Craving something savory? Try out this Indian savory cake!
Of the dozens of savory cake options out there to satisfy my savory-tooth, handvo is, hands down, my (and my Dad’s) favorite. Why? 1) It’s made with inexpensive, easy-to-find ingredients. 2) Its leavened via fermentation (no bakers yeast, starter or eggs required). Also, 3) the process of fermentation reduces phytates and helps maximize our absorption of the nutrients in the brown rice and split-lentils(dal) that are the foundation of this dish. Of course, what really ‘takes the cake’ is that handvo is 4) dang delicious (with or without vegetables) and, when made in just the right way, has a 5) moist-yet-not-dense texture.
Traditionally made using yogurt, this dairy-free handvo skips the yogurt culture altogether in favor of overnight fermentation. So, you can have handvo whether you’re gluten free, plant-based and vegan, allium free (no onions, no garlic), soy free, corn free, nut free, nightshade free…or not!
Handvo batter is multi-purpose and awesome to have on-hand to make quick weekday meals. This is easy to do since plain batter (without ginger or vegetables) can last for 4+ weeks in the fridge! I’ll be posting other ways to transform refrigerated handvo batter in the coming weeks.
A few more points: making handvo with a moist-yet-not-dense texture can be tricky. If you like a more dense handvo, feel free to eye-ball the ingredients in this recipe and leave your measuring cups and spoons to the side. If you prefer a moist-yet-not-dense handvo texture, then this will take some diligence when measuring ingredients. Either way you choose, handvo tastes best when served immediately since it has a tendency to dry out with time.
Let’s begin! Jump to Recipe
Prepare the Fermented Batter
Combine the urad, rice and toor dal in a large bowl. Rinse and soak overnight, 6-to-8 hours. The dal and rice mixture will roughly double in size during this time.
Strain and rinse. Add to a blender and grind into a coarse puree using only as much water as needed, 2 cups.
Return the coarse puree to the large bowl. Cover and let ferment overnight, about 8-12 hours. This can also be done in about 7-9 hours in the Instant Pot under the Yogurt setting. The fermented batter will increase in size and perhaps even develop a ‘skin’ on top but should remain the same color and develop a slightly pungent/sour aroma.
Note: Fermentation times will vary depending on the soak time for the rice-lentil mixture, temperature, humidity, etc. It can happen sooner than 8 hours or in about 24 hours. Just keep checking on it and stirring every 8 hours or so to make sure it’s moving in the right direction.
Add the Handvo Spices and Oil
Combine the oil, celery seeds, sugar and salt, to taste. Add turmeric and freshly minced/zested ginger. Mix to combine. If you like grated vegetables in your handvo, mix them in during this step.
Note: Fresh ginger and grated veggies will increase the water content of the batter. More water = more dense handvo. *However* since handvo naturally dries out with time, if your handvo does come out more moist that you expect, let it sit for a few hours until it reaches your desired consistency. Gently heat and serve.
Prepare the Vagar
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small pan until shimmering. Add mustard seeds and a dry red chili pepper (optional). Once the mustard seeds start popping, add curry leaves and sesame seeds (optional). Saute for a few seconds more and remove from heat.
Note: The sesame seeds can be combined with the mustard seeds in the vagar, or fried in oil separately, or used as a topping once the handvo batter has been poured into a greased/floured pan, or omitted altogether. You can’t go wrong whichever way you choose, in my opinion.
Cook the Handvo
Option 1: Soft crust Handvo (shown above)
To make a soft-crusted handvo, stir the vagar into the batter before pouring into the greased/floured pan. I used a 9″ springform pan here.
Cover with foil and bake at 450F for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake at 400F until the handvo pulls away from the edges of the pan, about 30 minutes.
Option 2: Crispy, crunchy crust Handvo
To make a crispy-crusted handvo, pour the batter into a greased/floured pan and top with the vagar, pouring the oil mixture using a circular motion. Use a spoon or spatula to swirl it over the whole surface.
Cover with foil and bake at 450F for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake at 400F until the handvo pulls away from the edges of the pan, about 30 minutes. Brush another tablespoon of oil onto the surface and broil for 3-5 minutes until the crust achieves the desired brown color.
Let rest / cool for 10 minutes and…
Serve!
We enjoy it with achar, jam, chutney…cream cheese…pretty much any condiment 🙂
Handvo
Ingredients
Fermented Handvo Batter
- 1/2 cup urad dal
- 1 cup toor dal
- 2 cups brown rice
- 2 cups water Plus more for soaking
Handvo Spices and Oil
- 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger or more, to taste
- 1/4 tsp celery seeds or more, to taste
- 1 tsp turmeric to taste
- 4-1/2 tbsp oil
- 3 tsp salt to taste
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1-2 cups grated vegetables Optional. cabbage, bottle gourd are commonly used.
Vagar
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tsp white sesame seeds (optional)
- dry red chili
- curry leaves
Instructions
- Prepare the Fermented Handvo Batter. Combine the toor, urad dals (split lentils) and rice in a large mixing bowl. Rinse until the water runs clear. Soak in 2-3x as much water overnight or for about 6 hours.
- Strain and rinse the dal(split lentil)-rice mixture. Blend into a coarse, cake-batter consistency using only as much water as absolutely needed. I usually require about 2 cups of water to do this in a high powered blender.
- Transfer the blended batter to a large mixing bowl and cover. Let ferment overnight or about 12 hours, stirring every 6-8 hours. This step can also be done in an Instant Pot under the Yogurt setting.
- Fermented batter will have the same color as the original batter but will have a slightly pungent aroma and fluffy texture. Combine the Handvo Spices and Oil and any grated vegetables into the Fermented batter.
- Prepare the Vagar. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a pan at medium heat until it shimmers. Add the dry red chili pepper and mustard seeds. Saute until the seeds begin to pop. Add the sesame seeds and curry leaves and cook for another 10 seconds. Remove from heat and set to the side.
- To create a soft-crusted handvo mix the vagar into the batter and pour into a greased/floured pan (I use tapioca starch for flouring the pan but you can use any flour you like). To create a crispy-crusted handvo, pour the batter into a greased/floured pan and pour the vagar on top in a circular motion. Use a spatula or spoon to swirl it over the whole surface, being careful not to scrape the flour off the edge of the pan.
- Cover with foil or a heat-safe lid and bake at 450F for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and let bake at 400F until the handvo pulls away from the edges and an inserted knife comes out clean, about 30 minutes. To get optimal crispiness, spread another tablespoon of oil onto the handvo crust, broil for another 2-5 minutes and remove from heat, being careful not to burn the the crust.
- Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve with jam, chutney, achar/athanu, cream cheese, etc.
Notes
Tried this recipe or just have something fun to share? I’d love to hear about it. 🙂
