Handvo (vegetable and lentil cake)
This is a Gujarati dish that is both tasty and nutritious. One
needs to plan a day ahead for this dish. Even though the ingredients are
similar to the South Indian Adai the taste is very different. This can be eaten
as a snack or even a meal as it is sufficiently filling.
Ingredients
White rice – 1 cup
Chana dal – 1/2 cup
Tuvar dal – 1/4 cup
Urad dal – 2 tbsp
Yogurt – 1/2 cup
Green chillies – 2
Ginger – 1 tsp grated
Asafoetida – a pinch
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder – to taste
Salt – to taste
Bottle gourd – 1 cup grated
Carrots – 1 cup grated
Coriander – 2 sprigs chopped
For the tempering
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
Sesame seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 10
Dried red chilies – 2 (optional)
Asafoetida – a pinch
Oil – 3 tbsp
Soak the rice and dals for 4-5 hours and grind coarsely with the yogurt, green chillies and ginger, adding water as required to get an adai mavu like consistency. Add salt and leave outside to ferment for 8-10 hours. Grate the bottle gourd and carrots and add to the dough, along with chopped coriander, turmeric powder, chilli powder and asafoetida. You can use any other vegetables like cabbage, zucchini also.
Take a flat bottom kadai. Add the oil and pop the mustard seeds. Add cumin seeds, sesame seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves. When done, add the dough into the kadai. Flatten dough gently and be careful not to mix through the dough. Cover with a lid and keep in low flame for 15 mins or so till the sides of the dough are crisp and it starts separating from the kadai. Gently turn the dough over. I used a greased tava and turned the dough onto the tava and cooked using the tava on low flame till the dough was cooked through and through (check using a sharp knife to see if it comes out clean when inserted in the handvo). I also covered the handvo on the tava with the same kadai that I had cooked it in. After about 5-10 mins the handvo should be done. Carefully transfer to a plate and cut into wedges. Serve with any green chutney. Serves 3.