Gayathri's Cook Spot: Handvo

Today for the alphabet H in the A-Z themed Blogging Marathon #32, I selected this authentic Gujarathi savoury cake. The recipe is from Aromatic Dining blog. When I first saw the recipe, I was so interested. So when I visited mom's place I tried it once. I gathered all the ingredients but some how I forgot to add the grated bottle gourd which was in the fridge. Only after preparing the dish did I realize it. Though it turned out tasty I didn't know how the bottle gourd would affect the final dish. This was the final 10 days I spent with mom. She tasted a small piece of this cake and liked it. When I returned back home I tried it again and this time I remembered to add the bottle gourd. I cooked the Handvo in a pan but you can also bake it. If I had known it earlier then baking would have been my option as it is completely fuss free. The flipping of the handvo in the pan was a great challenge to me. When finished cooking the handvo, I tried to cut it while still hot. It was so soft and I felt that it is under cooked. But it was perfectly cooked. Just leave the handvo to become warm before slicing as it will firm up on cooling. I served it with coconut chutney to PK. He liked it very much. It is a very filling snack and you will be skipping the dinner. There are so many variations of the batter in the blogosphere. Ready made flour is also available in the market. But using lentils makes it more traditional.

Recipe Source: Aromatic Dining

Asafoetida/ Hing-a pinch

Ginger-a small piece

Coriander Leaves-4-5 tbs

Bottle Gourd-1 1/2 cups (grated)\

Grated Coconut for Garnish

1. Soak the dhals and rice for 3-4 hours.

2. Drain water. Add curd and grind to smooth batter. You don't need to add water while grinding as the curd itself is enough.

3. Keep it aside for 7-8 hours for fermentation.

4. Peel skin and seeds of bottle gourd.

5. Grate it and squeeze out the liquid from it.

6. Grind green chillies, ginger and garlic to a coarse paste without adding water.

7. Add the green chilly paste, grated bottle gourd, salt, hing, coriander leaves and baking soda.

9. Heat a non stick pan and add oil.

10. Add the mustard seeds and sesame seeds. Make sure that you scatter them evenly.

11. When they crackle, add the batter gently without disturbing the seeds.

12. Keep flame on low, cover and cook for 5 minutes.

13. Flip the handvo, cover and cook for 15 minutes on low flame.

14. When done remove it to the serving plate.

15. Garnish with grated coconut.

16. When warm slice it into squares and serve with coconut chutney.

17. Alternately fill a cake tin with the handvo batter and bake in a 175C oven until the top is golden.

18. Pour the tempering on the baked handvo.

1. If preparing handvo during evening, soak the dhals the previous night. Grind batter in the morning. As it has curd, it ferments very fast. So you can prepare it during 3-4 PM.

2. Otherwise grind the batter, ferment it and refrigerate it. Remove from the fridge 2 hours before the preparation time. Add the bottle gourd and other ingredients after the batter comes to room temperature. Cook as per the instructions.

3. If cooking in a pan, keep on checking on the flame. If it is too low, then the handvo will not cook properly. If it is too high then the handvo will get burned. So take care.