A Savoury Cake For Christmas

Yesterday I had an appointment at my Dentist to have a wisdom tooth taken out! Ouch!!! I’m ok, but can’t wait to eat again normally. Though my Mum as lovely and considerate as she always is! Made me this wonderful sour spiced savoury cake. So fluffy and soft that I was able to enjoy it!

Known as Handvo it is a baked dish with various lentil and rice flours, sesame seeds and spices. A traditional Gujarati recipe allows for it to ferment for a few hours but this particular recipe, is my Mum’s very own instant handvo mix. She makes it frequently and very often takes it over to friends and family. Everyone who eats it always asks for this gorgeous recipe, so I took the chance to share this with everyone!

I definitely get my love of food and cooking from both my parents but my Mum has a knack to distinguish flavours from dishes she may eat at a restaurant and very much replicates it at home. You can see her mind ticking as she is tasting various dishes and her amazing palette is taking it all in. This way I have always had a variety of different foods that our Mum has brought us up on. I now too am able to do the same for my family! Thanks Mum for all that you do! Love you xxxx

INGREDIENTS

2 cups coarse semolina
2 tbsp wheatflour
2 tbsp rice flour
2 tbsp yellow corn flour
2 tbsp gram flour
½ cup sunflower oil
1 cup sour natural yoghurt
½ cup frozen peas
¾ cup frozen sweetcorn
Handful of chopped fenugreek leaves
1 medium potato grated
1 medium onion grated
1 courgette grated
1 green chilli finely sliced
2 cloves garlic crushed
1½ tsp grated ginger
1½ tsp salt or to taste
3 tbsp Eno fruit salt
Sesame seeds

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 180°c/350°f and lightly grease a deep rectangular oven dish (lasagne dish)

• In a large mixing bowl combine all the different flours, add all the other ingredients apart from the eno and stir as you go along. Ensuring all is mixed well

• Add in the eno and a little water to form a drop like consistency, mix quickly and transfer into a greased deep rectangular oven dish, sprinkle with a handful of sesame seeds

• Place in the oven for 40-50 minutes or until top is nice and golden and when poked the skewer comes out clean

• Leave to cool in the dish and after 10 minutes slice up into chunks

Vegan Baby spinach theplas

Thepla is a very popular gujarati shallow pan fried bread. The main version is made with fenugreek leaves but here I decided to use baby spinach instead. I haven’t made these theplas very spicy as they were made with both my young sons in mind. This way they get the bread element but most importantly the spinach and all the goodness that goes with it. It is an ideal bread to make and take out when going out for a picnic or just for a quick snack. Traditionally eaten with curry also for a more satisfying meal!

INGREDIENTS

300g chapatti flour
2 tbsp plain flour
250g baby spinach
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp finely chopped chilli
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground coriander & cumin powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp chilli powder
Boiling water to bind dough
Extra flour for rolling
Extra oil for pan frying

METHOD

1. Put spinach in a food processor and blitz to small pieces, add all other ingredients apart from the water and whizz again

2. Slowly pour in a little water at a time until the flour mix turns into a soft dough. If too soft then please add some extra chapatti flour. Knead for 5 minutes

3. Meanwhile heat a non stick frying pan on a slow to medium heat. Take a tablespoon amount of dough and form into a ball, flatten and on a clean floured surface roll into a round of approximately 10cm. You will have to flour the chapati as you roll to avoid sticking

4. To cook, place the chapati into the heated frying pan, once it shows up a few bubbles turn around carefully with a spatula. Spread a little oil on this side and wait again for a minute or so and turn over again. Once more spread a little oil on this side too inorder to aid the cooking process. When both sides of the chapati is cooked brown spots will appear. Take out of the pan and set aside on a plate. Repeat for the rest of the dough