Besan Cousin · Fluffy Yellow Steamed Cake
Khaman
Photo: Sri / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
It looks almost identical to dhokla at a glance, but khaman skips the rice entirely — it's made from chickpea flour alone, which gives it a fluffier, more golden-yellow crumb than its rice-based cousin.
Chickpea flour batter is mixed with lemon juice or citric acid and a little baking soda, steamed until light and springy, then cut into cubes and topped with a mustard-seed and chili tempering, finished with grated coconut and coriander. It's sold from snack counters across Gujarat as a breakfast or teatime bite.
Why it's made this way: Its besan-only batter makes it lighter and more distinctly yellow than dhokla, a difference Gujarati cooks treat as important enough to keep the two dishes named and made separately despite how similar they look.
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