Handvo

Follow the recipe discussed in the techniques page to make the handvo batter. The recipe below is for the batter made in the proportion- 3 cups of rice : 1 and a 1/2 cup of udad daal. This serves two.

Ingredients from the local grocery store:

1. Bottle gourd(most preferable). In case you do not get this ingredient, you can try this combination: onions, carrots, spring onions
2. Ginger/garlic paste
3. Chopped green chillies (as per taste)
4. Vegetable oil/Canola oil/olive oil/cooking butter
5. Mustard/sesame seeds
6. Salt
7. Cloves (as per taste)
8. Chopped cilantro/coriander leaves (1 cup)

Ingredients from the Indian market:

1. Curry leaves (optional)
2. Coriander powder
3. Cumin powder
4. Asafoetida

You will also need:

1. A cooker
2. A mixing bowl to combine the batter and ingredients.
3. A rice serving spoon
4. Grater (Indian vessel to manually grate) /Mixer

Method:

1. Grate (preferable)/puree bottle gourd. In case you want to try something else, try this combination: grate/puree carrots and finely chop onions and spring onions. The proportion of the vegetables to the batter should be 1:2.
2. Add the vegetable(s) to the handvo batter.
3. To the batter, add salt, ginger/garlic paste (3 tablespoons), chopped chillies, chopped cilantro, cumin powder (1 tablespoon), coriander powder(2 tablespoons) and 1 tablespoon oil.
4. Mix well - preferably with hand.
5. Take the cooker base and heat it in a medium flame
6. Add oil (5 tablespoons), mustard seeds and cloves.
7. Once the mustard seed stop popping, add sesame seeds and curry leaves(optional).
8. Add the handvo batter to the tempering. Do not stir.
9. Cover the cooker with the cooker lid. Cover the whistle with a katori. Ensure that the cooking is done on a medium flame.
10. Check the cooking status every 15 minutes. After a while, you will see the dough rise (like a cake) is no longer in the liquid state.
11. Take the rice serving spoon and scrape the edges of the handvo from the cooker.
12. Slowly, push the spoon towards the bottom and scrape the bottom part of the handvo.
13. Transfer the handvo in a plate.
14. Now, you need to cook the upper part of the handvo. So reverse the side and place it in the cooker.
15. Cook for another 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes of cooling, you can relish the handvo. For best results, try with butter milk as a side drink. You can also eat it with ketchup/green chutney.