Last updated on April 4th, 2019
Handvo is a Gujarati snack or savory cake made with rice, lentils and veggies. This recipe of handvo is simple to make and outright delicious. You can make this snack in oven as well as on stove top in a pan. Serve with green chutney for a healthy and wholesome snack or breakfast. Here is how you can make tasty handvo at home in four ways- in oven, in a pan,using handwa cooker and a pressure cooker!
What Is Handvo?
Handvo is a traditional Gujarati snack served with green chutney. This savory cake is made with rice and mix of lentils. Often vegetables like bottle gourd, carrot etc. This delicious rice and lentils cake is spiced with fresh ginger, green chilies. A generous tempering of mustard, sesame seeds, curry leaves add a wonderful flavor and crunch. Read more about this recipe here.
So I first was treated to handvo in Bangalore. We used to have this piping hot from a small makeshift shop that served traditional Gujarati snacks like khandvi, khaman, muthiya etc. Handvo is one of the very popular Gujarati recipe.
Sometime later I got to taste this snack at a friend’s home and this time I made sure to pick up the recipe. Apparently there are many ways to make handvo. Here I have briefed all the methods so that you can choose and make whichever suits you. I also refer to Sanjeev Kapoor’s recipe.
What Is So Good About This Handvo Recipe?
- This is a wonderful wholesome snack that is tasty and healthy as well.
- Handvo is a protein packed snack with loads of vegetables that is excellent for toddlers and kids.
- The recipe is very easy to make though the ingredients list is long. Just soak, grind and cook!
- You can make the batter a day before and wake up to a yummy breakfast with minimum efforts
- Make vegan handvo by just replacing dairy yogurt with cashew yogurt
A big generous slice of handvo topped with lots of roasted sesame seeds and curry leaves is an excellent snack that will pick you up at anytime. Though it is served with green chutney it tastes so delicious as such. Let get into the making of recipe with tips and variations.
Handvo Ingredients
The basic ingredients you need for making handvo are
- Raw rice
- Mixed lentils (green gram, urad dal, tuvar dal, chana dal.
Along with rice and lentils we also add vegetables, curd or yogurt and oil in this recipe.
If time is your constraint you can easily use handvo flour available in stores. It is basically a dry flour made with rice and lentils to which you will have to add yogurt, oil etc.
The other ingredients you need for making this recipe are
- Curd– curd or plain yogurt for that soft and porous texture. Use fresh thick curd for best result.
- Oil– oil is again added to the batter for softness of handvo. I prefer to use groundnut oil while you can also use sesame oil or vegetable oil.
- Vegetables– You can add veggies like bottle gourd or dhudi or lauki, carrots, peas, methi leaves etc. Bottle gourd especially adds to the soft texture of this dish. I have added a good dose of grated carrots, minced ginger, chopped green chilies and coriander leaves.
- Tempering– Roasted sesame seeds, curry leaves and mustard seeds are used as tempering here. I highly recommend adding a generous dose of sesame seeds, they are very flavorful and delicious with a wonderful crunch.
How To Prepare Batter For Handvo?
- From Scratch– If you are making this batter from scratch, soak rice and lentils separately for 4-6 hours. Drain and grind to a coarse paste without adding water. To this batter add curd and mix well. At this stage you can either ferment the batter for 8-10 hours or make handvo instantly by adding fruit salt. I have added fruit salt here.
- Using Handvo Flour– Handvo flour is basically a mix of rice and lentils. It is a dry flour available in market. Measure 3 cups ready made flour into a bowl. Add yogurt, oil and mix well. Let it ferment or proceed at once by adding fruit salt. Fruit salt basically acts as leavening agent and makes handvo soft and porous just like the ones made from fermented batter.
How To Make Handvo At Home?
Once the batter is ready you can make this recipe in four ways.
- on stove top in a pan
- In an oven
- A special cooker called handwa cooker
- Using pressure cooker
Making Handvo In A Pan.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a cast iron pan or tava. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves and sesame seeds. Once the sesame seeds are well roasted, pour about 3/4 cup of prepared batter. The batter will raise immediately. Add oil around the edges. Cover and cook in medium flame for 5-6 minutes. Flip and cook for 3-4 minutes. The edges should turn crispy and handvo should raise well. Once done remove to a plate and serve hot.
How To Bake Handvo In Oven?
Preheat your oven at 190 C or 375 F. Grease a 10 inch round baking tin well. Pour the prepared batter and tap well. Prepare the tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves and sesame seeds. Pout this tempering over the batter. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top turns golden and crispy.
Do note that the time taken for baking depends on the consistency of the batter, thickness of the handvo and your oven behavior. Keep watching after 35 minutes to avoid burnt top. After 35 minutes, remove the handvo from the oven and check if done by pricking with a tester in the center. Also you can go by the crispy golden top.
Once baked, let cool for 5 minutes, slice and serve with green chutney or tomato chutney.
How To Make Handvo in Special Handwa Cooker.
A handvo cooker looks like this (Not an affiliate link). It comes with a tray or ring to fill sand, a baking tray and a lid. It has to be used on stove top.
Fill the tray or ring with fine sand. Grease the baking tray with oil. Prepare tempering as mentioned and pour into the greased tray. Pour the prepared batter and close with the lid. Place this over the ring or tray filled with sand. Cook in low to medium flame for 30-35 minutes.
