When an email arrived in our inbox with the subject line — Zucchini Handvo — we raised an eyebrow. Every Gujarati household swears by their own hand-me-down version of the handvo, a vegetable pancake packed with bottle gourd, dals, flour and loads of “adu-marcha” (ginger-green chilli paste) and topped with roasted sesame.

As a kid, my grandmother called it a savoury cake. My favourite part is the crusty, almost-burnt top with toasted sesame that is cut into a fluffy cake inside.