The batter is made in a high-speed blender and fermented in the Instant Pot .
HANDVO-ONDOVO BATTER
In Gujarati, it is known as Handva Nu or Dhokla Nu Kheeru!
Handvo batter is made of rice and various lentils. Either by making Handvo flour or first soaking rice and lentils and then grinding in a blender.
Before making handvo, the batter needs fermentation for soft and spongy results.
The batter needs a lot of warm weather and needs to keep at least 6-8 hours to allow the batter to double in size.
Since we live in a colder climate we had to use so many tricks to achieve the same results.
We used to turn the heating on and leave the pot near the heater. Or leave the batter in a warm oven, but it was always hit and miss situation.
We had to use soda bicarbonate, eno, or sometimes Mum used to use yeast to ferment the batter.
Handvo batter in Instant Pot
Since many of us find it very hard to rise perfect batter all the time, the Instant pot came as a boon in our lives.
We place the batter in the innerpot, cover with the glass lid and set the yogurt button. It provides consistent results every single time.
Which rice is best for Handvo
Usually, Indian households like to use any kind of short grain or broken rice known as kanki in making handvo or dhokra flour.
But we like to use basmati rice, reason for it as mum doesn’t like to store too many different rices. Also, basmati has low GI value than any other rice.
Which daal is best for handvo?
For handvo various kind of lentils such as toor, chana, urad, yellow moong and red masoor daal are required but toor, chana, and urad daal must be include at least if not any others.
Sometimes mum like to add a couple of tablespoons of sorghum
Homemade Handvo flour-How to make Handva No Lot at home (roasting method)
Many assume that soaking and grinding the rice and lentils mixture requires lots of time. To get around this problem, why not make Handva flour or Handva No lot in advance in a large quantity and use the amount when needed?
This flour has a shelf life of a couple of months if stored in an airtight container.
Use whatever quantity of flour you need, add yogurt and salt and ferment in an Instant pot using the method of soaked rice and lentils mixture.
First take rice and dry roast on low heat to take out any moisture for 5-7 minutes. Don’t let the colour of the rice change. Transfer onto a plate.
In the same pan, roast all the lentils and dry roast until aromatic and again do not allow the colour of the lentils to change.
Let everything cool.
Grind the rice and lentils separately in a high-speed blender until you achieve a semolina-like texture.
Let it cool completely (otherwise, you will get condensation) and store in a container. Keep the container in a cupboard.
Handvo batter consistency
Will have a coarse texture similar to semolina
Should not be runny, but a consistency similar to idli batter
What goes in Handvo Batter?
The perfect tried and tested ratio:
● 2 cup basmati rice ● 3/4 cup tuver daal – pigeon peas lentils ● 1/4 cup urad dal – black gram ● 1/2 cup chana – Bengal gram ● 1/4 moong dal – yellow moong daal ● 1/4 masoor dal – red lentils
● 300g sour yogurt plain
For the ratio of ingredients we have provided, it will make a batter around 3/4 of the thickness of the Instant Pot bowl once it rises.
How to ferment Handvo Batter in an Instant Pot
The making of Handvo batter requires three steps, soaking – grinding and fermentation.
Soaking:
In the soaking method, you don’t need to dry roast the rice or lentils. Place rice and lentils in a big pot, wash in clean running but cold water for a couple of times to get rid of any dust. Soak it in plenty of cold water (not chilled) and leave it for at least 5-6 hours.
Grinding:
Discard the water and place soaked rice and lentils together in a high-speed blender. Add some clean cold water (1/4 cup) and start grinding on the lowest speed first, then gradually speed up higher. In 5-8 minutes you’ll have a batter.
Fermentation:
Pour the batter in the inner pot of the instant pot. Add beaten yogurt and sea salt. Mix with your hands or wooden spatula. Cover the pot with the lid (not actual instant pot lid but a glass lid from another saucepan) Use the Yogurt function and select 12 hours. After 12 hours you’ll have risen batter.
Tips:
Soak the rice and lentils together in cold water at least 5-6 hours.
Grind using cold water. Warm water will destroy the live bacteria in the batter that help with the fermentation process.
Instead of placing the Instant Pot lid on the bowl, use any other glass saucepan lid that fits the Instant pot – the reason is that the batter may overflow and may jam the lid, and you’ll have hard time to open it again!
Do not turn off the Instant pot main plug while the fermentation going on. it may disturb the process.
Turn off the Instant Pot immediately after the 12 hours are up as the Keep Warm function may turn on and we do not want that!
How to store Handvo batter
You can store handvo batter for 12 hours in the fridge, before making handvo bring it to room temperature again.
Our advice is to use up the batter and cook up the handvo and just fridge/freeze handvo instead – it keeps better that way.
Can I make Dhokla batter in an Instant pot?
Absolutely yes!
Here is the dhokla flour ratio either make flour first by roasting it or soak then ferment in the instant pot
- 1 cup rice 2. 3/4 cup toor daal 3. 1/8 cup urad daal 4. 1/8 cup chana daal

