Khandvi is a beautiful Gujarati delicacy made out of gram flour / besan and yogurt. It may look intimidating to make, but the recipe I have shared is a pressure cooker version, super-easy and quick to make, and is a party pleaser recipe. Try it out and let me know how you like it.
2teaspoonsGrated coconut [I used dried, grated coconut. You can use fresh one as well]
1Green chili
2-3teaspoonsOilUsed for greasing the surface as well as for final tempering
3-4Curry leaves
Instructions
Take a vessel that would fit into your pressure cooker, in which the khandvi can be steamed. In the end, when the pressure cooker is opened, you should be able to pull out that container easily.
Add besan, salt, turmeric powder, and yogurt in that container. Whisk it well, while gradually adding the 1 and ½ cups of water, making sure that there are no lumps.
Add some water to the pressure cooker (note this is not the 1 ½ cups listed above – all of that is already used), and place a trivet, then put the above vessel inside the pressure cooker such that water does not seep inside the vessel. The vessel need not be covered. Close the pressure cooker with the lid. Pressure cook for about 5-6 whistles on medium heat. Then turn off the gas.
While the khandvi is being steamed, prepare a surface to spread the khandvi. I used a cleaned counter top. You may use any kind of big plates / trays etc. apply a few drops of oil to the surface. Get everything ready as once Kahdnvi is out of the pressure cooker, you will need to act fast. Find a flat spatula or something similar and keep it ready – this will be used to spread the khandvi in thin layer.
When the cooker is ready to be opened, open it and remove the khandvi vessel from it. If there is a layer of water on top due to steam, you may discard that water. Whisk the mixture well, making sure it is lump free.
Spread the khandvi in thin layers on the surface you have prepared earlier. This process needs to be quick. Once all of the mixture is spread, let it cool for 10-15 minutes.
In the meantime, get the tempering/seasoning / tadka ready. For that, heat oil, once it’s hot, add the asafetida, mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Then add the green chilly cut lengthwise, curry leaves, sesame seeds. In about 30 seconds, once the seeds have crackled, turn off the heat and keep it aside.
Now if the khandvi is cooled down, make about 1.5 inches wide cuts with a knife. Length can be about 8 inches. There is no rule – do whatever looks right ?
Slowly lift the khandvi piece with a knife and start rolling. It should come off easily from the surface. Make a roll, arrange it on a plate, repeat until all the rolls are made. Once all the khandvi rolls are arranged on the plate, pour the hot seasoning over it using a spoon, to pour it evenly. Garnish it with finely chopped coriander leaves and grated coconut.
The crunchy mustard and sesame seeds in the seasoning really gives a great flavor! Enjoy!
Notes
Note: Water is generally double the quantity of yogurt. Various recipes said not to use greek yogurt, but that is the only one I had at the time of making and hence I used greek yogurt. It turned out fine. Next time I’ll use the regular yogurt to see how different it is.
Many recipes suggest that after removing the Khandvi from the pressure cooker, you need to test if the khandvi is cooked. You can do so by spreading a little bit on the surface you have prepared. Let it cool 1-2 minutes. If the khandvi easily rolls off with the knife, it’s ready. If it sticks to the surface, it probably needs bit more cooking. I skipped this test, ‘coz I was quite optimistic it would be fine (read: lazy to do the test in case it still needed more cooking ? )
As I have mentioned in the post, in case you want a fall-back recipe in case the Khandvi doesn't turn out to the way you had anticipated, don't forget to check out the Khichu recipe in this post, which you can make from the cooked Khandvi recipe.