Place the rice and both daals in a large bowl. Wash in plenty of cold water, changing the water 2-3 times. Drain well. Cover with 700ml cold water and soak for three hours. Fry them in a little oil (I used 2 tsp for four patties) in a large skillet. Cook for around 3 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy. In fact, I love using lentils of any kind in my diet; they’re a wonderful source of plant-based protein as well as copper, folate, manganese, phosphorous, iron, and zinc. I’ve shared a couple of red lentil recipes already, including this red lentil dahl and lentil bolognese– with a dozen more recipes for brown and green lentils too (links at the bottom of the post)!

Some might say that Handvo is the more complex cousin of Dhokla. A cacophony of various textures and flavours from ground lentils, rice, spices, vegetables, seeds and nuts. Idli rava is widely available in Indian/Asian stores. Alternatively, wash any short-grained rice and soak for 4 hours, then drain and dry completely. Coarse grind the dried rice to the consistency of semolina before using. These are great when served the creamy lemony dill yogurt dip as a simple appetizer, and they are also great served in pita or even as burgers with toppings. Serve them as a main with your favorite sides like: Bring the broth to a boil and allow the lentils to simmer for about 15 minutes until they are tender and partially falling apart. Add the vegetables to the curry sauce and simmer for 3 minutes, then add the cauliflower and golden raisins. Let simmer until all vegetables are tender and then squeeze in lime juice and add chopped cilantro.Carefully spoon this tempering all over the baked handvo, making sure the entire surface is covered. Add everything, including all of the flavourful oil.

Grind the soaked lentils and rice in a blender until completely smooth. Refer to the video to see exactly what kind of texture you need. You may need to add around 100ml water to the batter to help it grind properly. NOTE: DO NOT ADD MORE THAN 100ml water. Keep stopping the blender to scrape down the sides as necessary. For the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information, read the recipe card below. The newly opened ADDA 1522, a retro-themed pub in Banglore's Halasuru neighbourhood, offers classic idli as well as a few creative iterations. Chef Vedant Pawar grew up in Karwar (a coastal Karnataka town on India's west coast) but rarely ate idli as a child, though has come to appreciate it now.

These red lentil cakes are tender on the inside, with a lightly crispy outside. When combined with peppers, onion, and garlic, you get a delicious nutty, earthy flavor- ramped up with a blend of several herbs and spices. Best of all, this red lentil recipe is also naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and vegan! So simple and easy to make, these protein loaded lentil cakes are great for a healthy appetizer, lunch or main meal. Perfect for dipping, this is a recipe the whole family will love. More similar appetizers:

Place the fried patties onto kitchen paper to absorb any oil and serve with yogurt sauce or tzatziki. Mushrooms: Crimini, or Baby Bella, mushrooms are widely available and perfect to use in this recipe for a great earthy flavor. These lentil cakes can be served as an appetizer, side, or main. Here are just a few of the ways I suggest enjoying these patties. Eggs: To bind the ingredients together. To make these lentil cakes vegan, you can substitute with a flax egg.To the fermented batter, add diced potatoes, courgettes, carrots, peas, sweetcorn, onions, chilli, turmeric, ginger, salt, sugar and lemon juice. You may also add peanuts at this stage (if using). Mix everything well and set aside while you make the first tempering.