Handvo and Khandvi - 2 must-know Indian gujarati recipes

I thought I'd start off with 2 brilliant gujarati recipes that even native gujaratis find hard to master. Gujarat is a huge state on the west coast of India, with a large variety of tasty and spicy food. Each part of India has a unique flavour and taste associated with its cooking style, and Gujarat is no different. Here I talk about two delicious recipes that are sure to hit on the right note with your culinary appeals, no matter what region of the world you belong to!!


Handvo (Baked lentil cake)

Ingredients
vegetables of your choice: bottle gourd, carrot, cabbage,peas, tuver(u can get it in indian store in frozen foods section), coriander
green chillies finely chopped
3 cups buttermilk
3 tsp soda bi-carb
1 tsp each urad and channa dal
Spices: 1 tsp each cumin and mustard seeds, 4-5 tbsp oil, salt to taste
You can use the Handva Mix that you get in all indian grocery stores, or you can make the batter at home by grinding together1 cup rice and 1 cup yellow moong dal

Method
Take butter milk in a large vessel. Add salt, soda and flour and mix well. Keep aside for 6-7 hours. Grate bottle gourd or carrot and squeeze out excess water. Add the veggies, coriander and green chillies. Heat oil in a pan, add urad & channa dals, and the cumin and mustard seeds. Allow to splutter, pour half in the batter and mix thoroughly. Put in a greased oven proof deep container. Pour remaining seasoning on top. Place in a preheated oven at 280oC for 10 minutes. Reduce to 200 C or 180 C for 40 minutes or till done. Check by inserting a skewer, which should come out clean. Slice into wedges and serve hot.

You can even make individual pancake-type portions in a covered cook-top sauce pan instead of the oven. This is best served with Green chutney or tamarind chutney and masaledar Indian tea!!!


Khandvi

Ingredients
1 cup gramflour
1 cup sour yoghurt
3 cups water
Spices: 2 tsp ginger-chopped, 2 green chillies, 1/2 tsp salt, a pinch asafoetida(hing), a pinch of turmeric powder,
For the tarka: 1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 2-3 whole red chillies, 8-10 curry leaves, 2 tbsp coriander leaves-chopped, 1/2 cup coconut-grated

Method
Put gramflour in a deep, heavy based pan. Grind the ginger and green chillies together to a paste and add to a pan. Mix-in the chilli powder, salt, asafoetida and turmeric. Gradually add the yoghurt, stirring continuously to make a smooth and lump-free paste.Add water and place pan over high flame. Bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Continue stirring in the same clock-wise or anti-clockwise direction, otherwise you'll end up in making lumps in the batter. Keep doing this till you reach a paste-like consistency, adjusting the flame to avoid scorching. The mixture splatters a lot, so be careful. Now take a spatula and spread the mixture on an un-greased surface in thin layers and leave it to cool. When cool, cut this layer into strips of your wish. Roll up each strip like a scroll, as firmly as you can, without breaking them, and arrange on to a serving dish. Heat oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds, curry leaves and whole red chillies. Stir a few times, then sprinkle over the rolls, alongwith coriander and coconut and serve hot!!