CL Handvo (Spicy Chickpea Cake)
A savory Indian handvo — a fermented rice and lentil cake with grated vegetables — finished crisp in the air fryer / Mealthy CrispLid.
⏱️ Prep: 15 min🍳 Cook: 41 min
Ingredients
| 1/2 cup | 120 ml | white rice |
| 1/4 cup | 60 ml | chana daal (split chickpeas) |
| 1/4 cup | 60 ml | toor daal (split pigeon peas) |
| 2 cups | 480 ml | water |
| 1/4 cup | 60 ml | plain yogurt |
| 2 tsp | 10 ml | kosher salt, divided |
| 1/2 tsp | 2.5 ml | ground turmeric |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | vegetable oil (tadka) |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | black mustard seeds |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | sesame seeds |
| 1 | dried red chile pepper (optional) | |
| 1 cup | 240 ml | packed, peeled, and grated lauki (bottle gourd squash) |
| 1/2 cup | 120 ml | peeled and grated carrots |
| 1/2 cup | 120 ml | chopped fresh methi (fenugreek leaves) |
| 1 1/4 tsp | 6.3 ml | white sugar |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | grated fresh ginger |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | minced green chile pepper |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | vegetable oil |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | eno fruit salt (or 1/2 teaspoon baking soda) |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | sesame seeds (garnish) |
Instructions
Servings: 4. Ready in: 9hr 6min. Prep time: 15min. Cook time: 41min.
Appliances: For best results, the source recommends using a Mealthy CrispLid.
- Combine rice, chana daal, and toor dal in a fine-mesh strainer. Rinse, drain, and transfer to a bowl. Add 2 cups water and soak for 4 hours or overnight.
- Drain the water completely (saving the water for the batter) and add rice mixture to a blender. Add yogurt and 1 tablespoon drained water, and blend, adding more water as needed, until a slightly coarse batter forms. Transfer batter to a bowl, add half the salt and turmeric, and keep in a warm place to ferment, about 4 hours.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small pot over medium-low heat. Add mustard seeds and cook until they pop, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat. Add 1 teaspoon sesame seeds and dried red chile to mustard seeds to make the tadka.
- Squeeze excess water from grated lauki and add it to the batter. Add carrots, methi, sugar, ginger, green chile, the remaining salt, and reserved tadka to the batter. Mix well.
- Pour 1 cup water into the inner steel pot of pressure cooker and press Sauté on Normal. Generously grease the sides and the bottom of a 7-inch cake pan with 1 tablespoon oil.
- Add eno fruit salt to the batter, mix well, and immediately pour batter into the prepared cake pan. Cover the top of the pan with a paper towel and place an 8-inch sheet of aluminum foil over the top, crimping down the foil around the sides of the pan to secure the towel in place. Covering the pan helps prevent excess moisture from getting into the food. Place the pan on the trivet and carefully place trivet and cake pan inside the inner steel pot.
- Press Cancel.
- Lock pressure cooker lid in place and set steam vent to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook (Manual) and cook for 30 minutes on High Pressure.
- Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then set steam vent handle to Venting to quick-release remaining pressure. Remove the lid and carefully remove the aluminum foil and paper towel covering the pan. Unplug pressure cooker.
- Set CrispLid on top of inner steel pot and plug in. Set to 450°F (230°C) and cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove the CrispLid using the handle and set it on the silicone mat. Wearing heat-resistant mitts, lift the pan from the inner steel pot. Run a butter knife around the inside edge of the pan. If your pan is a push pan type, place it on an empty drinking glass and gently push down on the top edges of the pan. This will help the handvo to release from the pan sides. If using a springform pan, unclasp the collar on the pan and lift it off.
- Garnish cake with 1 tablespoon sesame seeds and cut cake into wedges.
Mealthy Tip: Ready-made handvo flour can be used instead of soaking and grinding the rice and daal. Substitute a zucchini for the lauki if you can't find it in the grocery store. If using frozen methi, squeeze out all the water before adding to the batter.