Handvo (or Handwa) has been one of the most requested recipes and we just had to oblige. It is a Gujarati recipe for an all-time favorite snack. Handva can be served at tea time and in India, tea-time can be anytime – morning, afternoon or evening! The recipe here is made using Lauki, but we can substitute other light vegetables (let’s leave that for another video). We have also made it in cupcake format, making it a cute presentation but it can be made in a tray and cut and served. These cute savory cakes, with a nutty Sesame Seed crust, served warm with some pickle…just one word — YUM!
Ingredients:
Long Grain Rice – 1 cup (200 gms)
Channa Daal – 1/4 cup (50 gms)
Toor Daal – 1/4 cup (50 gms)
Urad Daal – 1 heaping Tbsp
Yogurt – 1/2 cup (150 gms)
Green Chilies – 2 – 3 or to taste, finely chopped or ground
Ginger Paste – 2 tsp
Garlic Paste- 2 tsp (approx 3 large cloves)
Opo / Bottle Gourd/ Doodhi /Lauki – 1.5 cup, shredded and packed ( approx 12 oz)
Salt – 2 http://showmethecurry.com/2009/05/04/handvo-handwa/html or to taste
Ajwain – 1/2 tsp
Sugar – 2 tsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
Eno Fruit Salt – 1 tsp
Sesame Seeds – 2 Tbsp
Oil – 3 Tbsp (divided)
Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
Asafoetida (Hing) – 1/4 tsp
Red Chili Powder – 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves – few
Method:
1. Wash Rice and all Daals and soak them for at least 4-6 hours.
2. Drain water from Rice/Daal and coarsely grind them with Yogurt (if possible, do not add any additional water while grinding). Food processor or blender may be used.
3. In a medium size mixing bowl, add batter from above and mix in the following: Ginger, Garlic, Green Chilies, Salt, Sugar, Ajwain, Turmeric Powder and Doodhi/Lauki. Mix well.
4. In a small skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of Oil slightly. Add Curry Leaves and Red Chili Powder. Add this Oil mixture to the above batter and mix well.
5. Cover and let this batter rest for 6-7 hours or overnight (no need to refrigerate).
6. Add Eno Fruit Salt and mix well to make the batter foamy.
7. Divide batter into greased muffin pan or pour int a greased cake pan.
8. Sprinkle Sesame Seeds over the top of the batter.
9. In a small skillet, heat remaining 2 Tbsp Oil.
10. Add Mustard Seeds and let them pop. Switch off stove.
11. Add Asafoetida to the oil.
12. Drizzle this oil seasoning over the top of the sesame seeds.
13. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350F (180C) for 40 minutes.
14. Remove foil and broil on High for approx 10 minutes until a light golden crust forms.
15. Let the handvo rest for 10-15 minutes before eating.
Serves 6
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Healthy Guju snack, how to make farsan, how to make gujarati snacks
Please can you show how to make Tabra. I always get them wrong. They are made from besan.
NRP
I tried making this in mini cupcake pan. They came out so good and crispy. I did sesame seeds and rye after they were done though.Why do we have to cover with foil when we put tray in oven. Can we just leave without and put it? Loving your great recipes, Hetal and Anuja.
We cover it so that the insides cook evenly before the top it too browned.
Hello ladies,
Hope you both are doing good.
I tried this and it came out perfect.
Thanks for such a lovely receipe.
You both rock !!
Thanks again
Hi Bhavika,
Thank you for your support and feedback 🙂
Hey guys, just wanted to share a tip with you guys and fans…..
Did you know that if you move your muffin rack to the most top near the broiler then you can cut the broiling time down to 3-5 minutes rather than 10 mins. Broiling takes up a lot of energy and it is not good for the oven and of course electricity bills. I watched that on the food network channel. Thanks.
Hi Ladies,
Is it OK to use glass container (pyrex) to bake this?
If yes, at what temperature and how long?
Is it OK to broil on pyrex glass container. My container says ok for oven, but nothing about ‘broil’.
James
hai anuja &hetal
i donot have oven& have only microwave oven.so can you tell me can we preheat m.oven.what is broil.is this function is available in m.oven.my m.oven is a conventional mode 900 degree.can you tell me how to make handvo in m.oven please.
thank you.
