Khaman

Khaman

Khaman with mustard seeds, green chillies and coriander leves on top. Served with green and red chutney
Type	Snack
Place of origin	India
Main ingredients	Gram flour, chana dal

Khaman is a food common in the Gujarat state of India made from soaked and freshly ground channa dal or channa flour (also called gram flour or besan). Generally eaten as a snack, it is mostly served with sev, fried chillies and chutney. In some shops it is also served traditionally in a large green leaf. Sometimes it is also garnished with scraped coconut. Khaman, often part of the Gujarati Thali (traditional dish containing various components of a full meal) is very similar to dhokla, in which the batter is made with a mixture of rice and lentil flour, resulting in a distinct texture and taste. Nonetheless, Khaman, Khaman-Dhokla and Dhokla are often used interchangeably and are synonymous with a steamed snack made with a batter composed of lentil flour or a mixture of lentil and rice flours. Although a Gujarati snack, it has become increasingly popular across India, as well as in other regions with a sizable Gujarati community.

The batter is prepared from chana dal (split desi chickpeas). These are roughly ground and mixed into gram flour which is then soaked overnight. The flour should be smooth to touch. The batter is then steamed for 20–25 minutes, and turmeric is added for color and taste. Four–five table spoons of besan is added. Salt, chopped ginger, chillies and baking soda are also added. At the time of preparation of the batter, sugar can also be added if one needs sweet Khaman. Roughly crushed pepper may be added.

Dhokla Khaman is often confused with dhokla, which resembles khaman in size and shape up to a great extent. However, Khaman are softer and light yellow in color while dhokla are generally harder and white or very pale yellow in colour.

Dal Vadas Sometimes it is also confused with Dal Vadas because both have same batters but Khaman is steamed and Dal Vadas are fried. Khaman are cubical. But, Dal Vadas are in a circular - cum - irregular shape. They will be also confused with Dahi Bhallas (or Vadas) which have the same taste as Dal Vadas but are served with thick curd garnished with spices and coriander.