Veg handi recipe with step by step pics. This veg diwani handi is a rich, creamy curry made with mixed vegetables. A restaurant-style vegetable handi that tastes damn good with roti, paratha, tandoori roti or naan.
Who doesn’t like restaurant food at home. We also do and are no exceptions. This recipe of veg handi is inspired by the rich heavy food that is served in restaurants. Once in a while, its alright to be indulgent. After all we don’t eat every day from the restaurants.
For this veg diwani handi, the gravy or base is made from cashew paste, onion-tomatoes and cream. A bit sweet, mild and creamy gravy. Generally, the veggies are fried or sauteed. I have steamed the vegetables.
The recipe is called veg handi as the dish is made in handi. Handi is a kind of cooking pot used in Indian cooking with a shallow depth and a wide bottom. here I have used clay handi.
You can use a steel handi or even a regular kadai or pot or pan. kadai is often used in Indian cooking to make dishes like Kadai Paneer and Kadai veg recipe. Recipes made in a handi are named such – like Paneer handi, handi pulao or handi biryani etc.
Veg handi recipe is easy and simple and has been inspired from the cookbook – “On the butter chicken trail: a moti mahal cookbook”.
Just a bit prep work is required to prepare the cashew paste and steaming the veggies. After that its a breeze. I have also cooked the veggies in the gravy, but I prefer to steam the veggies separately and do the remaining prep work, when the veggies are steaming.
Paneer cubes can also be added along with the veggies. You can also add tinned fruit cocktail towards the end in the recipe.
Veg handi is best served hot or warm with tandoori rotis or naan or parathas or rotis.
How to make Veg Handi
Preparation
1. Soak cashews in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes.
2. After 20 to 30 minutes, drain the water and add them to a grinder or blender.
3. Add water and grind or blend to a very smooth paste.
4. Meanwhile when the cashews are soaking, rinse, peel and chop the veggies. You can add vegetables of your choice like potatoes, green peas, carrots, capsicum, baby corn, cauliflower, french beans and broccoli etc.
5. Steam the veggies in a stovetop pressure cooker, steamer or electric cooker, till they are cooked completely. You can also fry or saute the veggies.
Making veg handi
6. Melt butter in a handi or pan. Keep the heat on the lowest, so that the butter does not brown or burn.
7. Add whole spices – cinnamon, green cardamoms, mace, cloves and tej patta (Indian bay leaf). Saute the spices till fragrant.
8. Add finely chopped onions.
9. Stir and saute the onions on a low heat stirring often.
10. The onions need to become golden.
11. Then add ginger-garlic paste, chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves) and mint leaves. Stir and saute for a minute.
12. Add finely chopped tomatoes.
13. Stir and saute till the tomatoes soften, become pulpy and you see fat leaving the sides of the mixture.
14. Then add turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder.
15. Add the prepared cashew paste and yogurt/curd. Curd is optional and does give a faint sour taste in the gravy. You can easily skip, if you do not prefer curd.
16. Stir often and saute till you see fat releasing from the sides.
17. Add water and stir.
18. Then add slit green chilies.
19. Stir again and let the gravy begin to simmer. Takes about 3 to 4 minutes on a low to medium flame.
20. Season with salt according to taste. You can also add sugar for a light sweet taste. Stir and mix again.
20. Add the steamed veggies.
21. Stir very well and simmer the veggies in the gravy for 2 to 3 minutes. The gravy would begin to thicken by now.
22. Grate a bit of nutmeg directly in the gravy. About a pinch of grated nutmeg or nutmeg powder.
23. Then add crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) and garam masala powder. Stir.
24. Lastly add cream. I added amul cream. Use a low fat cream.
25. After adding cream, stir the veg handi gravy well and then switch off the heat.
26. Garnish with chopped coriander or mint leaves and Serve veg diwani handi hot or warm with tandoori rotis, naan, parathas or chapati or rumali roti or poori.
It will also go well with saffron rice or cumin rice or steamed basmati rice.
