Handvo is a traditional Gujarati tea-time snack. It is a spiced savoury cake made with a fermented rice and lentil batter. Known in Kathiyawad as ondhwo.
Warm handvo and masala chai made with Gujarati chai masala is a match made in heaven!
As a child, I always looked forward to the day handvo was made — the unmistakeable smell of it baking in the oven always took over the whole house! I’d be waiting at least a couple of days too, since making handvo is a slow process — the prep starts well in advance and takes its sweet time.
The preparation takes some effort but the overall recipe is relatively easy. First, the rice and lentils need to be soaked overnight, then ground the next day to create a batter. This batter is left to ferment for another night until risen almost double in size.
The batter is then flavoured with spices, topped with a tempering and baked until spongy.
We tend to add in grated bottle gourd which keeps the handvo moist. Some even add in mixed vegetables however it is worth noting that authentic Gujarati handvo does not contain mixed vegetables.
Struggling to ferment batter during colder months? Try this Instant Pot Handvo Batter approach for consistent results.
Ingredients
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
Handvo flour mix
- Rice – short grain rice works better than basmati rice.
- Mixed dal (toor and chana dal)
- Jowar, green moong dal and urad dal (optional)
- Sour yogurt – use low fat yogurt
- Salt to taste
You can also purchase handvo no lot from Indian grocery stores and this can save you time and effort.
Spices and vegetables
- Dudhi – (grated bottle gourd). Optionally use courgette (zucchini). You could also add grated carrots.
- Fresh methi (optional)
- Methi achar masala (optional but highly recommend for unique flavour)
- Red chilli powder, turmeric and ground cumin coriander powder
- Ginger and green chillies crushed
- Lemon juice
- Sugar
- Fresh coriander leaves
- Soda bi carb or Eno
Vaghar (tempering)
- Oil
- Mustard seeds and cumin seeds
- Hing
- Sesame seeds
- Curry leaves
- Cinnamon bark and whole clove
Tips
- Traditional Handvo uses a mixture of rice and lentils (toor dal, chana dal, urad dal). Soak for at least 6 hours, then grind coarsely for texture.
- Ferment the batter overnight for authentic, tangy flavour.
- Add moisture-rich vegetables such as grated bottle gourd.
- Use oil generously in the tempering for better flavour and the perfect handvo crust.
- Do not overfill your tin with handvo batter as it will burn outside and remain undercooked in the centre.
- I have used an angel cake tin (fluted cake tin) to allow better heat circulation to the middle of the handvo. This ensures even cooking throughout. However, a square tin works fine too.
- Bake on low heat to prevent burning.
- To check the handvo is baked, skewer with a toothpick in the centre which should come out clean.
- Let it rest for a few minutes after baking before cutting to help it set.
Storage
Handvo should be stored in an airtight container as soon as it cools and kept refrigerated for up to 2 days. Handvo quickly dries out so I recommend eating it on the day it is made. Reheat in the microwave until warm or in the oven on low heat. If it has dried out, gently sprinkle over some water to revive it.
You can freeze handvo for 3 months. First slice the handvo then store in a freezer safe container. Allow to defrost at room temperature then reheat before serving.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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Handvo (Gujarati Lentil Cake)
Equipment
- Blender
- oven
- Baking tin I used angel cake tin
Ingredients
Handvo flour Mix
- 2 cup short grain rice
- 1 cup chana dal
- ½ cup toor dal
- ½ cup urad dal white
- 1 cup sour yogurt
Spices and Vegetables
- 2 cup dudhi peeled and grated
- 1 tablespoon methi achar masala optional but highly recommended for unique flavour
- 2 tablespoon red chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoon ground cumin coriander powder
- 2 tablespoon green chillies crushed
- 1 tablespoon ginger crushed
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda or eno
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup coriander leaves
Vaghar (Tempering)
- ½ cup oil
- 2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon hing
- 1 inch cinnamon bark optional
- 4-5 cloves optional
- 2 sprig curry leaves
Topping
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
Instructions
Handvo flour mix
- Clean, wash and soak rice and all the lentils and soak for at least 6-8 hours.
