Monday, October 5, 2009

Handvo - Spiced Savoury Lentil Cake

,I love to cook from scratch - there I said it. In this world of convenience food and TV dinners, it may seem like a complete waste of time to do things from scratch, but I have to admit I like the whole process of shopping for the ingredients, getting them together and then creating something out of it.

I would be the first one to protest against spending a minute more than necessary in the kitchen on a daily basis. But as someone who loves cooking, there are times when you are in the kitchen by choice rather than by compulsion. Those are the times when I love to experiment and try new things, sample new flavours and play around with textures and tastes.

So, though I have made this "instant" handvo a lot of times and love the fact that it's so easy to rustle up a tasty breakfast, I always wanted to make the handvo from the traditional mix of whole grain flours. Well, thanks to my dear friend Arch, who has the delightful blog The Yum Factor, I got a goodish amount of the flour used to make handvo - straight from Ahmedabad. Her poor hubby was made to cart the flour along with drumsticks and fresh sweetcorn - the things we foodies do!! Hopefully the evening spent with us made up for the courier service :)

The handvo made this way is markedly different from the instant version, not to mention that it is that much more healthy because of the whole grain flour used. I added grated bottlegourd (dudhi/ghiya) and carrots as well as some of the fabulous sweet corn. I baked some of the batter (without the green chilli paste) in muffin tins, to send in my daughter's lunch box and she loved it! And the fact that it is baked makes it a must-have on my list atleast!

I followed the recipe from Arch and it turned out beautifully! Cut into squares and served with green chutney.

9 comments:

Finla said...

I have nev rhad anything like this looks so yumm.

Archana said...

Yaay !! I'm so glad it turned out well and you all liked it...S couldn't believe I packed drumsticks from here :) Muffins with this is a great idea, must try it when I run out of ideas for his lunch...Hey, a friend here told me she makes dhoklas with the same flour...will try it and let u know

Srivalli said...

wow Miri..I have been planning to make handvo for so long..yours look so inviting!

Kalyan Karmakar said...

is this similar to dhokla...very impressed in any case. looks like quite an endeavour. Makes a meat lover drool too

Miri said...

@knife - not exactly like dhokla, since dhokla is much more spongy in texture. Originally it's made on a skillet so it would be a bit crusty at the bottom and soft on the inside. In the oven, it gets a bit crusty on the top and bottom and soft inside.
Also, the veggies added to the batter make all the difference to taste.

Sig said...

This I've had at a friend's place! An all vegetarian dinner I really enjoyed! Thanks for the recipe, gotta try this sometime.

Vaishali said...

I have a real weakness for Gujju food and handvo is right on top of my list. Looks delicious, Miri.

Anonymous said...

We used to have Macaroni cheese quite often - before DS2 turned vegan. My 'traditional' UK version has a wee bit of English mustard in the cheese sauce to add a wee punch. I use a really sharp cheddar - extra mature cheddar.

I, too, sometimes add vegetables, eg cauliflower or broccoli florets. I lay sliced tomatoes on the top before baking in the oven.

Sowmya said...

Craving for carbs - nothing to beat the humble potato. Once when I got back from work ( maid was away alas) I just had to have something satisfying to eat. Leftover rice from the fridge was converted into lemon rice and potato was quickly cubed, and fried with salt, turmeric powder and pepper (yes the black pepper powder). My daughter loves this version of the potato. Takes 10 minutes to make this satisfying meal.