Hi,
What is the broil function. I am from UK so do not have this on my oven.
hi anuja & hetal
i dont have oven to bake what is the option for than
Hi Hetal ,
Nice dish looks yummy
can we make handwo without oven?
need to add eno saly if we rest the batter overnight to ferment?
hi hetal,
I tried this handvo recipe and it came out well…can u suggest which chutney or else i can make with it…bcz alone it is very dry to eat.
Hi Nicky,
Usually you can have handwo with pickle or green (dhaniya or mint) chutney.
thanks dear….one request from my side, can u show some cake decorating ideas,tips and techniques.
thanks dear…one request from my side,can u show some cake decorating ideas,tips and techniques.
Hi
I tried this recipe today and it was just perfect. It reminded me of how my mom used to make.
Thanks for such a tasty recipe.
hi ,
i tried making it and was just yummy was just like mom makes
thanks a lot for this lovely recipe
Thanks again.
Hi, Hethal & Anuja,
SMTC is my most favorite site of all for great recipes.I have tried most of your recipes. I have tried Hando recipe also before, Came out wondefully.It was a big hit in my house.but my question is can we make it without the yogurt? can I use water unstead of yogurt?I really don’t want to sacrifice the taste(tangyness), is there any substitute?
You girls Rock!!!!! keep up the good work.
jyothi.
Hi Jyothi,
We have never tried making handwo without yogurt but it should work. You could add some lemon or lime juice for the tanginess. One thing to note: Yogurt is thicker than water so you may not need as much water. Also, the lemon juice will provide some of the liquid as well. Maybe you can try 1/2 batch to see if it works for you.
Thanks a lot for your quick reply. I am sure going to try this.
How much pre-ground handvo mix would I need to use if I want to save on time?
Thank you!
Hi Shail,
You can use the same amount of handwo mix as all of the dry ingredients put together (basically, 1 1/2 cups plus a tbsp).
really an awesome recipe……i will try it soon……..its lyk an indian muffins……THANXX……
Hi Hetal and Anuja
Do you know of a way to get Indian wheat berries (Sabut Gehun) in the US? I’d love to grind my own atta; I have found that while I like the wheat here in the US for breads, I don’t like it for rotis and I want the chapati flour. Any tips?
Loved the handwo recipe, I am not gujarati per se, but I grew up in Kathiawad (so I guess I am gujarati!) and love the food and recipes from there. My 5 yr old loves this handwa!
Dear Hetal n Anuja,
I loved your recipe…tried it out and friends loved it as well! The only thing is: one of my friends is allergic to Toor Dal. Any alternative? Which other dals can I substitute and in what quantity?
Love you guys!
Mena
hey these look like Indian muffins…I had a total picture of handvo in my mind…well..shall try this soon
If you use the store bought mixture, do you still have to soak for 6 hrs or more? Also, I thought that if you use ENO you can make it instantly…but its not true for this recipe, right?
Hi there,
By using the store bought mixture, you save on the pre-soaking (of the dals and rice) and the grinding steps. The fermentation time/process is still required.
Regarding the use of Eno – what you said usually works but we noticed that by doing both (fermenting + Eno), the Handvo is super soft and fluffy 🙂
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I just made handvo. I watched your video first. I love your tips like – add mirchi powder to warm oil not hot or else it will burn; crush the curry leaves so the aroma gets infused in the oil; also adding lemon juice to soda instead of Eno; and yes, sprinkle sesame seeds on top and adding hot oil w mustard to it- what a lovely idea! There are lots of recipes available on the net, but you guys stand out because of your enthusiasm, your timely tips and your health and economic considerations. Btw, the handvo turned out awesome. I used the rice-dal mix available in stores and added cabbage, dudhi (lauki) and carrots. Being a Gujju I added 2tsp sugar, lol. Thanks much.
Thanks Sejal for such lovely comments…it really makes our day! 🙂
Hello Anuja n Hetal!
I loved this recipe.When I had made it for the first time,I made exactly as the recipe shown here but ystrdy i added brown rice instead of white and it turned gr8..Thanks for ur recipe..
Hi Hetal and Anuja…
Hope u both are doing well….I just made handvo and oh my god!!!!!!!!!!! it just came out amazing….It has been 8 months since I came to australia and I was starving for gujarati food…I am soooo happy to find ur website…Keep up ur gr8 work…
Bye..tc
It looks yummy, can it be eaten like a snack
Hi MK,
Yes, handvo can be eaten as a snack. Some people have it for breakfast with tea or with afternoon tea.
