Handvo is the perfect one pot meal.. Its quick, easy and healthy too. Crisp on the outside, deliciously soft on the inside. It can be made with simple ingredients in your pantry without spending hours toiling in the kitchen and still make your family happy.
Handvo is traditionally made with bottle gourd but it can just as easily be made with any other vegetables that you have in your fridge. Mixed vegetables like peas, carrots, beans, cabbage, etc. work great too. I try and use bottle gourd as its an easy way to sneak it into my husband's diet. He wouldn't eat ghiya (bottle gourd) otherwise.
If you are visiting us over a weekend you are sure to find us gorging on this toothsome savory cake. I usually make this during the weekend as I don't like to spend hours in the kitchen with my husband around and this only takes about 30 minutes minus the prep time and is filling too. And if there is any leftover it can be enjoyed for breakfast the following day.
Ingredients:
Bottle gourd, 2 cups, peeled and shredded
Handvo Flour, 2.5 cups
Buttermilk, 1 cup
Garlic, 3 tbsp finely chopped
Green Chili, 2 tbsp finely chopped
Curry leaves, a sprig
Coriander Leaves, 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Asafoetida a pinch
Turmeric Powder, 1 tsp
Red Chili Powder, 1 tbsp
Coriander Cumin Powder, 1 tbsp
Salt to Taste
Eno or Fruit Salt, 1 tsp
Sugar or Jaggery Powder, 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds, 1 tbsp
Sesame Seeds, 2 tbsp
Peanut Oil, 4 tbsp (Or any oil that you'd like)
Procedure:
1. Take Handvo flour in a bowl and add the buttermilk, shredded bottle gourd, salt and jaggery powder
3. Once the oil is hot add in the mustard seeds and let them splutter.
4. Then add in the curry leaves and lower the flame
5. Add in the garlic and green chilies and saute them till the raw flavor from the garlic is gone.
6. Now add in the dry masalas and turn off the heat.
7. Add this to the flour mixture
8. Mix this well and add in the coriander leaves and mix again.
9. Let it rest for at least 4 hours. I usually prepare this in the morning and then make it for dinner the same night.
10. After resting the mixture is ready. Add in the eno or fruit salt and mix lightly.
11. Take a thick bottomed pan, preferably wide and heat it up. Once hot, add in the oil.
12. Once the oil is hot, lower the heat and add in half the sesame seeds. Be careful when adding these as they start to splutter immediately.
13. Add in the handvo mixture to the pan and even it out in the pan with the help of a spatula. Cook on high heat for about 5-7 minutes. We basically want to get it browned from the other side. You can also get a hint of this by looking at the sides or the corners of the pan. If you see that its turned brown that means you can now lower the heat and allow it to cook from the inside. This will take another 12-15 minutes. After this add the remaining 1 tbsp oil and sesame seeds to this side before flipping.
14. After about 12-15 minutes, very carefully using a spatula flip the handvo. Let it cook on medium heat for about 8-10 minutes without covering.
15. After about 10 minutes, your handvo will be done. You can also confirm this by inserting a toothpick in the center and if the toothpick comes out clean that means your handvo is ready.
16. Handvo is best had hot with some peanut oil on the side or with green chutney!
Note:
Handvo flour can easily be made at home too if you don't want to buy it from the market. Soak together 1 cup rice, 1/4 cup Chana Dal, 1/4 cup Toor Dal and 1 tbsp urad dal overnight and the next morning drain the water and grind them together using buttermilk. You will then need to follow step 1 mix in the spices and other ingredients and let it rest for atleast 4 hours.
I am partial towards Peanut Oil when it comes to Gujarati cooking as I believe it elevates the flavor of gujarati dishes like Dhokla, Khaman, Handvo, etc. But if you don't stock it in your pantry feel free to use what you have on hand.
Similarly, you can also bake the handvo instead of cooking it in a pan but I think some things are best had the way they are meant to be had, the old fashioned way.. :)
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