Gujarati Handvo (Savory Rice & Lentil Cake)

Handvo is a classic Gujarati one-pot dish made from rice, lentils, and loaded with mixed vegetables and aromatic Indian spices. It is so delicious and healthy. Serve it with green chutney or pickle along with a cup of tea.

I love Gujarati food, and grew up enjoying it a lot with lots of Gujarati friends in school and college. Gujarati Dal, Khandvi, Dal Dhokli, Methi Dhebra and Khaman Dhokla are some of my favorites.

There's no doubt that Handvo is one of the most popular Gujarati dish. Traditionally handvo was cooked in an earthen pot on a coal stove called Sagdi in Gujarat. Due to modern cooking techniques, people have started using ovens, pans or even instant pot to cook them. You know what - whichever way you prefer to cook it will taste delicious.

It is naturally gluten-free as it is made from a mix of lentils and rice. You can make the batter for handvo from scratch by soaking lentils and rice overnight and then grinding the batter, but for convenience I prefer to use the handvo flour mix which you can easily find at Indian grocery stores. You still need to ferment the batter to get the best results.

What is Handvo?

Handvo is a baked savory snack made with rice, various lentils, vegetables, and spices, and tempered with oil, mustard seeds and curry leaves.

It is so flavorful with crispy edges and a soft fluffy texture. It is a protein packed snack, healthy and easy to make dish.

The main ingredient that you shouldn't think of skipping is grated bottle gourd - it imparts softness to the vegetable Handvo. Although grated zucchini works great for handvo in place of bottle gourd too.

Most often Handvo is enjoyed as a snack or appetizer with chai, but we love it for dinner too, along with cilantro chutney and cooling masala chaas or mango lassi.

Different ways to prepare handvo

There are 2 different ways to prepare handvo, first is to make it from scratch - where you mix Rice, Chana Dal, Urad Dal, Toor dal and soak it for 4-5 hours then grind them and let the batter ferment overnight.

Another way that we are going to do is - to get ready-made handvo flour from the store and mix it with yogurt, water and ferment it for 4-5 hours.

Ingredients you'll need

• Handvo Flour - I use deep handvo flour. It is easily available in Indian stores or amazon.
• Yogurt - Use thick and fresh plain yogurt, it will give handvo a soft texture.
• Oil - It is added in the handvo to make the batter soft. I use avocado oil, you can also use sesame oil.
• Bottle gourd - The only veggie I would not recommend skipping is bottle gourd/dudhi as it makes handvo soft. As a substitute for bottle gourd/dudhi, you can use zucchini.
• Other Vegetables - You can add any other vegetables you like. Adding more vegetables is completely optional. You can add frozen mixed veggies or grate from fresh carrots. You might also enjoy the addition of semi crushed and whole corn. You can also add chopped cabbage, spinach or methi leaves to handvo.
• Tempering - You'll need oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida (hing).
• Baking Soda - I add baking soda right before baking the handvo. As a substitute, you can add Eno fruit salt too.
• Roasted peanuts - I love adding semi - crushed peanuts on the top as it adds a wonderful crunch to the handvo. You can totally skip it if you are not a fan of peanuts or allergic.
• Sesame seeds - Add a generous amount of sesame seeds on the top, as they add lots of flavor and make the handvo so pretty!
• Spices - Turmeric, red chili powder, salt, ginger paste, green chili paste.

How to make Handvo in Oven

Prepare Batter & Ferment

Take a big bowl and add the handvo flour, plain yogurt, and warm water in it. Mix it well, and put in a warm dark place for 4-6 hours or overnight. I generally put it in the oven.

Note: Slowly add water to the batter. It should have a medium-thick consistency.

Add the veggies & seasonings

After the fermenting time is done, take the batter out. Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.

When the batter is almost fermented, keep all the veggies ready. Peel and grate the bottle gourd right before adding to the batter, as otherwise it will start to loose moisture and will also turn black in color.

Add all the vegetables and spices except baking soda and mix well.

