Last Updated on December 14, 2020 by
Gujarat is a state located along India’s northwestern coast. You may not have heard of Gujarat before, but I am sure your have heard of one of its world famous citizens of yesteryear, Gandhi. Yes, Gandhi was a Gujarati.
Gujarati cuisine and culture has a lot of Persian influence due to the Parsi community. The Parsees are Zoroastrians of Iranian decent who fled to India somewhere between 936 A.D and 716 A.D to escape religious persecution in Iran. Except for the Parsees, Gujarati’s are primarily Vegetarian which leads to some uniquely delicious Vegetarian creations like Muthia & Fajetha. Here is another example of the ingenious Gujarati’s to develop a delicious use of vegetables and grains.
There are many variations to Handvo, depending what vegetables you choose to include. Common vegetables used are bottle gourd, cabbage and carrots, however, the varieties are endless. Here is my version of the Gujarati classic.
I had this as an evening snack with a glass of white wine and it was delicious. This also makes a wonderful savory tea time snack.
Serves 9
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup medium grain brown rice
- 1/4 cup yellow split peas
- 1/4 cup split and hulled mung beans
- 1/4 cup cup urad dal (split black lentils)
- 1/2 cup carrots, grated
- 1/2 cup chayote (aka as chow-chow, cho-cho or christophene), grated
- 1/2 cup cauliflower, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon Eno fruit salt (or baking soda)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground chile powder (cayenne pepper)
- 2 green chiles, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon mint leaves, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 sprig of curry leaves
- a pinch of asoefetida
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon mustard seed
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a square baking dish with non stick spray.
Soak the rice and lentils separately for 6 hours. To grind, add split peas and 1 table of water to a high powered blender or food processor and grind well. Add the mung beans and another tablespoon of water and grind well. Add the urad dal to the blender with another tablespoon of water and grind well. Finally, add the rice and 2 more tablespoons of water and grind well until you have a coarse paste.
Combine chayote, cauliflower and carrot and mix in a bowl. Place in microwave and cook on high for 3 minutes. Let cool for 2 minutes.
Add microwaved vegetables, green chiles, turmeric, chile powder, yogurt, sugar, ginger paste, lemon juice, mint leaves and salt to grinded paste. Stir to combine.
Heat oil in a skillet. Add cumin seed, mustard seed and sesame seeds. After they splutter, add asoefetida and curry leaves. Cook for 1 more minute.
Add fruit salt/baking soda to batter and mix until just combined. Transfer to baking dish. Top with contents of the skillet.
Put in oven. Bake for 40 minutes.
Serve with your favorite chutney.
This savory lentil cake is so unlike anything I’ve had before. With so many Vegetarians, Indian cuisine really knows how to come up with some versatile ideas.
Handvo – Gujarati Savory Lentil Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup medium grain brown rice
- 1/4 cup yellow split peas
- 1/4 cup split and hulled mung beans
- 1/4 cup cup urad dal split black lentils
- 1/2 cup carrots grated
- 1/2 cup chayote aka as chow-chow, cho-cho or christophene, grated
- 1/2 cup cauliflower finely chopped
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon Eno fruit salt or baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground chile powder cayenne pepper
- 2 green chiles finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon mint leaves finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 sprig of curry leaves
- a pinch of asoefetida
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon mustard seed
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a square baking dish with non stick spray.
- Soak the rice and lentils separately for 6 hours.
- To grind, add split peas and 1 tablespoon of water to a high powered blender or food processor and grind well.
- Add the mung beans and another tablespoon of water and grind well.
- Add the urad dal to the blender with another tablespoon of water and grind well.
- Finally, add the rice and 2 more tablespoons of water and grind well until you have a coarse paste.
- Combine chayote, cauliflower and carrot and mix in a bowl.
- Place in microwave and cook on high for 3 minutes. Let cool for 2 minutes.
- Add microwaved vegetables, green chiles, turmeric, chile powder, yogurt, sugar, ginger paste, lemon juice, mint leaves and salt to grinded paste. Stir to combine.
- Heat oil in a skillet.
- Add cumin seed, mustard seed and sesame seeds. After they splutter, add asoefetida and curry leaves. Cook for 1 more minute.
- Add fruit salt/baking soda to batter and mix until just combined.
- Transfer to baking dish. Top with contents of the skillet.
- Put in oven. Bake for 40 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite chutney.
this is on my to-do for such a long time!!! you have made it so perfectly and beautifully mir!!! awesome!!
adding carrots is a good idea. I love the efforts you put to research and present, much more than we can do despite being local
you made it just like we gujju make. nicely done.
A great handvo! Loved the recipe and the beautiful pictures!
I know handvo goes for a huge list of ingredients and can see here, even i feel so lazy to make this but u rocked Mir, you have done them prefectly.
Good Afternoon Mireille, This Savoury Lentil Cake is really interesting. I have a lot of the ingredients, but I do not have asoefedida or chayote. If I missed these ingredients out of the dish, would it make a huge difference to the end result.
Best Wishes to you.
Daphne
you can simply add more carrots to replace the chayote and asoefetida is used to mimic the flavor of onion and garlic which many Indian strict vegetarians don't use. so you can use a little onion and garlic instead.
I once made the stove top method. Your baked version looks so yumm.
looks like a lot of work but worth it..
The handvo is the best of lentil cakes..the original rather the traditional one haste bottle gourd as the veggie,,,,but now people add all types of veggies..so this is more healthy and latest.
A very different handvo recipe than the one I have eaten. Looks really good.
That is one fabulous lentil cake Mir! Love it..
I considered this but found it a little complicated. Baked version looks great. And the pictures did come out good.
Its in my to do list since long time.You made it perfectly Mirelle..very well done.
Been on my to-do list for long ! I even bought the ready made mix but yet to try this ! Yours looks perfect , yes Indian vegetarian spread truly is innovative ;-))
Such a beautiful dish..I am yet to make this..Your has come out so well Mir..
I love all the different textures and spices in this dish Mir..yumm
This has been on my to do list for ages. Love the baked version Mir . Yum yum
So we finally get to see the post for the picture we have been talking about backstage 🙂
Handvo is one of the dishes that I've been planning to make for a long time. May be I can make it for next month's BM. Will try!!
My Gujarati friend makes handvo for me and we love it. I should try making some myself. Your look so good…
Handvo looks so yum.. You made it very tempting & tastily. I was planning on making it for a long time.