Hi!
I wanted to know if I make handvo with the handvo flour available in the Indian store, how much flour I should take for this recipe.
Thanks.
Hi Kajal,
You can use 1 1/2 cups of the handwa mix for this recipe.
Hi Hetal,
Thanks for your quick reply. One more quick question do I also need to add water?
Thanks.
Water is not necessary. The yogurt and juice released from the dudhi should be enough.
Can I possible make a bunch and freeze them for an upcoming party? Please give me some suggestions. Keep up your great work. I love this site!!!
Hi Anika,
I’ve never tried freezing handwo but it stays well in the fridge for about a week. You can reheat in the microwave (sprinkle a little water and cover with a damp paper towel).
Hi
I tried ur recipe step by step and the recipe was a disaster…the middle layer remained very moist and uncooked…lot of waistage….
Hi Shilpa,
So sorry to hear about your handvo disaster :(. Sometimes, oven work differently but maybe next time (if you decide to try it again), do not cover it with the foil. We put the foil so that the top layer does not get too brown before the inside cooks, but in your case, it seems like you need it to dry out some. Also, maybe try half quantity so as not to waste so much. Good luck.
hi hetal and anuja
have tried ur veg biryani .we all loved it
this looks soooooooo yummy.wld love to try this…….but i dont have long grain basmathi rice can i use normal basmathi or jasmine rice?
thanx again
bye
Hi Arthi,
The basmati rice that you have will work fine (though we do not recommend jasmine rice). Basmati rice is mostly used for biryani and pulao because you are able to see the nice long grains and experience the flavor. Since basmati rice is more expensive than regular long grain rice, it is not cost effective to use it in recipes where you will be grinding it and would not be able to experience the texture or flavor.
hi hetal
thank u for ur quick reply.we live in macau ,i dont get any rice other than basmathi n jasmine rice.so i think i will go ahead n use basmathi.
thanx again
arthi
Can we use a not so deep loaf pan to bake the handavo?
Oh yes! That is how it is usually made! We just added a twist to it and made it in a muffin pan!
If I do not have ENO can I use Baking soda and if yes how much of it?
You can use about 2/3 – 3/4 tsp of baking soda with some lime or lemon juice (to taste).
Could I please have the recipe for Rai wara marcha?
Thanks,
If I were to use store bought hando mix, what qnt of mix should I use for the same recipi?
Thanks
Thanks Hetal. I will surely let you know whenever I will try it next( it will take a while though… 🙂 ). I tried ur Achari Bagan today…. they were awesome… they were somehow similar to kashmiri bringal( we do use fennel powder + ginger powder)….(BTW I am from Kashmir)
Rimjim
Hey, could you please let me know with mixer u use…. I want a good(inexpensive one…I mean not the ones..we get in costco for $400 or so)mixer..especailly for making my Dosa’s.
I will try Handvo over the weekend….:)
The blender we are using is made by Breville. It is slightly on the expensive side. Please visit our Kitchen Store at
https://34.233.61.50/catalog
We carry reasonably priced grinders that are great for Indian cooking.
Hi Hetal,
Thanks for your quick reply :). I searched for Blenders by Breville…Amazon do have them(I would like to have it from amazon , as I am having its gift card worth $150). I see there are lot of them….Could be please suggest me to go for which one, for making dosa especially.
BTW, one important thing, I tried Handvo…. it taste good(thanks for the gr8 receipe). My husband is Gujarati, and I am not…. but ur receipes makes me Gujarati 🙂 I even tried ur Khandvi..which turn out to be amazing. My hubby gave be 101/100. I have one question regarding the Handvo, why do we cover it with Almunium foil while banking. Also My handvo was very soft from inside(though it was very well cooked from inside), is it suppose to be like that? As I have nothing to compare it with…. as this was the first time I ever ate Handvo in my life
Thanks,
Rimjim
Hi Rimjim,
Our Breville model is 800BLXL. It was in the $300 range when we purchased it. It may have reduced in price now. It does grind dosa batter well, but you have to use it in one minutes increments (as with most blenders).
We cover the handvo to allow the inside to cook without the top layer to be burnt. If you found it to be too moist, you can try keep it open next time. We’d love to hear your feedback if you try it.
