Shital's-Kitchen: Vitla Khandvi

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Vitla Khandvi

Vitla means wrapped or rolled in Gujarati. This is one of our favorite and a most popular gujarati snack. These little chickpea flour pin wheels are delicate and soft to bite and you will surely relish it!

Traditionally while making Khandvi, chickpea flour and yogurt is cooked over the stove stirring constantly to avoid lumps. As chickpea flour/besan cooks, it tightens and thickens. The cooking time varies depending on the type of the container and amount of heat supplied. It can be tricky sometimes and you have to check on the consistency often before it is done. Timing is crucial in this recipe. under-cooked besan will not allow your khandvi to roll, over cooked will make it hard and stiff.

My mom makes it in her microwave, stirring occasionally and perfectly cooked and timed :) Use 100% power on your microwave and you will not have to worry about it getting over cooked or under-cooked. But cooking time varies based on the type on microwavable bowl. I use transparent glass bowl and so does my mom and we get the batter cooked in 8 minutes. You would want to spread a little batter on the flat greased surface after 6 or 7 minutes of microwaving. If it is done, you do not have to use an extra minute to cook. Extra time means making the batter thick and even difficult to spread and roll into khandvi.

If by chance you end up microwaving more and making the batter too thick and difficult to spread, Just pour and spread the batter into a pan to form a thick layer. Cut into cubes and sprinkle tempering and garnish it. It will make into thick khandvi bites. Yes, we do make this at home often as it is easy and quick :)

Ingredients (makes around 30 pieces)

1 cup besan/chickpea flour
2+1/2 cup buttermilk (yogurt+water)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp.turmeric powder
1/8 tsp. hing

For tempering:
1 tbsp. oil
1 tbsp mustard seeds
Chopped green chilies
5-6 curry leaves

To garnish
2 tbsp. grated coconut (fresh or frozen)
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro

  • Start by using a cup of yogurt and 1 1/2 cup water. Mix well to form a lump less buttermilk/ chaash.
  • 1 cup besan : 2 1/2 cup liquid (chaash)
  • Add a cup of besan/chickpea flour to buttermilk. Whisk well to form lump free batter.
  • Add salt, haldi, hing. 
  • Microwave on 100% power for 3 minutes. Sides start to cook. Remove from the microwave and whisk to mix and smoothen the batter.
  • Microwave for another 3 minutes. Remove and whisk again. 
  • Microwave third time for 2 minutes.
  • Whisk well. You could also use your hand blender to smoothen the cooked batter.
  • Spread a spoonful on greased surface to check if it is done.
  • Cool for a minute and roll.
  • If it rolls easily it is done!
  • Pour some batter on the surface and start working quickly with it.
  • Spread it out evenly before it cools.
  • Sprinkle some grated coconut and chopped cilantro.
  • Cut into 1 inch long strips. When cooled, roll each strip. Place each khandvi roll in a plate.
  • To temper: Heat a tbsp of oil. Add 1 tbsp. of of mustard seeds. Fry some chopped green chillies and curry leaves. Add a pinch of hing. Pour temper evenly over khandvi rolls. 
  • Sprinkle with grated coconut and chopped cilantro.

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:
Start by using a cup of yogurt and 1 1/2 cup water. Mix well to form a lump less butter milk/ chaash.
1 cup besan:2 1/2 cup liquid (chaash)
Add a cup of besan/chickpea flour. Whisk well.
Add salt, haldi, hing.

I have a clean kitchen counter ready to spread khandvi dough.
I washed it well and greased it with some oil.

Microwave on 100% power for 3 minutes.
Sides start to cook. remove from the microwave and whisk to mix and smoothen the batter.

Microwave for another 3 minutes.
Remove and whisk again.

Microwave third time for 2 minutes.
Whisk well. You could also use your hand blender to smoothen the cooked batter.

Spread a spoonful on greased surface to check if it is done.
Cool for a minute and roll.
If it rolls easily it is done!



Pour some batter on the surface or silicone mats and start working quickly with it.
Spread it out evenly before it cools.



OR
Use a greased thali to spread the batter.


Sprinkle some grated coconut and chopped cilantro.

Cut into 1 inch long strips.
When cooled, start rolling them.


My husband: A great help!!




 To temper: Heat a tbsp of oil. Add 1 tbsp. of of mustard seeds. Fry some chopped green chillies and curry leaves. Add a pinch of hing.
Pour this temper over rolled khandvi.

Sprinkle cilantro and grated coconut.


Serve with green chutney or sweet chutney or enjoy as is!
Enjoy Delicious, Soft, Fun to eat... Vitla Khandvi!

31 comments:

  1. Wow thanks for sharing ... it looks real simple and am going to try this one for sure .. a surti who loves to eat but wud love to learn to cook too :) your blog is the perfect place to get inspired and get started.

