Handvo is a traditional Gujarati dish prepared with handva flour (rice and lentil mix) and veggies. It is a delicious savory cake, and a great way to sneak vegetables into your diet. Making handvo can be a bit overwhelming for beginners, and trust me it was for me too. I will share my best tips to make this recipe as easy as possible for you.
What is Handvo?
Handvo is a complete meal in itself, so this makes it very healthy and nutritious. It consists of lentils, rice, and veggies which makes it wholesome. To make it even healthier, my recipe completely eliminates the use of eno and baking soda. There are so many variations of this Gujarati recipe, but two major ways of making these.
First, and more traditional gujarati recipe call for soaking the rice, and lentils like chana dal, toor dal, yellow mung dal, and masoor dal for about 6-7 hours and grinding a smooth batter, later left it for fermentation and then adding the veggies and cooking it in a traditional handva cooker.
Second, an easier way to make this is by using handva flour. Most Indian Stores in the US have Handva Flour in the Lentils and Flour isle. I use the Deep Indian Kitchen Brand Handva flour to make handvo and muthiya for making the handvo.
How to Make Handvo Step by Step
We are using handva flour in this recipe and will be leaving the batter to ferment overnight.
- Heat up water in a kettle to make the batter.
- Add Bhakri Flour to a large stailness steel bowl. Next, add in the peanut oil and massage it with your hands.
- Now add the Handva flour and plain unsweetened yogurt to the bowl and give it a good mix.
- Next goes in the hot water. Pour the water slowly while whisking it. You want a smooth batter and not runny batter.
- Once the batter is mixed and ready, throw in some fenugreek seeds and cover it lightly. Let the batter ferment overnight in the oven with the light on (Just turn the oven light on, you don't have to turn the oven on for this), or in a warm corner in your kitchen.
- After 7-8 hours, once the batter is fermented, we will now prep the veggies.
- I am using Zucchini and Onions for this recipe, but you can also add any squash, sweet potatoes, potatoes, cabbage, carrots and greens. The key is to finely shredd the veggies, and hand press all the excess water out.
- Now take the batter, and give it a light mix. Start with adding the ginger, garlic and green chili paste, all the ground spices, salt, jaggery and the shredded veggies.
- Mix the batter.
- Prepare the tempering. Heat up oil in a small tempering wok. Add mustard seeds, asafetida and white sesame seeds. Let them splutter. Next add in whole dried red chilies and curry leaves.
- Once, the tempering is ready add it to the batter. and mix it well. Cover and let it sit for 10-15 mins or until the oven preheats.
- Preheat the oven at 350F.
- When the oven is ready, pour the batter in the desired baking tray, you can use 9inch round cake tins, 11inch Baking Sheet Pan as I have or use the cupcake baking trays. This batter doesn't rise, so fill it for the desired thinckness.
- Cover the top of the handvo with white sesame seeds and bake it in the oven for 25-30 mins. To get a beautiful crisp browned top broil it for 10-12 mins.
Equipment
- 11 inch Baking Sheet Pan
Ingredients
For the Batter
- 1 Cup Bhakri Flour Thick Whole Wheat Flour| Jado Ghau no Lot
- 3 Tbsp Peanut Oil
- 2 Cups Handva Flour I use Deep Indian Kitchen"s Handva Flour.
- 1/3 Cup Yogurt
- 23 oz Hot Water
- 5-6 Fenugreek Seeds
- 3 Tbsp Ginger Garlic and Greeen Chili Paste
- 1 Medium Onion Thinly Sliced
- 3 Cups Shredded Zucchini
- 1 Tsp Turmeric
- 1 Tsp Red Chili Powder
- 1 Tsp Cumin Coriander Powder
- 2/3 Cup Jaggery Powder Add more if you like it sweeter
For Tempering
- 3 Tbsp Peanut Oil
- 3 Tsp Mustard Seeds
- 3 Tsp White Sesame Seeds
- 1/4 Tsp Asafetida
- 3-4 Whole Dried Red Chilies
- 8-10 Curry Leaves
For Garnishing
- White Sesame Seeds to cover the top
Instructions
Make the Batter
- Heat up water in a kettle to make the batter.
- Add Bhakri Flour to a large stailness steel bowl. Next, add in the peanut oil and massage it with your hands.
- Now add the Handva flour and plain unsweetened yogurt to the bowl and give it a good mix.
- Next goes in the hot water. Pour the water slowly while whisking it. You want a smooth batter and not runny batter. Once the batter is mixed and ready, throw in some fenugreek seeds and cover it lightly. Let the batter ferment overnight in the oven with the light on (Just turn the oven light on, you don't have to turn the oven on for this), or in a warm corner in your kitchen. )
- After 7-8 hours, once the batter is fermented, we will now prep the veggies. I am using Zucchini and Onions for this recipe, but you can also add any squash, sweet potatoes, potatoes, cabbage, carrots and greens.
- The key is to finely shredd the veggies, and hand press all the excess water out
- Now take the batter, and give it a light mix. Start with adding the ginger, garlic and green chili paste, all the ground spices, salt, jaggery and the shredded veggies. Mix the batter.
Make the Tempering
- Prepare the tempering. Heat up oil in a small tempering wok. Add mustard seeds, asafetida and white sesame seeds. Let them splutter. Next add in whole dried red chilies and curry leaves. Once, the tempering is ready add it to the batter. and mix it well.
- Cover and let it sit for 10-15 mins or until the oven preheats.
Bake the Handvo
- Preheat the oven at 350F.
- When the oven is ready, pour the batter in the desired baking tray, you can use 9inch round cake tins, 11inch Baking Sheet Pan as I have or use the cupcake baking trays.
- This batter doesn't rise, so fill it for the desired thickness.
- Cover the top of the handvo with white sesame seeds and bake it in the oven for 25-30 mins. To get a beautiful crisp browned top broil it for 10-12 mins.
Notes
- Make sure you squeeze excess water out of the watery veggies like bottle gourd, zucchini, cabbage and carrots you are using for the handvo.
- You don't have to squeeze water out of onions.
- Add the water carefully when you put it for fermentation. You don't want runny batter.
- Do not add water while adding the veggies. The vegetables have water content which will be released when we add salt. This will naturally give the batter a perfect consistency.
- If you don't want to use Bhakri Flour. Use Half Cup Besan and half cup Jowar atta.
- If you are using besan and jowar atta, Make sure you add 1 tsp Baking Soda and whisk the batter right before you transfer it to the baking pan. Do not add baking soda when you put it for fermentation.
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