This instant nylon khaman dhokla is an Indian steamed savory chickpea flour cake with a SUPER fluffy interior. It has a balance of spice, sweetness, and tang in both the batter and the tadka lime syrup.
Jump to:
Science behind this recipe
- Instant dhokla fluffs up via an acid-base reaction. This recipe uses citric acid (acid) and baking soda (base) to yield a consistent rise and thus a fluffy dhokla.
- Turmeric has a compound called curcumin which acts as an acid-base indicator when heated. If the dhokla is red or has red spots, then those are the areas where the cake has pockets of baking soda or is too basic.
- In test trials of this recipe, I used lemon juice instead of citric acid; however, it yielded dhoklas that were dense and oftentimes red. This is because the lemon juice did not have enough acidity to yield a strong enough acid-base reaction for a fluffy dhokla, instead yielding a batter that was basic, causing a red dhokla. Therefore DO NOT substitute lemon juice for citric acid in this recipe.
- For a deeper look into the recipe development of this recipe, check out this deep dive on common mistakes and solutions for making dhokla .
Khaman dhokla is a great Gujarati snack to serve with masala chai or at a chai party in conjunction with cucumber-chutney sandwiches. Dip it in spicy cilantro-mint chutney as the perfect sauce pairing.
What is nylon khaman dhokla?
Dhokla is traditionally a fermented chickpea batter cake, while khaman is essentially the same dish made instantly using leaveners like baking soda. However, nowadays, the terms 'khaman' and 'dhokla' are often used interchangeably, especially when referring to the instant version of the dish. The addition of the word 'nylon' typically implies that the interior of the dish is exceptionally spongy and fluffy.
Ingredient insights
- Besan flour or chickpea flour - Besan flour, also known as gram flour, is the name for Indian chickpea flour. It is slightly different from the chickpea flour found in American grocery stores in how it is milled and the variety of chickpea used to create the flour. I prefer besan flour for dhokla because it has a nuttier taste, slight yellowish hue, and is ground finer. However, you can substitute American chickpea flour in this recipe but you will need to add ~2-3 tablespoons of water as it requires more water.
- Sooji (fine) or Semolina - Use the fine variety of sooji, also known as rawa, when making dhokla. I've tested the coarse variety of sooji in this recipe and it yields a denser dhokla texture. American semolina like the Bob's Red Mill variety also works really well as it is ultra fine.
- Citric acid - Citric acid is a white granular ingredient that looks like shiny sugar granules. It is used in this recipe both because it helps create the acid-base reaction and also for its lemon-y and citrusy flavor. DO NOT substitute lemon juice for citric acid in this recipe. I've tested this and lemon juice does not provide enough acid for the batter, yielding a denser cake. Citric acid can be found at Indian stores and certain American grocery stores. Otherwise, you can also buy it online.
- Baking soda - Acts as the basic element for this recipe. Do not substitute baking powder for this because baking powder has both an acid and a base and won't produce the same reaction in the batter!
Besan Flour (Indian Chickpea Flour)
Buy Now →
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → 
Common Dhokla Mistakes and Tips for Solving Them
Learn about the variables that affect making a fluffy dhokla!
Substitutes for citric acid and baking soda
As mentioned earlier, DO NOT substitute lemon juice for citric acid in this recipe. It yields a denser dhokla that is often red because lemon juice often doesn't provide enough acid for this recipe.
However, you can substitute eno in place of BOTH the citric acid and baking soda in this recipe. Eno is an antacid powder often mixed with water but also known as a fruit salt in Indian cooking. Simply swap out the quantity of amount of baking soda + citric acid with the amount of eno needed. For example if the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon citric acid then you would make the recipe with 2 teaspoons of eno.
Make dhokla gluten-free
This nylon dhokla is already vegan but you can make it gluten-free by substituting the semolina in this recipe (¼ cup) with that same quantity of besan flour/chickpea flour instead.
Equipment for steaming khaman dhokla
Dhokla is a steamed cake. Here are my tips on equipment you can use to steam your dhokla:
- Use a trivet for steaming. A trivet is a small tool that sits at the bottom of the pan. The cake pan that contains the dhokla batter will sit on top of the trivet. You will add water into the pan under the trivet which creates steam.
- Use a wide and deep pot/pan with a lid. The pan needs to be wide enough for the cake pan and deep enough to hold water for steam.
- If you are making multiple dhoklas, you can use a bamboo steamer or a tiered steamer for the dhokla.
Buy Now → Storage
Dhokla can be wrapped and stored in the fridge for 1-3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving. Dhokla freezes well if the syrup has not been poured on the cake. It can be thawed from the freezer to the fridge for 8 hours before serving at room temperature.
FAQ
Fine semolina or sooji. Coarse sooji yields a denser dhokla.
Replace the semolina in the recipe with the same amount of besan flour/chickpea flour.
No! In tests, substituting lemon juice did not yield a fluffy dhokla. Instead of citric acid, replace the citric acid AND baking soda with the total equivalent value of eno fruit salt. (ie: 1 teaspoon citric acid + 1 teaspoon baking soda = 2 teaspoons eno)
Dhokla has turmeric which turns red when it interacts with a solution that is basic in PH. If the dhokla has red spots, it indicates that there are pockets of baking soda in the batter that weren't mixed together properly.
