Handvo

There is a vegetable in the batter, which is what makes it a cake rather than a sponge.

Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains dairy (yoghurt).

Ingredients

200 g rice
60 g toor dal
60 g chana dal
40 g urad dal
200 g yoghurt
400 g bottle gourd, grated and squeezed
60 g peanuts, crushed
a 3 cm piece of ginger, grated
3 green chillies, crushed
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Method

THERE IS A VEGETABLE IN THE BATTER, WHICH IS WHAT MAKES IT A CAKE RATHER THAN A SPONGE. Its article calls it a SAVORY VEGETABLE CAKE and names the usual filling: OFTEN MADE WITH A BOTTLE GOURD FILLING, though many other vegetables can be added, and SOMETIMES CRUSHED PEANUTS. That is the separation from the two steamed batters it sits beside -- Dhokla, as on its own page, and Khaman, as on its own page, are both plain. Four hundred grams of grated gourd in the batter changes everything: it is heavier, it holds moisture, and it will not rise like a sponge because it is not trying to.
THE GRAINS ARE RINSED, DRIED AND THEN GROUND. Its article is precise about this order: rice and various lentils RINSED, DRIED, AND THEN GROUND. Dry-grinding gives a flour rather than a wet paste, and the batter is built from that with the yoghurt.
FOUR GRAINS, NOT ONE. Rice with toor, chana and urad. Its article allows moong dal or chola dal INSTEAD OF RICE, which gives a quite different and softer cake.
THE YOGHURT IS THE FERMENTING AGENT, WHICH ITS ARTICLE SAYS. The pulses are MIXED WITH YOGURT TO PREPARE A FERMENTED BATTER. Six to eight hours somewhere warm.
THE GOURD IS GRATED AND SQUEEZED HARD BEFORE IT GOES IN. It holds a great deal of water and all of it would end up in the batter. Squeeze it over a bowl and use that liquid instead of fresh water.
THE VEGETABLE GOES IN AFTER THE FERMENT, NOT BEFORE. Its sugars would feed the culture too fast and the batter would sour.
IT IS COOKED IN A LID OF HOT OIL WITH SESAME IN IT. The oil and sesame seeds go into the pan first, then the batter poured on, which is what gives the crust the dish is really eaten for. Twenty-five minutes covered over a low heat, then turned.
IT IS DONE WHEN BOTH SIDES ARE DARK AND A SKEWER IS CLEAN. Pale handvo is undercooked handvo.
ITS ARTICLE NAMES THE GRAM-FLOUR VERSION SEPARATELY. Vegetable handvo is based on gram flour with peas and cabbage and includes garam masala. Eaten with pickle or tea.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under India · All recipes