- Once soaked discard all the water and grind both in a grinder until you get a coarse mixture. Do not grind down until smooth.
- Transfer handvo mixture into a big pan, add sour yogurt.
- Mix very well and leave to ferment in a warm place (25℃) for at least 8 hours. You will see the batter double in size.
Handvo
- Once you are ready to prepare handvo, pre heat oven to gas mark 4 – 170℃/320℉.
- Mix all the spices, masala, and grated dudhi.
- Add achar masala and mix well.
- If the batter is too thick add a few tablespoons of water.
- Now prepare the vaghar by heating oil in a small pan.
- Add mustard and cumin seeds, cinnamon and cloves and hing. Once the seeds crackle, add curry leaves.
- Pour a few spoons of vaghar on to baking tray, and mix half in the handva batter.
- Add bicarbonate of soda and lemon juice and mix but do not over mix.
- Then pour handvo batter into the baking tray and pour remaining vaghar on top.
- Generously sprinkle sesame seeds and bake handvo for 45-50 minutes in the pre heated oven or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Allow the handvo to cool in the tray for 10-12 minutes and then cut into pieces.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Note – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with a new, improved recipe, new images and content. First published in January 2016.
Handvo (Gujarati Lentil Cake)
Equipment
- Blender
- oven
- Baking tin I used angel cake tin
Ingredients
Handvo flour Mix
- 2 cup short grain rice
- 1 cup chana dal
- ½ cup toor dal
- ½ cup urad dal white
- 1 cup sour yogurt
Spices and Vegetables
- 2 cup dudhi peeled and grated
- 1 tablespoon methi achar masala optional but highly recommended for unique flavour
- 2 tablespoon red chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoon ground cumin coriander powder
- 2 tablespoon green chillies crushed
- 1 tablespoon ginger crushed
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda or eno
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup coriander leaves
Vaghar (Tempering)
- ½ cup oil
- 2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon hing
- 1 inch cinnamon bark optional
- 4-5 cloves optional
- 2 sprig curry leaves
Topping
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
Instructions
Handvo flour mix
- Clean, wash and soak rice and all the lentils and soak for at least 6-8 hours.
- Once soaked discard all the water and grind both in a grinder until you get a coarse mixture. Do not grind down until smooth.
- Transfer handvo mixture into a big pan, add sour yogurt.
- Mix very well and leave to ferment in a warm place (25℃) for at least 8 hours. You will see the batter double in size.
Handvo
- Once you are ready to prepare handvo, pre heat oven to gas mark 4 - 170℃/320℉.
- Mix all the spices, masala, and grated dudhi.
- Add achar masala and mix well.
- If the batter is too thick add a few tablespoons of water.
- Now prepare the vaghar by heating oil in a small pan.
- Add mustard and cumin seeds, cinnamon and cloves and hing. Once the seeds crackle, add curry leaves.
- Pour a few spoons of vaghar on to baking tray, and mix half in the handva batter.
- Add bicarbonate of soda and lemon juice and mix but do not over mix.
- Then pour handvo batter into the baking tray and pour remaining vaghar on top.
- Generously sprinkle sesame seeds and bake handvo for 45-50 minutes in the pre heated oven or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Allow the handvo to cool in the tray for 10-12 minutes and then cut into pieces.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Dudhi na Thepla are a Gujarati flatbread made with grated bottle gourd, whole wheat flour and basic spices.
Plain thepla are a staple in Gujarati cuisine and are much loved due to their versatility. Thepla can be served with a cup of tea for breakfast, with a shaak for lunch or dinner and are even easy to transport as they keep well.
There are many flavour variations too such as methi na thepla and oats jowar methi thepla.
In my family we enjoy theplas with either masala chai or adarak wali chai .
My Mum prepares these dudhi thepla in the summer when dudhi is in season. Grated dudhi adds a delicious flavour, texture and moistness to thepla.
Other dudhi recipes we make are dudhi muthiya , dudhi bateta nu shaak , dudhi khichdi and dudhi halwa .
