Go Back
+ servings
Baked handvo is a savory rice and mixed lentils cake with vegetables. It is a snack from Gujarat., Gujarati Food, Savory Bake, Savory Rice Lentils Cake,
Print

Baked Handvo Recipe ~ Savory Rice Lentils Cake

Handvo is a savory Gujarati rice and lentils cake with mixed vegetables. Handvo is either baked or cooked in a pan on stove top. it is a healthy and filling breakfast, tea time snack and a light meal.
Course Breakfast, Light Meal, Snack
Cuisine Gujarati, Indian
Prep Time 14 hours
Cook Time 50 minutes
Broil 5 minutes
Servings 3
Calories 476kcal
Author Usha Rao

Equipment

  • Oven

Ingredients

Handvo Ingredients

  • ½ cup Rice
  • ½ cup Lentils I used equal parts of chana dal, moong dal and urad dal
  • ½ cup Water to grind rice + lentils
  • ½ cup Yogurt preferably sour (I used regular store bought yogurt)
  • 1 ½ - 2 cups grated Bottle Gourd
  • 1 medium-sized Carrot or ½ – ¾ cup grated Carrot
  • 1 cup loosely packed chopped Spinach
  • 2 - 4 tablespoon chopped Cilantro ~ Kothmir
  • 4 Green Chilies
  • 1 ” Ginger piece
  • 1 – 1 ¼ teaspoon Salt
  • ½ - 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
  • 2 - 3 teaspoon Lime Juice skip if yogurt is sour and batter ferments well
  • Turmeric Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Fruit Salt ENO brand. Though i have not tried, baking powder might be a good substitute for ENO fruit salt

Tempering

  • 3 tablespoon Oil
  • ¼ – ½ teaspoon Mustard Seeds
  • ¼ – ½ teaspoon Cumin
  • 4 - 6 Curry Leaves
  • ¼ teaspoon Hing ~ Asafetida
  • 2 tablespoon Sesame Seeds

Instructions

Making the batter

  • Wash rice, mixed lentils and soak for at least 5-6 hours.
  • Discard the water, put rice and lentils in a strainer and let drain.
  • Take rice and lentils in blender or a mixer, and grind to a coarse paste using as little water as possible. I used about ½ cup of water.
  • Transfer to a mixing bowl, add yogurt and mix well.

Fermentation

  • Ferment for 6-8 hours or preferably overnight. This being winter or almost winter here, though I fermented for 15 hours, felt the batter didn’t ferment well. In cold areas, do ferment a little longer.

Prep work

  • Grate bottle gourd and carrot. Add ¼ teaspoon salt and keep aside for 5-10 minutes. Then squeeze the juices from the veggies and keep aside both the juice and the vegetable grate.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 Grease a baking dish or a pan and keep aside.
  • Chop spinach and cilantro and keep aside.
  • Grind together ginger, green chilies and add to the batter.
  • Add salt, lime juice, turmeric, chili powder and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  • Throw in grated vegetables, chopped vegetables and about ¼ – ⅓ cups of veggie juices into batter and mix well. Add more veggie juice or water if required. The batter should be thick and not flowing consistency.

Tempering

  • Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves.
  • When seeds splutter, add sesame seeds and hing.
  • Give a quick stir and turn off the flame.
  • Add ⅓ of the tempering to the batter and mix well.
  • Spread another ⅓ of the tempering in the baking dish.

Baking

  • When ready to bake, add fruit salt and mix immediately. Do not over mix.
  • Pour the batter in the baking dish, top it with remaining ⅓ of the tempering. Tap the dish once to settle and even the batter.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 35 – 45 minutes. It took 35 minutes in a 6 ½” pan. This batter yields two 6 ½” handvo cakes or one 8-9” handvo cake. Bake until tester inserted in the handvo comes out clean.
  • Turn off the oven, turn on the broil and broil for 5 – 6 minutes to brown the top of handvo. This step is optional but highly recommend for crispy brown top.
  • Remove from oven and let cool. Ideal, completely cool handvo before cutting or flipping it onto a plate. I found it easier to do this when handvo is completely cool. If in hurry, wait at least 15 minutes before cutting handvo. Some pieces might break if the cake is hot but that is ok.
  • Serve with green chutney; coriander chutney or coriander mint chutney.

Notes

  • Check the following to prepare handvo in an Instant Pot and on stovetop.
  • Nutrition - Values mentioned below are approximate.

Nutrition

Calories: 476kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 2013mg | Potassium: 840mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 4871IU | Vitamin C: 82mg | Calcium: 233mg | Iron: 5mg