Gujarati Bottle-Gourd Handvo

An oven-baked Gujarati savoury cake made from fermented rice and mixed lentils, bottle gourd and carrot, with a crisp mustard-sesame tempering.

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Kitchen Handi editorial adaptation for a home oven. Gujarat Tourism describes Handavo as a savoury baked cake of rice, lentils and vegetables, often bottle gourd, seasoned with ginger and green chilli and tempered with mustard, sesame and dried chilli (https://www.gujarattourism.com/gujarati-cuisines/handavo.html). Swasthi Shreekanth's detailed home method was used to cross-check soaking, coarse grinding, fermentation, vegetable mixing and oven doneness (https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/handvo/). The quantities and beginner cues are Kitchen Handi's original adaptation and it is not kitchen-tested. The recorded preparation time includes five hours of soaking, eight hours of fermentation and about thirty minutes of active work. Cool leftovers promptly; refrigerate within two hours, or within one hour above 32°C, at 4°C or below, and use within three to four days (https://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/prevent-illness-c-perfringens).

Ingredients

• 200 g short-grain rice or idli rice (rinsed until the water is nearly clear)
• 60 g split chickpeas (chana dal) (picked over and rinsed)
• 40 g split pigeon peas (toor dal) (picked over and rinsed)
• 30 g split husked black gram (urad dal) (picked over and rinsed)
• 30 g split yellow mung dal (picked over and rinsed)
• 120 g plain full-fat yogurt (not flavoured or sweetened)
• 180 ml water (for grinding; begin with 120 ml and add only as needed)
• 300 g bottle gourd (lauki or dudhi) (peeled, seeded if mature and coarsely grated)
• 100 g carrot (peeled and coarsely grated)
• 15 g fresh ginger (peeled and finely grated)
• 2 green chillies (finely chopped; reduce for a milder cake)
• 20 g fresh coriander leaves (finely chopped)
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda (stir in only immediately before baking)
• 3 tbsp neutral vegetable oil (1 tbsp for the pan and 2 tbsp for tempering)
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp white sesame seeds (divided)
• 12 fresh curry leaves (washed and dried thoroughly)
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)

Step-by-step method

1. Put the rice and all four dals in a large bowl. Rinse three or four times until the water is nearly clear, cover with plenty of fresh water and soak for 5 hours. The grains should swell and break easily when pressed; drain them completely.
2. Transfer the drained grains to a blender. Add the yogurt and 120 ml of the measured water. Blend in batches to a thick, slightly coarse batter: tiny grainy flecks should remain. Add the remaining measured water a tablespoon at a time only if the blades cannot turn; do not make a pourable dosa batter.
3. Scrape the batter into a clean bowl with room for it to rise, cover loosely and leave for about 8 hours in a mildly warm place, ideally 24–28°C. It is ready when slightly risen, bubbly and pleasantly tangy. If it develops coloured patches or an unpleasant rotten smell, discard it. Refrigerate a fully risen batter if you are not baking immediately.
4. When ready to bake, heat the oven to 180°C conventional or 160°C fan. Grease the base and sides of a 23 cm round metal cake tin with 1 tablespoon of the oil and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the sesame seeds across the base.
5. Add the grated bottle gourd and carrot to the fermented batter without squeezing away all their moisture. Stir in the ginger, green chillies, coriander, turmeric, chilli powder, salt and lemon juice. The batter should fall slowly from a spoon; if it has become watery, rest it for 5 minutes rather than adding unlisted flour.
6. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and cover briefly until their popping slows. Add the cumin, remaining sesame seeds and the completely dry curry leaves; stir for 20–30 seconds. Turn off the heat, add the asafoetida and stand back from any splutter.
7. Pour about two-thirds of the warm tempering into the batter and mix evenly. Sprinkle the baking soda over the surface and fold gently for 20–30 seconds only, until no dry patch remains. Pour immediately into the prepared tin, level without pressing and spoon the remaining tempering over the top.
8. Bake on the middle rack for 40–45 minutes. The handvo is done when the top is deep golden, the edges pull slightly from the tin and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out without wet batter. If the top browns before the centre sets, cover loosely with foil for the final 10 minutes.
9. Rest the baked handvo in the tin for 10 minutes so the crumb can set. Run a thin knife around the edge, turn it out carefully and place it sesame-side up. If the base looks pale, return the unmoulded handvo to a tray for 5 minutes in the switched-off hot oven.
10. Cut into six wedges and serve warm. Chutney, pickle, yogurt or tea may be offered separately, but they are not included in the ingredient quantities or timing. Cool any extra wedges promptly before covering and refrigerating.