Handvo and Dhokla recipes using batter
Of course with handvo batter you can make handvo but also can make handvo waffles using our kothmibir wadi waffles recipe or idli batter waffles .
You can also make khatta vada or bhajiya and khatta dhokla too.
Other Instant Pot Recipes
1 minute Instant Pot Sheer Khurma
Instant Pot DIY Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Instant Pot Easy Gujarati Chana Daal
Vegan Brussels Sprouts Korma Curry
Matar/Vatana Dhokli

INSTANT POT HANDVO/ONDAVO BATTER
Equipment
- Instant pot
- HIGH-SPEED BLENDER
Ingredients
- 2 cup rice basmati
- ¾ cup yellow split Pigeon peas Tuver dal
- ½ cup split chickpea lentils Chana dal
- ¼ cup urad dal
- ¼ cup moong dal
- ¼ cup masoor dal
- 300 g Yogurt sour
- Sea salt
Instructions
- Place rice and lentils in a big pot and wash in running cold water for a couple of times.
- Soak with plenty of cold water at least 5-6 hours at room temperature.
- Once it is soaked, discard the water and grind it in a high-speed blender with cold water, do not add too much water.
- Don’t run the blender for a long time, it may make batter warm, we need to keep batter cool as possible.
- The batter texture should be like coarse semolina.
- Add some cold water into the inner pot of Instant pot, and discard straight away.
- Now pour the mixture into the inner pot, add yogurt and salt.
- Mix it gently with your clean hands or wooden spatula. Make sure everything combines.
- Close the pot with glass lid or any stainless steel plate. The pot should be covered fully. (we used another pan’s lid)
- Select the YOGURT mode it will be 8 hours display, by pressing + button select 12 hours and leave it safe.
- After 12 hours you should have the perfectly fermented handvo batter.
- With our ingredients measurement, you’ll have 3/4 of the thickness of the Instant Pot bowl once it rises.
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.

INSTANT POT HANDVO/ONDAVO BATTER
Equipment
- Instant pot
- HIGH-SPEED BLENDER
Ingredients
- 2 cup rice basmati
- ¾ cup yellow split Pigeon peas Tuver dal
- ½ cup split chickpea lentils Chana dal
- ¼ cup urad dal
- ¼ cup moong dal
- ¼ cup masoor dal
- 300 g Yogurt sour
- Sea salt
Instructions
- Place rice and lentils in a big pot and wash in running cold water for a couple of times.
- Soak with plenty of cold water at least 5-6 hours at room temperature.
- Once it is soaked, discard the water and grind it in a high-speed blender with cold water, do not add too much water.
- Don’t run the blender for a long time, it may make batter warm, we need to keep batter cool as possible.
- The batter texture should be like coarse semolina.
- Add some cold water into the inner pot of Instant pot, and discard straight away.
- Now pour the mixture into the inner pot, add yogurt and salt.
- Mix it gently with your clean hands or wooden spatula. Make sure everything combines.
- Close the pot with glass lid or any stainless steel plate. The pot should be covered fully. (we used another pan’s lid)
- Select the YOGURT mode it will be 8 hours display, by pressing + button select 12 hours and leave it safe.
- After 12 hours you should have the perfectly fermented handvo batter.
- With our ingredients measurement, you’ll have 3/4 of the thickness of the Instant Pot bowl once it rises.
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.
This Vegetarian Mango Panna Cotta is a layered panna cotta that combines exotic Mango and silky cream. Warm summers and Mango go hand in hand and this surprisingly light and airy pudding is the perfect recipe.

