaks into the khaman and keeps them soft and moist.
Garnishing:
- Coriander – shop style dhokla are incomplete without plenty of chopped coriander
Tips
- You may need more or less water than the recipe suggests – it depends on the besan you use.
- Let the batter (before adding soda) rest for a minimum of 5 minutes up to 15-20 minutes. It gives time for the sugar to dissolve too.
- Do not overfill the batter in the tray to allow for optimal steaming all the way through the cake.
- Cover the lid of your steamer with a clean kitchen towel. This is so condensension doesn’t drop over the cake and steam doesn’t escape.
- Remove the khaman immediately from the steaming pan.
- Allow the khaman cake to cool to room temperature before attempting to remove and slice.
- Keep the cake upside down when puring the vaghar to allow as much of it to soak into the pieces.
- To reheat, I recommend making a hot vaghar and directly pouring over the dhokla.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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Khaman
Equipment
- Steamer
- Stainless steel container or wide and deep plate
Ingredients
Khaman
- 1 ½ cup besan
- 4 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon citric acid
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup water at room temperature
Vaghar
- 3 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds optional
- ½ teaspoon hing
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 5 large green chillies slit
- ¾ cup water
Garnish
- ¼ cup coriander chopped
Instructions
- First sieve the besan using a fine sieve into a large mixing bowl.
- Then add sugar, salt and citric acid. Mix well using a balloon whisk.
- Add water little by little and make a smooth batter and cover the bowl with a plate.
- Leave it aside and allow the khaman batter to rest for at least 5 minutes.
- Whilst the batter is resting prepare the steamer to steam the khaman by boiling the water.
- Grease the container or plate with oil using pastry brush.
- Once again whisk the batter, then add oil and baking soda. To activate the soda add a teaspoon of water or lemon juice.
- Then quickly mix everything, at this stage batter should rise quickly and the colour of the batter should go pale. You will see lots of air and bubbles.
- Do not over mix the batter, pour into the greased plate and place the plate into the steamer.
- Close the lid that has been covered with a clean kitchen towel.
- Steam the khaman for 15 minutes on high flame.
- Once done, remove from the steamer and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Remove from the plate or container, place the khaman upside down on the chopping board.
- Cut into square pieces using a sharp knife. Place them in a wide plate again.
Vaghar
- Heat oil in an another pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and hing.
- Add water, sugar and chillies.
- Bring the water to a boil and then turn off the heat.
- Pour the vaghar water on the cut khaman. Do not pour all the water in once, wait 5-10 minutes then check. If the khaman are dry add more water.
- Allow half an hour for the khaman to absorb the water.
- Sprinkle fresh chopped coriander and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Khaman
Equipment
- Steamer
- Stainless steel container or wide and deep plate
Ingredients
Khaman
- 1 ½ cup besan
- 4 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon citric acid
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup water at room temperature
Vaghar
- 3 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds optional
- ½ teaspoon hing
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 5 large green chillies slit
- ¾ cup water
Garnish
- ¼ cup coriander chopped
Instructions
- First sieve the besan using a fine sieve into a large mixing bowl.
- Then add sugar, salt and citric acid. Mix well using a balloon whisk.
- Add water little by little and make a smooth batter and cover the bowl with a plate.
- Leave it aside and allow the khaman batter to rest for at least 5 minutes.
- Whilst the batter is resting prepare the steamer to steam the khaman by boiling the water.
- Grease the container or plate with oil using pastry brush.
- Once again whisk the batter, then add oil and baking soda. To activate the soda add a teaspoon of water or lemon juice.
- Then quickly mix everything, at this stage batter should rise quickly and the colour of the batter should go pale. You will see lots of air and bubbles.
- Do not over mix the batter, pour into the greased plate and place the plate into the steamer.
- Close the lid that has been covered with a clean kitchen towel.
- Steam the khaman for 15 minutes on high flame.
- Once done, remove from the steamer and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Remove from the plate or container, place the khaman upside down on the chopping board.
- Cut into square pieces using a sharp knife. Place them in a wide plate again.
Vaghar
- Heat oil in an another pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and hing.
- Add water, sugar and chillies.
- Bring the water to a boil and then turn off the heat.
- Pour the vaghar water on the cut khaman. Do not pour all the water in once, wait 5-10 minutes then check. If the khaman are dry add more water.
- Allow half an hour for the khaman to absorb the water.
- Sprinkle fresh chopped coriander and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
These are my Mum’s Bajri na Vada made the authentic Gujarati way. They’re the perfect combination of spicy, sweet and tangy – or as I like to call it – the Gujarati golden ratio! The perfect snack for Sheetla Satam or served with tea, chutney or yogurt.
Note – This recipe has been updated from the archives – first published 9th August 2012. I’ve added new images and helpful content, the recipe remains the same.