Recipes that pair well with dhokla
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Instant Nylon Khaman Dhokla
Product Reccs
Ingredients
Dhokla Batter Ingredients
- 1 cup (120 g) besan flour (Look at notes for substituting American chickpea flour)
- ¼ cup (50 g) fine sooji (semolina) or Bob's Red Mill Semolina
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) citric acid
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida
- 2 teaspoons (12 g) sugar
- ½ teaspoon (4 g) sea salt
- 1 ¼ cup (270 g) water
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) vegetable oil plus more to grease cake pan
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1-2 Thai green chilis finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) baking soda
- store bought or homemade cilantro-mint chutney for serving
Dhokla Syrup Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 10-15 curry leaves
- 2-3 Thai green chilis split in half
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons lime juice approx. 2 tablespoons of juice per lime
- 1 tablespoon dried shredded coconut unsweetened
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix 1 cup (120 g) besan flour , ¼ cup (50 g) fine sooji (semolina) or Bob's Red Mill Semolina, 1 teaspoon (6 g) citric acid, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida, 2 teaspoons (12 g) sugar, and ½ teaspoon (4 g) sea salt.
- Next, add in 1 ¼ cup (270 g) water and 1 tablespoon (14 g) vegetable oil and whisk to create a batter with a similar consistency to a thin pancake batter or paint. If you are using American chickpea flour instead of Indian besan flour, you may need an addition 2-3 tablespoons of water to help loosen the batter.
- Add in 1 teaspoon ginger paste and 1-2 Thai green chilis (finely chopped)and whisk to combine.
- Allow the chickpea batter to rest for 5 minutes to allow the chickpea flour and semolina to hydrate.
- Meanwhile, grease the bottom and sides of an 8 inch x 1 ½ inch cake pan with oil.
- Line the bottom of the cake pan with parchment paper for extra assurance that the dhokla will pop out.
- Set up a steamer by adding a raised trivet along with 2 inches of water into a wide pot with a lid (the pot needs to be able to fit the cake pan).
- To prevent the steam condensation from falling back into the dhokla, you can either cut off a piece of aluminum foil and keep it aside to wrap on top of the cake pan OR tie a kitchen cloth to the lid of the steamer to catch the condensation.
- Bring the water in the pot to a boil.
- Before you add the baking soda in the batter make sure you have completed the above steps so you can move quickly and transfer the cake pan into the steamer!
- Mix 1 teaspoon (6 g) baking soda with equal amounts of water in a small bowl to form a thin slurry. This step breaks down lumps in the baking soda and helps reduce the risk of baking soda clumps forming in the batter which will create red spots in the dhokla.
- Add the baking soda slurry into the batter and whisk vigorously for 30 seconds. The batter should fluff up and expand in size. Even as it starts expanding, don’t stress out and keep whisking to really disperse the baking soda properly. Failing to do so will yield red spots in the dhokla.
- Immediately transfer the batter to the greased cake pan.
- Wrap the cake pan in aluminum foil if you plan on preventing condensation using this method.
- Place the pan in the steamer pot with the water at a low simmer and the heat on medium-low. Cover the pot with a lid and steam the dhokla for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick insert into the center of the dhokla comes out clean.
- While the dhokla is cooking, make the tadka syrup topping. In a medium pan on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
- Add 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds and ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds to the oil and wait for the seeds to start dancing or sputtering in the oil, indicating that they have infused their flavor into the oil.
- Once the mustard seeds start to sputter in the oil, add 10-15 curry leaves, 2-3 Thai green chilis and wait for the curry leaves to sputter, which should happen fairly quickly.
- Turn the stove off and wait for the oil mixture to cool slightly before adding the 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon sugar, and ¼ teaspoon sea salt to the spices. Stir until the sugar dissolves into the water from the residual heat. If needed, turn the stove back on to allow the sugar to dissolve in the mixture.
- Once the sugar is dissolved, add 2 tablespoons lime juice and mix the tadka syrup. Set the tadka syrup aside.
- Carefully flip the dhokla pan onto a serving platter and allow cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Cut the dhokla into small squares and spoon the tadka syrup evenly over the dhokla. It’s best to start with a little syrup and add more as desired to prevent an oversaturated dhokla.
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon dried shredded coconut on top and enjoy with cilantro-mint chutney! Dhokla can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days and brought to room temperature before being enjoyed.
Notes and Tips
- Besan flour is Indian chickpea flour that is made from black chickpeas and is ground finer and has a nuttier taste. If you are substituting American chickpea flour, you will most likely need an additional 2-3 tablespoons of water to get a batter that is thin as paint as it needs more water.
- Do NOT substitute lemon juice for citric acid as it will lead to a dense dhokla that can also be red/orange in color.
- Check out this detailed article that goes over tips and tricks for making dhokla.
- If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, substitute the semolina in the recipe with the same amount of additional besan flour (chickpea flour).
Shri Repp
An easy recipe for spongy dhokla
Fatema Suleyman
My gits khaman dhokla fluffs when it's cooking but when I take out it shrinks n doesn't looks fluffy anymore plz advice
Shri Repp
A couple of things that can help is 1) make sure that the cake is completely cooked as if it is not it won't have the strength to hold up and will deflate and 2) I tend to keep the cake in the steamer for an extra couple of mins after the time goes off to allow it to gradually cool so it doesn't deflate. Hope these two things help!
Sumit
Why not use Yogurt instead of the H20?
Shri Repp
You could try experimenting with yogurt, although I haven't myself! It would definitely add tang to the batter. I think in a traditional dhokla that it is fermented yogurt is a way to kick start the fermentation. The only concern if you are following this recipe and replacing the water with the yogurt is that your ratios may be off - especially if you are using a thick yogurt like greek yogurt/strained yogurt that doesn't have as much liquid. In these cases you may still need to compensate with water to ensure that the batter is thin enough and has enough water so that the semolina can properly hydrate!
shep
What do you think about sumac as a substitute for citric acid?
Shri Repp
Unfortunately, I don't think that it would work because sumac is not acidic enough to create that reaction.
Gomathi Krishnan
Extremely scientific rendering of recipe which I love more than eating the Dhoklas!!!
Shri Repp
I'm so glad you liked the scientific part of this recipe 🙂