Now heat the oil for tempering on a gas stove add mustard seeds once it starts spluttering add Asafoetida (hing), curry leaves turn off the gas, and add it to the batter, now add baking soda, and mix it well.

Note: As soon as you add baking soda or Eno fruit salt to the batter, don't wait long to put it to bake it immediately.

Take a 9x13 baking tray spray oil and pour the batter into the tray. Now garnish it with sesame seeds and semi-crushed peanuts (optional).

Bake the Handvo

Bake it for 30-40 mins. The handvo is ready when a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Then broil on high for 5 mins for the crispy browned top.

Take it out of the oven. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting it into pieces (make sure to wait, as otherwise the pieces can be crumbly). Enjoy it as a snack, lunch, or dinner. Serve it with green chutney or pickle along with a cup of hot masala tea.

How to make Handvo in Instant Pot?

To make handvo in the instant pot, you will need a round baking pan. I used a round 7-inch cake pan, it fit's well in Instant pot and it makes 6 large pieces of handvo.

I am listing out the ingredients here as the quantity has to be reduced to make handvo in the instant pot.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup Handvo flour
• ¼ cup Plain Whole Milk Yogurt
• 1 cup Warm water, adjust as needed to make a thick batter

Vegetables & Spices

• 1 cup Bottle gourd, peeled and grated
• ¼ cup Corn, I used frozen, optional 
• ¼ cup Semi-crushed corn, optional
• ½ cup Mixed Vegetables, can use frozen, optional
• 1 teaspoon Salt, adjust to taste
• ¼ teaspoon Ground Turmeric
• 1 teaspoon Red Chili powder, adjust to taste
• ½ tablespoon Green chili, paste or minced
• ½ tablespoon Ginger, paste or grated
• 1 tablespoon Oil
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda

Tempering

• 1 tablespoon Oil
• ½ teaspoon Mustard Seeds (Rai)
• 4-6 Curry Leaves (Kadi Patta)
• ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida (Hing)

Garnish

• ¼ cup Roasted peanuts, semi crushed, optional
• 1 tablespoon Sesame seeds

Instant Pot Method

• Batter: Follow the same steps to make the batter, ferment it, then mix in the vegetables and spices. Lastly, add the baking soda and mix in the batter.
• Prep baking pan: Spray oil in the baking pan, and then pour the prepared batter in it. Now garnish it with sesame seeds and semi-crushed peanuts and covered it with aluminum foil.
• Pressure cook: Add 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot. Place the trivet & then the baking pan on it. Close the lid with vent in sealing position. Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes.
• Check handvo: Once the Instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally. Carefully take out the pan using mitts, remove the aluminum foil. The handvo is ready when a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Note: If the knife doesn't come out clean, pressure cook on high for another 5 minutes.
• Broil: Now broil it in the oven on high for 5 minutes for the crispy browned top. Take it out of the oven. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes, then cut it into pieces.

How to Serve?

Handvo can be served with chutneys and pickles, along with a cup of cold milk or chaas for lunch or dinner. Or it can be enjoyed as an appetizer with chai.

Here are some chutney ideas:

• Garlic chutney
• Green chutney
• Pickle
• Pickled jalapeño peppers

Tips and Substitutions

• Veggies: Don't skip adding bottle gourd/dudhi as it makes handvo soft. If bottle gourd/dudhi is not available as a substitute for bottle gourd/dudhi, you can use zucchini which has the same amount of water content. Otherwise you can add any veggies of your choice such as corn, grated carrots, thinly sliced cabbage or chopped spinach.
• Bottle gourd: Do not grate and keep bottle gourd for a longer time, otherwise it will start to loose moisture and will also turn black in color.
• Baking Soda: Instead of baking soda, you can substitute Eno Fruit Salt too. As soon as you add baking soda or Eno fruit salt to the batter, don't wait long and bake immediately.

Common Questions

Hope you all like this Handvo recipe. If you make it, do share and tag me on Instagram @pipingpotcurry. I love to see your creations. Happy Eating!