Dudhi ka Handwa
Handwa is a version of Indian cake made in Gujarat…and one of my favourite gujarati snacks…
The handwa vessel is made up of two parts, the bigger vessel in which the batter is poured and the smaller portion wherien the sand is added. The hole through middle of the vessel lets the heat from the gas to the batter and lets the batter cook and the sand indirectly heats the batter…
Ingredients:
Handwa flour: 3 cups
Grated dudhi/lauki/bottle gaurd: 750 gms
turmeric powder: 2 tsp
salt: according to taste
ginger & green chilli paste: according to taste
til: 50 + 50 gms
oil: 1 + 2 tbsp
curd: 1/2 cup
sugar: 2-3 tsp
Method:
1. Mix all the ingredients (include 50 gms til and 1 tbsp of oil) and soak for 4 -5 hours.
2. Grease the handwa vessel with oil from the inside and pour the batter into it. Add the remaining til and oil on top of the batter…
3. Pour dry sand in the smaller/lower part of the vessel and keep aside…
4. Keep the the vessel with sand on low flame and then put the bigger vessel on top of the smaller vessel and close the lid and let it cook for a couple of hours or till the batter is cooked.
5. To check whether the handwa is cooked or not, take a clean knife and dip into the handwa…if the batter does not stick to the knife then it means that the handwa is cooked and ready…
6. To remove the handwa, slowly slice it into big pieces (after it cools a little bit) and lay it on a plate and serve with chutney…
It might sound a bit complicated but the end product is really delicious to eat…
Happy Deepawali to everbody…Hope everybody has a a happy and safe diwali…
Priyas kitchen - Spices in life 
lovely looking “handwa” priya.. didn’t know about this before.. thanks for sharing the recipe.:)
Great looking Handwo Priya. Love the steamer container there. My grandma has a idli steamer like that. Do you get Handwa flour at the store? Got to check.
Happy Diwali, have fun this Friday!:)
Lovely handwo and a lovely post. I have made it so many times but didn’t even know this is how handwo is actually made! I just bake it 🙂 I am sure this slow cooking method must make a lot of difference in the taste.
thanks for the recipe. i’ve been looking for this. i remember my mom making it and i enjoyed it as a kid.
Siri: 🙂
Asha: i got the handwa flour from gujarat, alternatively you could also make this by soaking multiple dhaal..will get the details and let you know…wish you the same…
Shweta: 🙂
Bee: hope you enjoy making it and eating it…
Whoa! I had no clue that handwo was cooked using sand! I’m super impressed at all the effort you went to. Any ideas on how I can rig a vessel in which I can make this?
This is new to me. I din’t even know there was apan like this.
nvr heard of it, bu looks gr8. may be we can try it in oven too.
What is handwa flour, Priya?
Kayakat: you could also make it in an oven..though i amnot too sure about the temp details…
Swaroopa: ya you could… 🙂
Suganya: it is a flour of ground dhaals..this is called as “kanki korma” and is usually available in gujarati stores…
This is new to me too…Looks nice priya…:))