Handvo Recipe

4.93 from 13 votes

Handvo is a traditional Gujarati spiced, savory cake prepared with a fermented batter of rice and lentils, mixed with vegetables and spices, and cooked until crisp on the outside and soft inside. It is commonly served for breakfast or as a snack with chutney.

Prep Time8

Cook Time50

Total Time8 50

Course: Snacks, Starters

Cuisine: Gujarati

Diet: Vegetarian

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 385kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

For rice & lentil batter

1 cup regular rice
½ cup moong dal (mung lentils)
1 tablespoon tuvar dal (pigeon pea lentils)
1 tablespoon urad dal (split & husked black gram)
enough water for soaking
½ cup curd (yogurt)
¼ teaspoon baking soda

For paste

1 inch ginger or 1 teaspoon chopped ginger (adrak)
4 medium garlic cloves or 1 teaspoon chopped garlic (lahsun)
1 to 2 green chilies or 2 teaspoons chopped green chilies
1 tablespoon water for grinding

For tempering

1 tablespoon oil
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
5 to 6 fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
1 teaspoon chopped curry leaves
1 cup tightly packed grated bottle gourd (lauki or ghia or dudhi or opo squash)
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon coriander powder
¼ cup chopped coriander leaves

Other ingredients

salt as required
4 to 5 teaspoons oil for greasing pan
white sesame seeds as required

Instructions

Soaking rice and lentils

In a bowl or pan take 1 cup rice, ½ cup moong dal. 1 tablespoon tuvar dal and 1 tablespoon urad dal
You can add 1 tablespoon chana dal if you want.
Rinse a couple of times with water and then soak rice & dals for 4 to 5 hours in enough water.

Grinding & fermenting batter

Later drain all the water and add the rice & dals in a grinder jar.
Add ½ cup curd (dahi).
Grind to a batter where you get a rava like consistency in the rice. You can grind the batter in batches also. Do not add any water while grinding.
Remove the batter in a bowl. Add ¼ teaspoon baking soda.
Mix very well. Cover the pan and ferment the batter for 8 to 9 hours or overnight.
Next day the batter will have tiny bubbles and a faint sour aroma.

Preparation & tempering for handvo batter

In a small grinder take 1 teaspoon chopped ginger, 1 teaspoon chopped garlic, 2 teaspoons chopped green chilies.
Add 1 tablespoon water and grind to a smooth paste. Keep aside. You can even crush ginger, garlic and green chilies in a mortar-pestle.
Rinse, peel and grate 1 small bottle gourd (lauki, ghia, dudhi, opo squash). You will need 1 cup tightly packed grated bottle gourd.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small pan.
Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and let them crackle.
Then add 5 to 6 fenugreek seeds, 1 pinch asafoetida and 1 teaspoon chopped curry leaves.
Fry for a few seconds.
Then add the ginger+garlic+green chilli paste.
Saute till the raw aroma of ginger and garlic goes away.
Add 1 cup tightly packed grated bottle gourd.
Also add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and ½ teaspoon coriander powder.
Mix well and then switch off the flame.
Now add ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves and mix well again.
Add the tempered bottle gourd mixture to the handvo batter.
Add salt as required and again mix very well.

Making handvo

Heat a pan and spread 1 to 2 teaspoons oil in it. Spread on the sides too. Keep the flame to a low.
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.
Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top all over the batter.
Cover the pan with a lid and then cook handvo on a low flame.
Do check a couple of times when the handvo is cooking.
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.
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.
Cook till you see golden spots on this side too and the handvo gets cooked well.
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.

Notes

Ferment the batter well for best flavor and texture. In cooler weather, allow extra time.
The batter should be thick or medium-thick but pourable.
You can use fruit salt (Eno) instead of baking soda. If using fruit salt (Eno) add it to the batter, just before cooking and mix very well.
Cook handvo on low to medium-low heat so it cooks evenly.
Let the handvo rest for a few minutes before slicing for neat pieces.

Nutrition