Baked doodhi pakoda

      Pakodas... hmm... the word itself makes one mouthwater, carving for an deep-fried appetizer had along with evening tea or just as an snack.  The best thing about pakodas are that they can be combined with any sort of vegetable or mixed vegetable and establish themselves accordingly.  Onion pakodas are one of the famous snack item in chettinadu cuisine.  The easy-peasy ingredients readily available on any Indian kitchen had made this dish dominant.

    Though these are done on rainy or chill seasons, they can also be had in summer.  I had bottlegourd left in refrigerator, and decided to make use of it in pakodas.  And yes, baked my pakodas due to diet concern :) lolzzzzzz   But, what surprised me was that the  baking did show the same crispiness obtained on deep-fried concept.  So, why don't we put hands together and join to do an healthy, evening snack

Gujarati Handvo Recipe | Crispy & Soft Savory Lentil Cake with Bottle Gourd (Baked Version)

     Handvo is a traditional Gujarati savoury cake made with a combination of rice and dals, making it highly nutritious and wholesome. This dish also includes bottle gourd (lauki), which makes it especially suitable for summer as it is light and cooling for the body.

This baked delicacy has a beautifully crisp and golden brown crust on the outside, while remaining soft, fluffy, and moist inside. Handvo is usually not enjoyed on its own – it tastes best when served with green chutney or a flavourful shaak (curry).

In this recipe, I served handvo with delicious khumb shaak (mushroom curry), and the combination turned out absolutely satisfying and comforting.

Ingredients Required

🔸 To Make Handvo Batter

• ½ cup raw rice
• ¼ cup tuvar dal
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 1 tsp moong dal
• 1 tsp chana dal
• 2 tsp whole wheat
• ½ tsp rock salt
• ½ cup sour curd

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🔸 For Tempering (Tadka)

• 4 tsp oil
• ½ tsp mustard seeds (rai)
• ½ tsp sesame seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• 2–3 dried red chillies
• 7–8 curry leaves

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🔸 Other Ingredients

• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 1 tsp crushed ginger
• ½ cup grated bottle gourd (squeezed)
• ½ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1½ tsp coriander powder (dhaniya)
• 1 tsp ENO (fruit salt) 

 Method of Preparation

Step 1: Prepare Batter

Soak rice, all dals, and whole wheat for 2–3 hours. Grind into a slightly coarse paste.
(Alternatively, you can dry roast and grind into flour.)

Add curd and salt to the mixture and leave it aside to ferment for a few hours or overnight for best results.

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Step 2: Prepare Tempering

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, red chillies, and curry leaves. Let them splutter and release aroma. Keep aside.

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Step 3: Mix Everything

Once the batter is fermented, add:

• Prepared tempering
• Grated bottle gourd
• Green chillies and ginger
• Turmeric, chilli powder, and coriander powder

Mix everything well and adjust salt as needed.

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Step 4: Bake the Handvo

• Preheat oven to 180°C
• Add ENO to the batter and mix gently
• Pour batter into a greased baking tin
• Bake for 50–60 minutes or until the top is golden brown and crisp

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🟡 Serving Suggestion

Serve hot handvo with:

• Green chutney
• Pickle
• Or a curry like mushroom (khumb) shaak

This combination makes a wholesome and satisfying meal.

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🟡 Tips for Perfect Handvo

• Slightly coarse batter gives better texture
• Fermentation enhances flavor and softness
• Do not overmix after adding ENO
• Squeezing bottle gourd prevents excess moisture
• Bake until the top is nicely crisp 

Linking to Jagruti's potluck party, cyber style

Harira

   Just luv the name and even when I am still typing, my mouthwaters to catch an glimpse of my momma's version.  She really  used to prepare an tasty version and serve it with hot poori's...hmm... yum..yum...i miss it a lot :(

   This harira, an milk extracted from poppy seeds/khuskhus is an energizing drink usually suggested for new mothers in order to increase their lactation.  But these are given to kids also, and will be an delightful surprise for aged people since this dont carry as high calories as that of Coconut milk's...

Ingredients required 

• 1/4 cup khus khus/poppy seeds
• 7-8 cashewnuts
• 1 tsp basmati rice
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp cardamon powder
• Water, as needed

Kadaai vegetables - Hyderabadi styled

Ingredients required

• 4 tsp oil
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 2 green chillies broken
• 4 tsp finely chopped mint leaves
• 1/2 cup pureed onions (which are boiled in hot water)
• 1 cup  tomato puree
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp dhanya powder
• Salt, as per taste
• 1/2 cup cauliflower florets
• 1/4 cup each of chopped beans, potato, capsicum, carrot
• 100ml of fresh cream

Suji ki cookies

As adapted from Nita Mehta cookbook.  Tastes heavenly with tea, coffee etc

Ingredients required

• 2 cups wheat flour
• 3/4 cup sooji/ bombay rava
• 3/4 cup icing sugar
• Pinch of  salt
• 1 cup of ghee/unsalted butter
• 4 tsp of almond flour (optional)