Ingredients
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
- Whole wheat atta aka chapati flour. You can also use this multigrain atta which combines 6 different grains.
- Dudhi – grated. Alternatively use grated courgette.
- Yogurt – any plain yogurt will work.
- Green chilli and ginger – crushed
- Spices – turmeric powder, red chilli powder, ajwain, sesame seeds.
- Coriander
- Besan
- Sugar (optional)
- Salt
- Oil – needed for the dough and to shallow fry the thepla.
Farali Dudhi Thepla
To make these suitable for Hindu fasting, use farali atta instead of whole wheat atta. Farali atta is easy to purchase from Indian grocery stores. Perfect for Navratri or for any vrat days.
Serve with farali potato bhaji or farali aloo .
Recipe Tips
These are my Mum’s tips for the best dudhi na thepla.
- Grate dudhi using a fine grater with small holes or extra fine food processor shredding plate. This helps to roll thepla without tearing in the middle and edges.
- We saute shredded dudhi in a pan for a couple of minutes before adding it to the flour, to remove extra moisture from it. Wilted dudhi helps to roll the dough better.
- If possible, knead the dough without water and add water as needed.
- Keep the ratio 2:1 of flour to dudhi.
- Besan helps to soak up the moisture from the lauki, and provides elasticity to the dough.
- The dough should be semi stiff and rested for at least 15 minutes before rolling.
- Thepla thickness should be on the thinner side, just a little thicker than traditional Gujarati rotli.
- Shallow fry theplas on a medium to high flame to keep them soft.
Serving Suggestion
Serve dudhi na thepla as they are with extra yogurt or cucumber raita or fruit raita on the side. Gujarati athanu such as keri no chundo or raiti gor keri athanu will also go wonderfully.
To make them a more filling meal, pair with sukhi bhaji , aloo tamatar or sev tameta nu shaak .
Storage
Store dudhi thepla in an airtight container. They will remain fresh at room temperature for 1 day but to store any longer they must be refrigerated.
Dudhi thepla can be frozen. Roll the dough into a circle then place in between layers of parchment paper. The thepla can be cooked on the tavi directly from frozen.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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Dudhi Na Thepla (Lauki Thepla)
Equipment
- grater
- Rolling Pin
- Griddle
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup bottle gourd dudhi peeled and grated
- 2 cup wheat flour + for rolling
- 3 tablespoon besan
- 1 tablespoon green chilli paste
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar optional
- 3 tablespoon oil for moin
- 3 tablespoon yogurt
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½ teaspoon carom seeds ajwain
- 6 teaspoon oil to shallow fry
Instructions
- In a frying pan heat 1/2 teaspoon oil, add grated dudhi and saute for a couple of minutes without getting brown.
- In a big mixing bowl add besan and wheat flour, mix in sauteed dudhi.
- Next add turmeric, red chilli powder, ajwain, sesame seeds, coriander, salt, 3 tablespoon oil,chilli-ginger and sugar.
- Combine everything then add yogurt, bring everything together using your hands.
- First knead the dough without using water, but if you think water is needed, add a tablespoon of water at a time.
- Knead a semi-stiff but pliable dough, cover with clean kitchen towel and rest for 15 minutes.
- Take a few drops of oil in your palms and knead the dough for 30 seconds before dividing it in equal portions. Roll them into balls.
- Heat the tawa/griddle on medium heat.
- Dip one ball in dry wheat flour and place it on the rolling board.
- Roll it using rolling pin in a circular motion. If thepla sticks on the rolling board or pin use more dry flour.
- Thepla thickness should be just a little thicker than Gujarati rotli.
- Carefully place rolled dudhi thepla on heated tavi. Keep the heat on medium flame.
- Begin cooking them on one side; once tiny air bubbles start to form and puff up, flip them to the other side.
- Brush on some oil and gently press with your spatula to cook it evenly. Flip, add more oil, and press again, cook until both sides have light brown spots.
- Once done, flip once more, remove from the griddle.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Note – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with a new, improved recipe, new images and content. First published in May 2016 .
