Where it comes from
Gujarat's answer to the afternoon: steamed rather than fried, sweet against sour, and light enough to eat before dinner. Khaman is made from gram flour; the older white dhokla uses fermented rice and dal.
Method
- 1
Whisk the batter
08:00Beat besan, yogurt, water, turmeric and salt into a smooth, ribbon-thick batter and rest it briefly.
- 2
Activate and pour
02:00Stir in fruit salt with lemon juice, mix for five seconds only, and pour straight into a greased tin.
- 3
Steam
15:00Steam on a rolling boil until a skewer comes out clean and the top springs back.
- 4
Cut while warm
03:00Cool a little, then cut into squares in the tin.
- 5
Sweet tempering
05:00Splutter mustard, chilli and curry leaves in oil, add water and sugar, boil once and pour over the khaman.
Cook's notes
- Once the fruit salt goes in, speed matters more than technique.
- The sugared tempering water is what keeps it moist for hours.