How To Make Handwa In Pressure Cooker?
You can also make this dish in a pressure cooker. It is similar to the making of cooker cake. Just fill the base with sand or salt. Preheat for 10 minutes in low flame. Pour the prepared batter into a greased baking tray. Prepare and pour the tempering as mentioned in the recipe. Close the pressure cooker without gasket and weight valve. Cook in medium flame for 30-35 minutes.
Slice and serve as required.
Variations With This Recipe
Rice– Instead of regular rice you can add brown rice. You can also add a mix of rice and oats or poha. Just soak along with rice.
Spinach– You can add cleaned and chopped spinach leaves in the batter along with other veggies.
Zucchini– If bottle gourd or lauki is not available you can grated zucchini to handvo batter. Zucchini is also rich in water content similar to bottle gourd and makes the handvo soft and porous.
How To Store Leftovers?
Batter– If your batter is naturally fermented you can store it in refrigerator for 2 days. If you have made more batter, remove a portion before adding baking soda or fruit salt and store in airtight container in refrigerator. Do not store the leavened batter.
Cooked Handvo– Store any leftover handvo in airtight box for 2 days in refrigerator. You can freeze the same for a month. Just before serving, reheat it gently in a pan or microwave for 3-4 minutes.
Top Tips To Remember
Do not add any water while grinding the rice and lentils. Just the moisture in the soaked and drained lentils is enough for grinding.
Adjust the batter consistency with curd or plain yogurt. Batter should be thick yet flowing similar to adai batter.
While making in a pan, use a thick and sturdy cast iron pan to withstand the heat and uniform cooking.
Instead of eno fruit salt you can use a mix of baking soda and lemon juice. Add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and few drops of lemon juice.
You can store the batter for two days in refrigerator if it naturally fermented.
Once you add fruit salt or baking soda, cook handvo immediately. Do not store the batter after adding fruit salt.
More Gujarati Recipes You Might Like
How To Make Handvo Step by Step
Preparing Handvo Batter
Pick, rinse and soak the mixed lentils in 2 cups of water for 4-6 hours
Also soak rice for 4 hours.
At the time of grinding, drain and take the rice and lentils in a mixer jar.
Grind without adding water to a coarse paste.
Add yogurt and salt. Mix well and blend again to a smooth paste. If absolutely necessary add 1/8 cup water.
Take the batter in a mixing bowl.
Add chopped green chilies, grated carrots, grated bottle gourd, chopped coriander leaves, minced ginger and sugar.
Mix very well.
Just before making handvo, add fruit salt. It will react immediately with the batter. Mix very well again.
Finally add oil and mix well. Now the batter is ready.
Making Handvo
Heat a cast iron or any sturdy pan with 2 tablespoons oil.
Add mustard seeds, curry leaves and sesame seeds. Fry until the seeds turn golden.
Pour 3/4 cup batter into a round. Do not try to spread. Drizzle some oil around the edges.
Cover and cook in medium flame for 5-6 minutes.
Flip and cook the other side for 3-4 minutes. The edges should turn crispy and handvo should have fluffed up very well.
Remove to a plate and slice into wedges. Serve hot.
Until Next
Harini 🙂
Handvo Recipe
- 1 cup raw rice
- 3/4 cup toor dal split pigeon peas
- 1/2 cup channa dal Bengal gram
- 2 tablespoons urad dal skinned black gram
- 2 tablespoons moong dal green gram (optional)
- 1/2 cup yogurt thick curd
- Salt to taste
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1/2 cup grated bottle gourd
- 1/2 cup grated carrots
- 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
- 2 green chilies finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon peeled and minced ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fruit salt (eno) or 1/2 teaspoon baking powder + few drops of lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons oil more for cooking
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- 10 curry leaves
Rinse and soak the mixed lentils in 2 cups of water for four to six hours
Soak rice for 4 hours.
drain and take the lentils and rice in a blender or mixer jar.
Grind to a coarse paste. without adding water
Next add yogurt and salt. Blend again to a smooth paste. If only necessary add 1/8 cup water.
Tip the batter into a mixing bowl
Add grated carrots, grated bottle gourd, chopped coriander leaves, chopped green chilies, minced ginger and sugar.
At the time of [preparing handvo, add fruit salt. It will react with the batter. Mix very well again.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a cast iron pan
Temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves and sesame seeds.
Pour 3/4 cup batter into a round. Adjust the shape and thickness with the ladle to make it 1 or 2 inches thick.
Cook in medium flame for 5-6 minutes by covering the pan
Flip carefully and cook the other side also for 3-4 minutes
Handvo is done once the top turns golden and edges turn crispy. Finish off the remaining batter same way
Serbe hot after slicing into wedges
Serving Suggestions
- Serve handvo hot or warm with green chutney or red chutney. It goes very well as a snack with tea.
- You can also let it cool down and pack in snack box with sauce.
- Make it in small muffin cups or cut into dainty triangles for a wonderful party starter.
General Notes
- For each handvo prepare the tempering fresh while making in a pan.
- The cooking time varies with the consistency of batter and thickness of handvo you want to make. If you prefer a thin crispy ones it takes less time to cook compared to thick spongy ones.
- you can also make plain handvo without vegetables.
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