    Thanks for spreading the love of food :)

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    1. Thanks Upasana for your kind words! :) Let me know how it turns out.
      Happy Cooking!

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  3. I must admit I'm trying each of your recipes .They are coming out really well.Thanks for giving me the opportunity to learn to make dishes that I had always relished .

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    1. Thanks a lot Mehnaz! I am glad you enjoy it! :)

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  4. The instructions and pictures are wonderful. I had to consciously stop myself from drooling when I saw the final result :-). I'm going to try this out today.

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    1. Thanks a lot! I hope you got a chance to try it out. Do let me know how it turned out!

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  5. Shital, it looks wonderful. I am going to try this.

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    1. Thanks Minal, do give it a try and let me know how it turns out.

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    2. Shital, I tried this out and it turned out great. Thank for sharing wonderful recipes with detailed instructions.

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    3. Thanks for the feedback Minal! I am happy you liked it!! :)

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  6. I just saw the recipe and thought of trying it. I could not believe its so very perfect. I have seen my mother doing it in a pan over the gas and struggling with it. Thanks for this wonderful recipe. Its very useful especially for budding cooks like us...waiting for many more recipes to come .

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    1. Oh Thank you so much for trying it out. I so appreciate you spending time to write a comment too!

      You could also share your picture or comment on fb. on https://www.facebook.com/shitalskitchenlab

      Happy cooking!
      Shital

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  7. it turned out perfect :) just like moms..

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  8. Thank you so much for this recipe! It turned out PERFECT! I've been struggling to make the perfect khandvi for years now.This is awesome!!!

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    1. :) Thanks Kimono for your feedback. I feel so happy knowing that this recipe worked for you. Happy Cooking!

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  9. Not sure if my comment got deleted...... I tried this recipe exactly last week but the end batter came out too lumpy and i was not able to roll i as it was way too thick..... in the end we just ate it more like dhokla..... taste was great. Can you help diagnose what might have gone wrong?

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    1. Hello Noush, I have not deleted any comment, but I am glad you put in the query. I am sorry your Khandvi did not turn out as it should. Heat is the major factor. with your microwave and glass bowl that u might have used. It would have needed less than 8 minutes to cook. Overcooking makes it dry and not able to spread and roll. Try it again, after 6 minutes, spread a spoonful of batter on a surface and see it it rolls. If it does, your khandvi is done in 6 minutes. If not give it 30 more seconds and test it. I hope you are able to make it again and it works for you. Do not get discouraged on one bad try. You will perfect the technique soon. Let me know if you have any other questions. We also make thick khandvi that is: when if gets slighly overcooked, pour the batter in the thali like dhokli, cool, cut into pieces and pour the tempering over it and garnish with cilantro. :)

      Happy Cooking!

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  10. Hi Shital, I made khandvi based on your recipe. It came out amazingly well. I was wondering does the microwave time change if we up the quantity? Thanks so much for the recipe. It sure is a keeper.

    - Shweta

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    1. Thank you Shweta for trying it and I am glad you liked it :) Yes you will need to cook it for more time if the quantity is more. But just do it for 3-3 minutes in the beginning and then microwaving it for 1 -2 minutes later. Spread a spoonful of batter to check if it is done. If the batter is not done...microwave for another minute. do it slowly to prevent it from over cooking. Also do the quantity that you feel is easy to spread without the batter cooling. Let me know your quantity and time if you choose to make more.

      Happy Cooking!
      Shital

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  12. My microwave does not have power settings. Any suggetions, how should i do it?

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    1. If you don't have power setting, it means it is 100% power. So don't worry. After 6 minutes you should check if the khandvi done by spreading on a surface and trying to roll it. If it is not done, microwave for another minute.

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  13. hey .. I tried this right now.. it came out well (for the things that I used )...I used butter knife to apply it on the floor..so my Khandivis were thick.. also I tried this with 2tbs of besan.. so I was unable to beat the cooked batter into a smooth paste.. But still I turned out to be good Khandvi.. Thanks once again for the detailed recipe

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    1. Thanks a lot for trying it out and liking it :)

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  14. Can I cook the batter in an otg or gas??? If yes for how long and what should be the temp.??? N I can I store the khandvis for a day or 2???

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    1. Yes you can cook it on the gas stove. You will have to constantly stir it for 10-15 minutes or till it is done. You can cover and store it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

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  15. HELP!!!! The khandvi is sticking to the platform. Ehat to do??

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    1. Oh so sorry Mamtha. It is sticking because you did not grease it well and your mixture is not cooked. Cooked mixture will not stick. Hope you try it again.

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  16. Total flop 😟 I think stove top methods is better than microwave as each machine is different ,mixture became dry

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