Ondwho, Ondwha or Handvoh - a savoury cake

this is a Gujerati snack, but we often eat it as part of a vegetarian meal - it is usually made in a cake tin but if you make it in muffin or cupcake tins/cases they make neat portions which are handy for buffet meals and packed lunches

you can vary the vegetable ingredients depending on what you have available and this freezes very well, so don't worry about it making quite a lot - I have modified the method a little to suit western cooking styles.

onwha/handvoh flour is a ready mixed blend of lentil and rice flours - it can be hard to find, but you can use a mixture of gram flour and rice flour which is more easily found in large supermarkets and international food stores.

ingredients:

• 8oz (225g) ondwho flour or 6oz gram flour and 2oz rice flour
• 7oz (210g) live yoghurt  or low fat yoghurt + 1tsp lemon juice
• 100ml warm water
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• green chillies to taste, finely chopped

• 4oz (110g) sweetcorn, chopped a bit                          
• 1 - 2 carrots, grated or very finely chopped
• 2 small potatoes, finely chopped
• 2 small onions, finely chopped

              or 1-1.5  pts (500 -750 ml) of any mixture of veg

• 2tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped/minced
• 1/2 bunch coriander, chopped
• 1 tsp garam masala

• 2 tsp bicarb of soda + 1tbsp warm water

• a little oil
• 2tsp brown mustard seeds
• 2tsp cumin seeds
• 2tbsp sesame seeds

method

day 1

• combine flour, yoghurt, water, salt, sugar, turmeric & chillies, beat to a smooth paste, cover & leave somewhere warm, if possible overnight, to ferment

day 2

• heat the oil, add the seeds, leave a few seconds till they start popping, cover and remove from the heat - leave to cool
• add all the prepared veg & coriander to the fermented yoghurt mixture
• dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in water & the add to the mixture with most of the oil & seeds - the mixture should be fairly sloppy but not runny
• spread evenly in a  lined 12” square baking tin, cover with the rest of the oil & seeds
• bake at G6 200C, 400F for 30 mins - till firm & springy like a sponge cake - it doesn't rise much
• cool a bit before turning out, eat warm or cold with a fresh relish, salsa or chutney

notes

• i have made this successfully without fermenting it overnight but the yoghurt must be a sour one rather than a creamy thickened one
• in individual muffin or cupcake tins reduce the cooking time to 15-20 mins