Panna Cotta is a creamy chilled dessert hailing from the region of Piedmont in Italy. The word Panna Cotta means ‘cooked cream’.
Agar-agar is a substitute for gelatin. Agar-agar is a type of seaweed and is vegan.
Dried agar-agar is added to the liquid and is brought to a boil. The mixture will set on cooling.
We found that the mixture only thickens slightly when boiling but once it is off the heat, it begins to thicken very fast. This means that you do not have to boil the liquid for too long.
Looking for more agar-agar recipes? How about this homemade wiggly vegan jelly /jello that is made only with 2 ingredients.
What can I use instead of agar-agar?
Corn starch or cornflour and arrowroot powder or flour are also a good thickener. Arrowroot powder leaves no lingering aftertaste in the recipe.
Tapioca starch or flour is another perfect agar-agar alternative. It is vegan and gluten-free.
How to store
How to serve
Panna cotta is often served after a delicious meal. It can be topped with fresh fruit, berry coulis, lemon curd, pine biscotti or served with chocolate or caramel sauce.
We absolutely love our caramel panna cotta with salted peanut brittle .
Ingredients
Mango pulp/mango nectar – Use tinned/canned mango pulp. Alternatively, make homemade Mango Pulp using Indian mangoes.
Milk – we used whole milk. Alternately, use milk with less fat.
Cream – we used double cream
Sugar – use any white sugar. You will not need a lot as the mango pulp is sweet
Agar-agar flakes – find in health or specialist stores or online. This is a vegan gelatine alternative. The agar-agar leaves no unwanted flavour or colour in your dessert so you can use it without worry.
Tips
Grind the agar-agar flakes into a powder before using – use a high-speed blender or hand blender
Strain the liquid using a tea strainer if some agar-agar has not dissolved – the milk/cream mixture will set.
You have to work fast – the mixture will begin to set quickly as it cools so be ready to pour into your glass or bowl.
Method
This recipe calls for two steps, cooking and setting. In first step cream is cooked and in second step mango pulp and cooked custard is left to set.
Divide the thick mango pulp into 3-4 glasses, cover it with the cling film and leave it in the freezer for 2-3 hours or until it freezes.
Place milk in a pan.
Add cream.
Now add sugar.
Agar-agar flakes and bring it to boil and cook until flakes dissolve.
Turn off the heat and add vanilla extract, strain the mixture and leave it to cool.
Pour the cream on top of the frozen mango pulp and leave it to set in the fridge for a couple of hours.
Once the panna cotta is set, top it up with cubed mango, raspberries and mint.
Other Eggless and Gelatine-free Summer Dessert Ideas:
Creamy caramel phirni
Instant Shrikhand
Rose and Pistachio Puff Pastry Horns
Homemade Mango Pulp – Keri No Ras
Mango Matho (shrikhand) with cream
Mango Lime Lassi

Gelatin-free Layered Mango Panna Cotta
Ingredients
- 1 cup mango pulp
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup cream
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp. agar-agar flakes
- ⅛ cup Mango pieces
- 1 tbsp Mint
- ⅛ cup Raspberries optional
Instructions
- Divide the thick mango pulp into 3-4 glasses or ramekins, cover it with the cling film and leave it in the freezer for 2-3 hours or until it freezes.
- Pour milk in a heavy bottom pan.
- Add cream.
- Now add sugar.
- Agar-agar flakes and bring it to boil and cook until flakes dissolve.
- Turn off the heat and add vanilla extract, strain the mixture and leave it to cool.
- Pour the cream on top of the frozen mango pulp and leave it to set in the fridge for a couple of hours.
- Once the panna cotta is set, top it up with cubed mango, raspberries and mint.
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 post was originally created and posted in May 2010, since updated with new content and pictures.