What is Khandvi?
Just look at these little yellow rolls of sunshine. They’re soft and springy and perfectly bite-sized. This, my friends, is khandvi, a popular Gujarati snack made with besan, yogurt, and spices. I know these rolls might seem intimidating to make, but trust me, the process is actually really simple – thanks to the instant pot (and a few other tools). The instant pot takes the guesswork out of cooking khandvi batter and in my opinion, that’s the most stressful part of making khandvi. You no longer have to stir khandvi batter on the stovetop until you somehow just know it’s done. 🤷🏽♀️ Instead, with an instant pot, you set the cook time and you’re good to go. 👌🏽 Once the batter is done, you have to spread it out, cut it and roll it up. The easiest way to do this is to use a few tools: I realize khandvi-making experts won’t need these extra tools, but for the rest of us, trust me, they’re SO helpful.
Khandvi = Delicious Snack!
Khandvi is a Gujarati snack made with besan (chana dal flour – which is different from garbanzo flour!), yogurt, and spices. You can serve this as an appetizer before a meal or enjoy it as a snack or for breakfast with tea. It’s great on its own as it’s coated in spiced oil (a tempering) or you can also serve it with green chutney. Khandvi, like Khaman, is a steamed snack and while it does have an oil tempering, it’s probably still a healthier option than something fried (hello Aloo Tikki) and it’s so flavorful and fun to eat. My college best friend refers to khandvi as roly-poly, which is the most adorable name for these whimsical, cylindrical-shaped snacks. Another close friend grew up calling these carpet rolls and honestly, I have to say that rolling these really is like rolling up a teeny tiny carpet. Hopefully, you believe me by now when I tell you this is really easy to make. I’ll walk you through it and hold your hand throughout the process… well until I need to let go so you can roll the khandvi. 😉
How to Make Khandvi:
First, you’ll need to blend a few ingredients to make a batter. Easy. Add water to the pot, place a trivet inside and place an oven-safe bowl on top of the trivet. Pour the blended besan batter into the bowl and pressure cook. Remove the batter and mix well. Scoop the dough out onto 3-4 silicone mats and then quickly and thinly spread it all over using a dough scraper. Let it cool, slice it, and roll it up. After you make the rolls, you pour a tempering made up of spiced mustard seeds, asafoetida (hing), chilies, and sesame seeds over top and then garnish with cilantro and if you’re feelin’ fancy, some shredded coconut. Before I end this post, I want you to know that I’m on a quest to learn more regional Indian recipes and that I couldn’t do this without guidance and critical feedback from friends and aunties who both taste test and offer advice. An especially big thank you to my friend Shilpa and to Rashmi aunty and Rekha aunty in Pittsburgh for teaching me more about khandvi and Gujarati Cuisine. I’m very excited to share some recipes that I learned from them (once/if I am able to successfully recreate them in an instant pot 🤞🏽). I hope you love this simple recipe for khandvi! I can’t wait for you to see how easy this is to make! Like this recipe? Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board now so you will remember to make it later!