You can cook it uncovered but just check the cooking time (you may have to check few mins before the recommended time). I have done that many times. It gives very crispy brown edges (yummy) and the handwa is cooked on the inside also. I wanted to suggest that instead of the Breville blender, you can also purchase ultra pride wet grinder if you want it specifically for dosa batter. Its around $250 on innoconcepts.com.
Also, one more question – can one use a cast iron Paniharam maker instead of a muffin tray?
Does the paniharam maker go into the oven? If so, it should work fine. Be sure to grease it well. You could also make the handwo in a plain baking tray (cake pan) if you don’t have a muffin tray.
Thank you so much for the prompt respomse! Two stunning women who run a gorgeous site that adds a few pounds to your waist just looking at the food 🙂 & so prompt too in your responses… Thank you for being so generous, sharing the best of what you know and being kind enough to answer dozens of questions too….
Wwow! What a gorgeoue recipe.. Just one question before i try this – anyway at all to omit the Soda / Eno? It causes a lot of discomfort for me…..
Hi Prathibha,
Without the Eno/soda, the handwo tends to be a little dense, otherwise the taste is good.
hi
I tried your recipe, I cooked handvo around an hour, upside layer was well cooked and crispy, but It was raw from inside.What was wrong I dont know? do you have any idea?
thanks
When the handvo is taken out from the oven, the middle does seem to be undercooked. However, if you let it rest for some time, it will harden on it’s own. The only thing I can think of is that your oven temperature may be varied.
is it nedessory to cover with foil while baking?
Hi Alka,
We’ve not tried it without covering. Since it is baking for a while, covering would allow it to cook inside without the outside drying out. Anyway, the last part is to brown the top. If you try it without covering, please let us know how it works for you.
very nice recipe. excellent work. god bless to both of you to sharing such wonderfull recipe.
Great Recipe Anuja and Hetal!!!
I am a handva lover… with limited time to cook! Instead of the daals (which I admit is a great source of protein!) use rava(sooji) – and sneak grated potatoes,peas, spinach, carrots even tofu for my kids who hate veggies… Comes out yummy!
Try serving this with mint(pudina chutney) and tomato ketchup the taste is amazing!
Hi Satya,
Wow, handvo with sooji…we’ve never tried that before. Sounds interesting and a big time saver for sure! Thanks for sharing.
hi gals
wow wow and wow looks really yummy
thanks for d lovely recipe,
my handva dosn’t come out very easily from baking tray like yours why? I grease baking sheet even though handvo sticks in the tray, do you have any solution for this?
another question – there are so many stains on my backing tray, I wash it using bleach but still there, your trays look very clean and like new one how come?
which company’s backing tray do you use?
i requested for handva recipe and I also requested for athela marcha, to athela marcha kyare khavdavso?I know it’s easy to make but mane nathi avdatu ne shu karu… to jaldi jaldi banavo
thanks
Hi Niky,
Usually, the darker baking trays resist stains better than the lighter ones. However, it’s almost impossible to keep the stains completely off. We greased our tray with cooking spray and the handvo just popped out without any effort. Try using a spray instead of oiling it by hand next time.
And…athela marcha list ma lakhisu pan list bau lambu che to thodi var thase. Hopefully, you’ll be patient :).
hi dear
thanks for the quick reply
i wil try cooking spray n wil let u know
could u please tell me which company’s muffin tray and baking tray is good?
thanks
The Food Network brand is really very good. It is a little expensive, but it is very sturdy and heavy weight. It’s better than spending a little less and having to throw them away so often.
thanks
Hi Hetal,
I made your recipe of handvo with adding carrots, cabbage and methiya sambhar in it. I must say its awesome. However, there is something with greasing that I noticed and would like to share- the first time i did was in a glass baking dish and I greased with cooking spray-came out just perfectly. Next time, i greased with regular oil in the same pan, bottom was stuck pretty well and did not come out at all, but i scraped to my hearts content to get that roasted brown bottom 🙂 Today i made it in metal cake pan with cooking spray and it came out super easy as well noticed that it gets brown very well and better than glass baking dish. I would suggest to use cooking spray than regular oil for greasing and metal pan is the way to go….but handvo with your recipe was awesome by every means, i did not have curry leaves but still it was very good.
Also, i noticed that the top layer gets dry when i am cooking it uncovered. i tried as you suggested with foil over the pan, but it did not cook in your prescribed time, any suggestions that could help me regarding this ?
thanks
Urvi
Thanks for the info on the spray…very interesting. As every oven is different, you have to do a trial and error before coming up with exact times. You may want to cover it for the first part and remove the cover to finish the baking.
