Handvo Recipe | How to make Gujarati Handvo

Handvo recipe with step by step pics – Gujarati handvo is a savory baked snack made with a mixture of lentils and rice, veggies, and flavorful seasonings. This tasty snack can be enjoyed any time of day.

In this recipe I am sharing how to make handvo in a pan. Since handvo is made from lentils and is fermented, it is a healthy snack.

This Gujarati handvo recipe comes from my sister’s friend. Her mom makes excellent handvo and my sis got this recipe from her. I tried and it gave good results. So I thought of sharing it.

It is one of the popular Gujarati recipe. Usually there is a special handvo cooker that is used in making handvo. But it can be baked even in an oven or pressure cooker. I even baked this handvo recipe in a stovetop pressure cooker and the baked handvo was also good.

A few more popular Gujarati recipes shared on blog are:

1. Khandvi
2. Rava dhokla
3. Methi muthia
4. Khaman dhokla

The uniqueness of this recipe is that it has more proportion of moong dal and does not use chana dal. Though chana dal can be added if you want. Bottle gourd (lauki) is also used in the recipe. But you can use other veggies like carrots, peas or spinach.

It can be served as a breakfast or even an evening snack. You can serve it with coriander chutney or even papaya chutney.

How to make Handvo Recipe

A) soaking rice and dals:

1. In a bowl or pan take 1 cup rice and ½ cup moong dal.

2. Add 1 tablespoon tuvar dal (pigeon pea lentils) and 1 tablespoon urad dal (split and husked black gram).

You can add 1 tablespoon chana dal if you want.

3. Rinse a couple of times with water and then drain the water. Soak the rice and dals for 4 to 5 hours in enough water.

B) grinding & fermenting handvo batter

4. Later drain all the water and add the rice and dals in a grinder jar.

5. Add ½ cup curd (dahi).

6. Grind to a batter where you get a rava like consistency in the rice.

7. You can grind the batter in batches also. Do not add any water while grinding.

8. Add ¼ teaspoon baking soda.

8. Stir and mix very well. Cover the pan and ferment the batter for 8 to 9 hours or overnight.

9. Below pic is of handvo batter the next day. The batter will have tiny bubbles and faint sour aroma. Since proper fermentation depends on a warm room temperature, keep for a few hours more, if you live in a cool climate.

Preparation and tempering for handvo batter

10. In a small grinder take 1 teaspoon chopped ginger, 1 teaspoon chopped garlic and 2 teaspoons chopped green chilies.

11. Then add 1 tablespoon of water and grind to a smooth paste. Keep aside. You can even crush ginger, garlic and green chilies in a mortar-pestle.

12. Rinse, peel and grate 1 small bottle gourd (lauki, ghia, dudhi, opo squash). You will need 1 cup tightly packed grated bottle gourd.

13. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small pan. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds. Keep the flame to a low.

15. Let the mustard seeds crackle.

16. Then add 5 to 6 fenugreek seeds, 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) and 1 teaspoon chopped curry leaves.

17. Fry for a few seconds.

18. Then add the ginger+garlic+green chilli paste. Be careful as the mixture can splutter if you have added more water when grinding the paste.

19. Saute till the raw aroma of ginger and garlic goes away.

20. Add 1 cup of tightly packed grated bottle gourd.

21. Also add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and ½ teaspoon coriander powder.

22. Mix well and then switch off the flame.

23. Now add ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves.

24. Mix well again.

25. Add the tempered bottle gourd mixture to the handvo batter.

26. Add salt as required.

27. Mix very well.

Making handvo in pan

28. Heat a pan and spread 1 to 2 teaspoons of oil in it. Spread on the sides too. Keep the flame to a low. I have added less oil. If you add more oil, the base of the handvo becomes crisp and golden.

29. Now pour 1.5 to 2 ladles of the handvo batter in the pan. Keep a thickness of 1 to 1.5 inches. You can add more also, but then the handvo will increase in size and take a long time to cook. 

Gently shake the pan, so that the batter spreads neatly or you can level the batter with the spoon.

30. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top all over the batter.

31. Cover the pan with a lid and then cook handvo on a low flame.

32. Do check a couple of times.

33. When you see the sides golden, then with a spatula gently lift and turn over. The top will also look cooked. You will also see some golden spots on the base.

If you use more oil, the entire base will be crisp and golden. If less oil is used, then some golden spots will be visible.

34. Cook the second side too. If you want you can drizzle some oil from the sides. When cooking the second side, no need to cover with lid.

35. Cook till you see golden spots on this side too and the handvo gets cooked well.

36. Remove and Serve handvo hot with Coriander Chutney, sesame chutney or Papaya Chutney. This way prepare handvo with the rest of the batter. If there is leftover batter, then refrigerate it and use it the next day.

This Handvo Recipe post from the archives, originally published in August 2017 has been updated and republished on January 2023.