Kitchen Recipe Collection
Indian Handvo
A savory, baked vegetable and lentil cake from Gujarat, bursting with the flavors of bottle gourd, sesame seeds, and spices, with a deeply crispy crust.
- Prep
- 480 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 520 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- medium
- Cuisine
- indian
Ingredients
Scaled for 6 servings
- rice
- chana dal
- toor dal
- urad dal
- yogurt
- bottle gourd (lauki/dudhi)
- green chilies
- ginger-garlic paste
- turmeric
- eno (fruit salt)
- mustard seeds
- sesame seeds
- oil
Equipment
- Blender
- Heavy-bottomed non-stick pan with lid (or oven)
Instructions
- 1
Soak Grains
Wash and soak rice, chana dal, toor dal, and urad dal together in water for 4-5 hours.
- 2
Grind Batter
Drain the water and grind the mixture into a coarse, grainy batter using sour yogurt and a little water.
- 3
Ferment
Cover the batter and let it ferment in a warm place for 8-10 hours overnight.
- 4
Prepare Veggies
Peel and grate the bottle gourd (dudhi). Squeeze out excess water if it is too wet.
- 5
Mix Ingredients
Add the grated bottle gourd, ginger-garlic paste, finely chopped green chilies, turmeric, red chili powder, sugar, and salt to the fermented batter.
- 6
Add Oil to Batter
Add a tablespoon of oil into the batter to ensure the cake remains moist inside, and mix well.
- 7
Aerate
Just before cooking, add a teaspoon of Eno (fruit salt) and a splash of water over it to activate. Mix gently.
- 8
Prepare Tempering
Heat a generous amount of oil in a heavy-bottomed, wide non-stick pan on the stove.
- 9
Temper
Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, a pinch of hing, and a heavy sprinkle of white sesame seeds. Let them crackle.
- 10
Pour Batter
Pour a thick layer (about 1.5 inches) of the aerated batter directly over the crackling tempering.
- 11
Bake on Stove
Cover with a tight lid and cook on very low heat for 15-20 minutes until the bottom crust is deeply browned and crisp.
- 12
Flip and Finish
Carefully flip the thick cake using a wide spatula. Cook uncovered for another 10 minutes until the other side is crispy. Cut into wedges and serve.
Cooking Tips
- The batter must be coarse, not smooth like dosa batter, to give Handvo its signature crumbly texture.
- Do not skimp on the sesame seeds in the tempering; they form the iconic crunchy crust.
Variations
- Oven-Baked Handvo: Pour the tempered batter into a greased baking dish and bake at 180°C for 35-40 minutes.
Chef's Notes & Storage
- A fantastic, nutritious, protein-packed breakfast or tea-time snack from Gujarat.
Nutrition Estimate
280 calories · 9g protein · 42g carbs · 8g fat · 5g fiber per serving
