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Farari handvo
Fasting savoury cake with sago
ફરાળી હાંડવો: a fasting-day savoury cake of samo, sago, yogurt, bottle gourd and peanuts with a crisp cumin-sesame crust (plus 2 hours resting)
Farari handvo is what Gujarati families bake in a heavy pan on Janmashtami, Ekadashi and Navratri fast days, when rice, lentils and wheat are off the menu. A batter of ground samo (barnyard millet) and sabudana soured with yogurt is loaded with grated bottle gourd, crushed peanuts, ginger and green chilli, then cooked slowly over a cumin and sesame tempering until a golden crust forms on both sides. Cut into wedges, it is soft and moist inside, nutty and crunchy outside. The common mistake is cooking over high heat: the crust burns before the thick centre sets, so keep the flame low and the pan covered. Chef's tip: squeeze nothing from the dudhi; its juice is what hydrates the samo during the rest.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the batter
- 5 ½ oz samo (barnyard millet)
- 1 ¾ oz sabudana (sago pearls)
- 7 oz sour plain yogurt
- 5 ½ oz bottle gourd (dudhi)peeled and grated
- 1 ⅜ oz roasted peanutscoarsely crushed
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp sendha namak (rock salt)
- 3 tbsp fresh corianderchopped
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ cup wateras needed
For the tempering
- 3 tbsp ghee or groundnut oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Grind 1 ¾ oz sabudana (sago pearls) to a fine powder, add 5 ½ oz samo (barnyard millet) and grind to a fine, gritty flour.
3 minStep 2: Mix the flour with 7 oz sour plain yogurt and ¼ cup water into a thick batter, cover and rest for 2 hours (or overnight in the fridge) until the millet has swollen and the batter smells lightly sour.
Step 3: Stir in 5 ½ oz bottle gourd (dudhi), 1 ⅜ oz roasted peanuts, 2 tsp ginger-green chilli paste, 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp sendha namak (rock salt) and 3 tbsp fresh coriander. The batter should be thick, like cake batter; add a spoon of water only if it is stiff.
3 minStep 4: Heat 3 tbsp ghee or groundnut oil in a heavy 22 cm non-stick or cast-iron pan over medium heat. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tbsp white sesame seeds and 8 curry leaves and let the sesame just turn golden.
2 minStep 5: Mix ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda into the batter with a teaspoon of water until it lightens, then pour it over the tempering and spread level.
1 minStep 6: Cover and cook over low heat until the bottom is deep golden and the top looks set and dry.
18 minStep 7: Slide it onto a plate, flip it back into the pan and cook the second side uncovered on low until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
12 minStep 8: Rest for 5 minutes, cut into wedges and serve warm with farari peanut chutney or yogurt.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does farari handvo take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sour plain yogurt?
- Sour cream or buttermilk, same amount.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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