Wednesday, November 18, 2009

khandvi ...step by step...


A couple of years back i was watching a cookery show by Madhur Jaffery where she was covering gujrati cuisine , she was calling the khandwi a kind of pasta dish .... it was startling for me as i had never thought of a similarity between the two earlier , but yes the way it is made, it surely is a counterpart of a pasta ......

Interestingly another cookery show i watched recently by Ritu Dalmia where she cooked a pasta more like a khandwi.....i mean the dough was more like batter which was cooked to make a sticky mass ....spread on a plate in a thin layer and then cut into strips....into wedges ( to be fried later n had with sauce) actually and that was a pasta by some other name......she called this a pakoda like pasta but i think the way a batter is cooked till sticky n lumpy , then spread onto a greased surface , cut into pieces.........it was more like making a khandwi.....and incidentally khandwi and pakoda , though made with a set of similar ingredients, are way too different from each other......

Dhokla is another recipe made with similar ingredients but how different is that from a khandwi......while the one holds all the sweet n sour n hot syrup inside the air pockets , the other is rolled over the same flavors with a nutty texture of sesame to flaunt........both are delight to have ...and that is for sure!!

Now we realize why all those weird shapes of pasta are different from each other....some are made to hold the cheesy sauce inside the tubes, some are meant to entangle with a salad like textured vegetable sauce , while some of them are just made for floating gleefully in a hot steaming soup ....aaah !! Some even hold the cheese n veggies inside their tummy too......:):)


After all this gyan ( is it?) , i must tell you that the khandwi is an easy snack , believe me ....many of my friends think that i make them because i can make so many other difficult things with ease.......but i want to make them understand that this is an easy and healthy snack.........i am posting this recipe on request of some friends and also to show them that this is an easy one........you just need to understand the consistency of the batter and work quickly.......within a time of 10 minutes you see yourself cutting the strips and rolling them...believe me..

see how it goes.......
  
the first step is to make the tempering as it will be easier to assemble the khandvi when it's ready.....sometimes the tempering is poured over rolled up khandvi and the insides of the rolls are not stuffed , i like the tempering layered inside the rolls and make the tempering in very less quantity of oil.....

ingredients for tempering.. 
 oil 1 tbsp
asafoetida 1 pinch
rai or small grain mustard seeds 1 tsp
finely chopped green chillies 1 tbsp or more
sesame seeds 1 tsp
finely chopped curry patta 1/2 cup
( i chop them because i like stuffing them into the rolls and it is more flavorful this way)
water 1/2 cup
sugar1 tbsp or more if you like it sweeter
lemon juice 2 tbsp
shredded coconut 2-3 tbsp

 To make the tempering ...... heat oil in a small pan...throw in asafoetida and rai grains...wait till it crackles and then throw in sesame seeds and the finely chopped green chillies ...as the oil is less you may need to stir the mixture while cooking........now out all the chopped curry patta in it and roast slowly on low flame ( as it will get burnt in very less oil ).......pour 1/2 cup of water n let it boil...add 1 tbsp of sugar and let it dissolve......take off the flame and add the lemon juice and keep aside till needed.

ingredients for khandvi ..


besan or chickpea flour 200 gm
buttermilk 300 gm ( you may need some more or less depending on the consistency of buttermilk)
salt to taste
turmeric powder 2 tsp

To make the khandvi , first of all take care to make the batter in a large measuring cup .....take the besan in it and pour the buttermilk over it to make a thin batter.......see the consistency.........


if the buttermilk is too thin you may need lesser amount of it , season with salt and turmeric powder ( you may add pepper n chilly too but i like these to be in the tempering)........once you pour the batter in the kadai on flame , stir constantly as the batter thickens to become sticky.......for about 5 minutes .......

One thing to take care is that ...it is better to make the sticky paste in two batches , as it will be easier to spread the paste on greased surface evenly n quickly....so i do it in two batches for this quantity......make the batter , pour half of it into the kadai for first batch...spread it on the greased surface ....then again proceed to cook the next batch of paste into the kadai......spread it and proceed to cut stripes and the next step......you get perfect thin khandvis this way.......



