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Handvo
Gujarati savoury rice and lentil cake with bottle gourd and a crunchy sesame crust (soak 4–6 h, ferment overnight)
Handvo is a savoury cake from Gujarat, made from a fermented batter of rice and lentils mixed with grated bottle gourd, yogurt and spices. It's baked or cooked slowly in a heavy pan until it has a deep-brown, crackly crust of mustard seeds and sesame and a soft, moist, slightly tangy inside. Gujarati families make it for Sunday tea or a light supper, with green chutney and a cup of masala chai. Slices are also good packed for a journey. Chef's tip: don't rush the crust; cook on a low heat with a lid and let the base go deep golden before you flip, because the crunchy, almost toasted sesame crust is the best part.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the batter
For the vegetables and spices
For the tempering
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Wash 5 ½ oz short-grain rice, 1 ¾ oz toor dal (split pigeon peas), 1 ¾ oz chana dal (split Bengal gram) and ⅞ oz urad dal (split black gram, skinless) together in three changes of water and soak them in plenty of water for 4–6 hours.
Step 2: Drain and grind with 5 ½ oz sour plain yogurt and just enough ½ cup water to a thick, slightly coarse batter, like semolina porridge. A little texture is traditional and gives handvo its crumb; too smooth and it bakes up gummy.
8 minStep 3: Pour into a large bowl (it will rise), cover and leave in a warm place for 8–12 hours or overnight. It's ready when it smells pleasantly sour and has small bubbles all through. In a cold kitchen, put it in the oven with just the light on.
Step 4: Squeeze the grated 9 oz bottle gourd (lauki/dudhi) lightly over the sink to remove some, but not all, of its water, then add it to the batter with 1 carrot, 1 tbsp ginger and green chilli paste, ½ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 ½ tsp salt and 3 tbsp fresh coriander. Mix well. The batter should be thick and drop off a spoon in heavy dollops; add a spoonful of water if it's too stiff.
Step 5: If you're baking, heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and oil a 20 cm round cake tin. Just before cooking, sprinkle ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda over the batter with 1 tbsp water on top of it and stir gently in one direction until the batter turns paler and fluffy. Don't overmix or you'll knock the air out.
Step 6: For the tempering, heat 4 tbsp sunflower or groundnut oil in a small pan over a medium heat. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds; when it pops, add 2 tbsp white sesame seeds, ¼ tsp asafoetida (hing), 12 curry leaves and 2 dried red chillies and let the sesame turn light golden, about 30 seconds.
1 minStep 7: To bake: pour half the tempering into the tin and swirl, pour in the batter, smooth the top and spoon the rest of the tempering evenly over it. Bake for 45–50 minutes, until deep golden on top and a skewer in the middle comes out clean.
50 minStep 8: To cook on the hob instead: use a heavy 22 cm non-stick pan with a lid. Pour in all the tempering, then the batter, cover and cook on a low heat for 20–25 minutes, until the base is deep brown and the top is set. Slide it onto a plate, flip it back into the pan and cook the other side uncovered for 8–10 minutes more.
Step 9: Leave the handvo to rest for 10 minutes, then cut into wedges or squares. Serve warm or at room temperature with green chutney.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does handvo take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of short-grain rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of toor dal (split pigeon peas)?
- Red lentils (masoor dal) (cook 10 minutes less).
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