Fluffy Khaman or Sev Khamani !!

Gujaratis are known for their love of food, and I'm proud to say that a lot of tasty recipes have been born in the hearts of the state of Gujarat. One such popular dish is Khaman, or Khaman Dhokla, as some people call it, though Khaman and Dhokla are really two separate entities. But hey, what's in a name, as long as your tongue is happy and your stomach is full, we don't care much about the name:) I'm sure many of you must have tried your hand at Khaman, but besides sharing my recipe, I also wanted to draw your attention to another variation of this dish that few of you might have heard of, and it is called the Sev Khamani. It is basically khaman, broken down into powder rather than the chunks you are used to seeing, topped with sev (thin indian noodles made of chick-pea flour), pomegrenate, and spices.

Ingredients
1 cup besan (Chickpea flour)
1 tbsp rava (Sooji)
1 cup water

1 tsp citric acid crystals (Indian store carries it) or use Eno Fruit salt
2 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp warm oil

1 tbsp ginger and green chilli paste
salt - to taste
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda (or soda-bicarb)

For the garnish
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp mustard seeds (rai)
a pinch of hing
2-3 green chillies - chopped finely
3 tbsp coriander - chopped
2 tbsp grated coconut (optional)
1 cup sev
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (optional)

Method
Mix all the ingredients except the baking soda and fruit salt. Add about 3/4 cup of water. The batter should be about the consistancy of dosa batter. Add little more water if required, but not more than 1 cup.

Apply some oil to a deep, flat bottomed stainless steel vessel (like a cake pan) that fits into your pressure cooker. Pour some water into the cooker and let it boil up.

Once the water boils, add the baking soda and fruit salt (Eno/citric acid) to the batter and whip it up. You should see it froth up.

Pour it into the prepared vessel to half the height, leaving ample space for the khaman to rise up and expand. If you are going to do this in batches, add the baking soda to the divided batter each time before steaming rather than adding it to the whole mixture. This ensures that the khaman will become soft and fluffy.

Place it into the cooker and let it steam for about 10 minutes. Do not put the whistle on the cooker (just like idlis)

Now for the good part! You can even do the above process in a microwave, but khaman tends to become too dry and rubbery if you keep it out long (2-3 hrs). So this method should be used only if you want to eat it up as soon as you prepare it. Use a microwave-safe container, grease it with oil, add the baking soda to the batter and half-fill the container. Microwave for 4-5 minutes. Remove and sprinkle some water on the khaman to make it soft.

After steaming or microwaving, insert a knife or toothpick in the center and make sure it comes out clean. Let the khaman cool down and then transfer it to a plate and cut it into large squares. For the garnish, heat up some oil and add mustard seeds. After they splutter, add hing and chillies and then pour it over the prepared khaman dhokla. Top it with cilantro and grated coconut and serve hot with Green chutney.

To make Sev Khamani, break the khaman with your hand to form a "chura" or powder, then top it with all the garnish as above, followed by sev and pomegranate. This variation is a pure delight too! Try it for yourself. (img courtesy of surati farsan)

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