Test to see if it is done by looking for the bubbles ...more like blisters....which appear from the base of kadai into the cooked besan mass and releases steam as it bursts........stop cooking at this point and quickly empty the contents on a greased surface and spread it like you spread butter on toast....as thin as possible to make a large sheet..........


 now cut strips 1 inch wide and 3-4 inch long into it.........


spread the tempering mixture over this evenly ...........


sprinkle finely grated coconut and start rolling the strips into neat rolls, repeat till all the strips have been rolled and serve immediately......sprinkling some of the leftover tempering and some grated coconut on top............


 It will take 15 minutes from start but your hands should move quickly while stirring the batter and spreading it.........


Try this sweet n sour n hot snack with your evening tea and tell me how it was.........

21 comments:

  1. OMG sangeeta..its a new recipe for me..Wonderful Recipe ! Looks Awesome ! I m really impressed by the method..good1 dear..keep sharing these kind of recipes dear..As always nice presentation.

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  2. Its completely a new recipe to me..Sounds great....

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  3. lovely khandvi dear........froma long time wanted to try this, but did not find proper step by step discription, now I got it, so sure will try....thanks for the post.

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  4. That tip of making it in 2 batches is wonderful Sangeeta! I have never tried making this inspite of liking it so much. I used to down these by the katorifuls in LMB on our visits. :-)

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  5. Heard a lot abt this dish,but never have tried it still,u made my work easier by showing step by step pics,really useful and surely will try this at home this time...looks delicious sangeetha

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  6. This is one of my all time favorites Sangeeta, and you have explained this so well. I normally make the paste/ batter in microwave and it turns out easy.
    I also like the tempering inside but I do put a little on top just for eye appeal :-). I just wish I could grab a bite..grins

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  7. Never heard of this... May be my hubby knows if it is North Indian..... But the step by step make this prep even more interesting & wanting to try...... Gr8 posting this was.... Congrats....

    Ash....
    (http://asha-oceanichope.blogspot.com/)

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  8. Dear Sangeeta
    Great reminder...I will tell my wife to make, she was good at it...Once I remind her, it will be easier for her to phase me out of the Kitchen..
    Your narration on pasta is really good. I am planning to get back to Italian cooking, but the problem is I did not know the actual taste of a good olive oil while I was in India...and the Indian Parmesan is hopelessly bad..
    ANyway it is still OK to use available olive oil and make dishes where Parmesan is not needed.
    Happy cooking

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  9. omygod! how easy you make khandvi sound! even after being born and brought up in gujarat, i have seen very few people actually make this dish at home.. may be coz you get it at the farsanwala so easily..
    but then, i will try soon. very nicely described with the photos and all..

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  10. hve heard about this a lotz but never tried,..thnks fro the loely pictorial

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  11. Hi Sangeeta,
    Khandvi wow oh! so yumm..they are so light I can eat any number :) lovely recipe presentation.
    Keep rocking!

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  12. Wow!!! It's looking absolutely gorgeous ...I am gonna try this for sure.

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  13. Sangeeta, your friends are right in assuming it is a difficult dish, because it is. I have tried making it at home and let me tell you, it was tough and not at all easy. Of course, I was following 'Show me the Curry' site, and the ladies made it in the microwave but even with the video tutorial, mine did not turn out good.
    Yours looks scrumptious and yummy like the ones I would buy at the gujju store in Bombay. I will give your method a try and see if I am any good. :)

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  14. yes Jaya...the microwave version is too irritating for me...stirring the batter repeatedly in the MW is a big irritant...in the kadai it's just a matter of 5-6 minutes n it's over n foolproof....also borosil utensils has to washed by myself while the kadai by the maid....isn't it a reason good enough..he he

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  15. Heard about this,never tried,must try

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  16. hey just wanted to know what is to be done if the rolls break while rolling...

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    1. The rols break when the batter is not cooked well, is too dry hence has been spread thick. We need a pliable and yet sticky dough after cooking the batter. Follow the instructions and let me know if it still breaks.
      Once the batter is not cooked well, and it breaks while rolling , nothing much can be done. So it will be better to just spread the tempering and serve it like open sandwiches.

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  17. yup it worked out properly this time...thanks..:-D ever considered making videos of you cooking the recipes?it could be amazing

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  18. I would like to take this to a friend's house. How much ahead of time can I make it? I haven't seen them 'filled' before, that would be tastier and hopefully less falling on the floor when people pick up the roll.

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    1. You can make it a day ahead and served chilled if you wish but the fresh ones taste better and keep well for 3-4 hours easily. Khandvi is a wonderful party snack and you can secure each roll with a toothpick.

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