If I had to describe these, I’d call them pearl millet and fresh fenugreek fritters. Using bajri no lot is what makes these unique from makai na vada .
The dough is left to ferment overnight and then shaped into vada. As the vada deep fry, they form a pocket of air that is characteristic for this recipe. You know you’ve perfected the technique when the vada are perfectly hollow inside. It’s so satisfying to watch them fry!
The result – slightly sweet and spicy vada that are crispy on the outside and soft inside. Super duper addictive!
They are interchangeably called vada or dhebra. Usually though, dhebra, like my bajra methi dhebra , are made as flat-breads which are pan-fried rather than deep-fried. They are also very different to methi na thepla which again are pan-fried flatbreads!
My go-to for enjoying these vada is with a piping hot cup of masala chai . When my Mum makes these for sheetla satam, she makes other fried food and sweets that don’t spoil easily. Just imagine a large preparation of Gujarati style dahi vada , bhel puri , handvo , dudhi thepla with sweets like sukhdi , churma ladoo with sugar or kuler ladoo .
On Kali Chaudash (which comes before Diwali), these vada are also made. Honestly, we’ll find any reason! There is a custom in Gujarat on this day that you make these vada, along with rice kheer and puri , and place one on each end of a crossroad near your house.
We’ve never done this – there’s never any vada left!!!
Ingredients notes
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
Bajri Flour – also known as millet flour and it’s usually grey in colour.
Makai flour – also known as maize flour. Both fine or coarse varieties will work.
Chapati atta – I have used normal roti flour but you can also use coarse wheat flour (bhakhri no jado lot).
Semolina – optional (if you use jado lot don’t add semolina).
Methi – fresh fenugreek leaves. Do not substitute with kasuri methi as these are not the same ingredient and will give you the wrong taste.
Green chilli ginger – crushed.
Yogurt – plain yogurt which can be either low fat or full fat but it has to be quite sour.
Turmeric powder
Sugar – you may add grated jaggery too – don’t skip totally but you may reduce the amount to suit your taste. If you add jaggery, first mix and dissolve in the yogurt. If you have added more jaggery or sugar than the recipe suggests, the vada will turn out darker, as the sugar caramelises.
Oil – needed for deep frying. I get the best results with vegetable oil or sunflower oil. Heavy oils like olive oil don’t allow the vada to puff up as well.
Tips & Shaping Technique
- Make sure chili and ginger is finely chopped or pureed to prevent holes forming.
- Fermenting the dough overnight softens the dough (no more chewy vada, yay!) and leads to soft and fluffy vada. Do not skip this step and allow the dough to rest for a minimum of 8 hours.
- When frying the vada, allow them to rise or puff up themselves. It takes around 10/20 seconds but you will see them rise. Then flip them around and fry on the other side.
- Sometimes, you may have holes in the vada which prevent them puffing. This could be due to the sesame seeds puncturing the vada and letting the air escape.
- Put only one or two vada in the oil at once to give them enough room.
- Keep the oil temperature consistently on medium-high. If they brown too fast, lower the heat.
Shaping options
- Take a round dough ball and pat down using your fingers into rounds that are 1/2 cm thick.
- Place the dough ball on an even surface with a paper towel or parchment on top. Press down with a flat bottomed bowl or glass until you have achieved an even 1/2 cm thickness.
- Do not shape the vada too thick or too thin. If kept too thick they won’t cook inside, if too thin they won’t puff up.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
Bajri Na vada
Equipment
- Kadai
- Slotted spoon
Ingredients
- 1 cup millet flour bajri no lot
- ¾ cup maize flour makai no lot
- ¾ cup wholewheat flour roti flour
- 3 tablespoon semolina sooji
- 2 tablespoon sesame seeds plus more for rolling
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoon ginger and green chillies crushed/paste
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 5 tablespoon plain yogurt
- 5 tablespoon fenugreek leaves finely chopped
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon oil
Deep Frying
- oil
Instructions
- In a big bowl or plate place all the flours and other ingredients along with 1 tablespoon of oil. Combine well and knead a stiff dough with warm water.
- Cover the dough with a clean cloth and setaside to ferment for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Next day, knead the dough once again for a couple of minutes. The dough should be a little softer.
- Divide the dough into equal size portions.
- Roll them into the sesame seeds.
- Lay a clean kitchen paper, plastic sheet or damp cotton cloth on a worktop.
- Place one ball on the worktop and press down using a flat bottom bowl. Make a disk that is not too thick or thin.
- Heat oil on medium heat, then carefully slip one vada and let it fry. Don’t touch with the spoon until the vada puffs by itself. Once it does, you can turn.
- Once both sides are evenly fried, remove from the heat with a slotted spoon.
- Repeat with the remaining dough.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