More Tasty Curry recipes
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Veg Handi
Ingredients
for the cashew paste
- 3 tablespoon cashews or about 20 to 22 cashews
- ½ cup hot water or 125 ml – for soaking
- 3 tablespoon water for blending – you can also use the soaked water instead of plain water
other ingredients for veg handi
- ¼ or ⅓ cup chopped carrots or about 2 small or 1 medium carrot
- ¼ or ½ cup chopped french beans or about 8 to 10 french beans
- ¼ or ⅓ cup chopped potatoes or about 1 medium potato
- ¼ or ⅓ cup green peas, fresh or frozen
- ¼ cup corn kernels – optional
- ¼ or ⅓ cup chopped cauliflower
- ¼ or ⅓ cup sliced mushrooms or 6 to 8 button mushrooms (optional) * for cooking mushrooms check notes
- ¼ cup paneer (cubed), Indian cottage cheese – optional
- 1 medium onion or about ½ cup finely chopped onion
- 1 medium tomato or about ½ cup finely chopped tomatoes
- 3 to 4 medium garlic + ½ inch ginger – crushed to a paste or 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste (adrak lahsun ka paste)
- 1 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves
(cilantro leaves)
- 1 teaspoon chopped mint leaves
- 1 to 2 green chilies, slit or sliced (hari mirch)
- 1 cup water or 250 ml water
- 3 tablespoon low fat cream – 25% to 35% fat
- 1 tablespoon Curd – optional (yogurt)
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
- ½ teaspoon kasuri methi – crushed (dry fenugreek leaves)
- 1 pinch nutmeg powder or grated nutmeg
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- salt as required
- sugar as required – you can add about ½ teaspoon of sugar or as per your taste, (optional)
whole spices
- 1 small to medium tej patta (indian bay leaf)
- 2 cloves
- ½ inch cinnamon
- 2 single strands of mace
- 2 green cardamoms
Instructions
preparation
- First heat water in a pan, microwave or electric heater.
- Then soak cashews in the hot water for 20 to 30 minutes.
- After 20 to 30 minutes, drain all the water and add the soaked cashews to a grinder or blender.
- Add water and grind or blend to a very smooth paste.
- Meanwhile when the cashews are soaking, rinse, peel and chop the veggies.
- Steam the veggies in a pressure cooker, steamer or electric cooker till they are cooked completely. You can also fry or saute the veggies till they are cooked.
making veg handi gravy
- Heat butter in a handi or pan.
- Add whole spices – cinnamon, green cardamoms, mace, cloves and tej patta. Saute the spices till fragrant.
- Add finely chopped onions.
- Stir and saute the onions on a low flame till they become golden stirring often.
- Then add ginger-garlic paste, chopped coriander and mint leaves. Stir and saute for a minute.
- Add finely chopped tomatoes.
- Stir and saute till the tomatoes soften, become pulpy and you see fat leaving the sides of the mixture.
- Then add turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder.
- Add the prepared cashew paste and yogurt/curd. Curd is optional and does give a slight sour taste in the gravy. You can easily skip, if you do not prefer curd.
- Stir often and saute till you see fat releasing from the sides.
- Add water. Stir.
- Then add slit green chilies. Stir again and let the gravy begin to simmer. Takes about 3 to 4 minutes on a low to medium flame.
- Season with salt. You can also add sugar for a light sweet taste. Stir again.
- Add the steamed veggies.
- Stir very well and simmer the veggies in the gravy for 2 to 3 minutes. The veg handi gravy would begun to thicken by now.
- Grate a bit of nutmeg directly in the gravy. About a pinch of grated nutmeg or nutmeg powder.
- Then add crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) and garam masala powder. Stir.
- Lastly add cream. I added amul cream. Use a low fat cream.
- After adding cream, stir & switch off the flame.
- Garnish with chopped coriander or mint leaves and serve veg handi hot or warm with tandoori rotis, naan, parathas or chapatis.
Notes
- * mushrooms have to be sauteed. So once the tomatoes have softened and become pulpy, add mushrooms and saute till they are cooked.
You can use a steel handi or even a regular kadai or pot or pan to make this dish. - You can add veggies of your choice like green peas, cauliflower, baby corn, potatoes, cauliflower, baby corn, french beans, bell pepper, carrots and corn.
- If you like paneer and mushrooms then you can add them as well.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Veg Handi post from the archives first published in November 2014 has been republished and updated on December 2022.
Loved this! I substituted coconut products for dairy to make it vegan, and also substituted allspice for mace. It was so good I immediately had a request to make it again and this time double the batch! Thank you!
Great to know and thanks for sharing. Yes most vegetarian indian recipes can be easily made vegan. Welcome and happy cooking.
I am a regular follower of your site the guidance and tips you give is excellent .I do not feel like going to any restaurant now ????.The pictorial steps stays in our mind and so no confusion . Today i tried out Veg Handi it was excellent and restaurant taste ????.. Thank you once again. How to share pics ?
Welcome Shashi. Glad to know that stepwise recipes presentation is helping you. Thanks for sharing positive feedback on veg handi recipe. Currently there is no way to share pics. But your positive comment is more than enough.