Wow……such an awesome recipe and presentation is too good..
keep rocking ladies…
Hi Hetal/Anuja
Feel good to see a Gujju Recipe 🙂
We can add crushed corn and green peas to Handva. It will make it more healthy and tasty. I always do this while making Handva. Crushed Tuver Lilva is another good option to make variation in this.
You are doing really nice job ! keep it up…
Hi Chaitali,
Thanks for the suggestions…they sound yummy!
Hi,
I am definitely going to try this. I love gujrati snacks. I had once tried something called bakarwadi, it was delicious. I learnt that its very difficult to make. Is it really difficult or you girls can teach the easy way of doing it 😉 I would love to make that also. Thanks for your wonderful recipes and your effort in sharing those with us.
This looks good. I also request u the recipe of Daal Bati.
hi anuja and hetal,
thanks for the great receipe,i am planning to use lemon juice and baking powder instead of eno salt.
how may teaspoons of lime juice is required?
You can use 1/2 tsp of baking soda with about 1 Tbsp of lemon juice (you can add more lemon juice if you want — some people like handvo on the tangy side).
thanks for the prompt reply 🙂
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
Thanks again for a really tasty recipe. What I love about your recipe is that it has very little oil. Most Handwa recipe requires abundance of oil. I will definitely try yours.
What my mom does is make a dry bulk of the Handwa mix (rice, channa, toor and urad dal) in a Kitchen Aid grinder. So, whenever she wants to make it, she takes however much she needs and soak it in little bit of water(if required) and add all the other ingredients (like yours) and sets it aside before baking. Basically, The pre grinding of the rice, channa, toor and urad dal saves a lot of time.
Thanks again for a great recipe and I am also requesting UNDHIYU recipe.
Hi Pinal,
Yes, the pre-ground mix is really a big time saver. You can find it in the Indian stores as well. We showed it this way so that everyone can use what is in their pantry and is a little more economical.
Hi Hetal,
Thanks for the quick reply. I come from a family where my mom has made EVERYTHING from scratch and that’s the way I have been taught and prefer. I take a lot of pride in making things at home as I’m sure you do too. Yes, it is more economical and healther and for a career oriented busy family, many times pre-made mixes come in handy, like your roti and punjabi masala in bulk.
Thanks.
Hello Ladies,
That looks yummy! Dudhi works best but sometimes I put methi leaves/cabbage/onions/peas basically any vegetable on hand.
I was wondering can we make the same on deep tava instead of baking?
Hi Mona,
We’ve never made handvo in a tava but would imagine that the bottom would burn before the middle gets a chance to cook (because it’s so thick).
yes you can make it in tava as an uthappam. handvo and south indian adai have same ingredients adai is made in a tawa and onions instead of lauki and no fermentation
hi mona
u can make handvo in a nonstick pan, on low flame so for that- on mid-high flame take 1tspn oil in nonstick pan and pour the batter then cover it with lid now turn flame to low then let it cook for few mins after that turn that to another side(u should be very careful) and let it cook for another few minutes, then insert knife or toothpick if it comes out clear tht means ur handva is ready.
handva’s thickness should me quite more thicker than veg. uttapama.
sorry i forgot to write that u can also make handvo around 2-3 inch thicker or also like veg.uttapama…
Yes! You can make it in a tawa/fry pan. just make thinner layer. ALSO, reduce heat after pouring the batter and cover itwith a lid. The after it is browned on one side, flip and cook it on other side. If you like crispy handvo, do i on a fry pan.
Yes.!
You can make Handwo on a non stick tava and cover it.. The only diff between the haandwo cooked in oven (baked) and the one in non stick pan is.. the handwo cooked in non stick pan pulls in a lot of oil, to get the nice reddish brown layer.
Wow!! this looks yummy!! I am not a Gujrathi but I loveeee gujrathi food… Request you if you could also put up a recipe of SURTI UNDHIYO….I once had it at my friend’s place…It was the most yummy vegetable dish I ever had…I suppose it is also a lot of hard work to make Undhiyo…but I am sure it will be worth the effort.. Looking forward to it!!
Thanks so much!
That looks really yum!! Will definately try this one!! 🙂 Thank you lovely ladies!! It’s soo refreshing to see a new post of yours on a Monday morning! 🙂