What is "khaman"

n. A food, visually similar to cake and compositionally similar to dhokla, made from a batter of gram flour (from chickpeas), cooked by steaming(,) and typically eaten in India.

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.