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.
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 gravy 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 with tandoori rotis or naan or parathas or rotis.
how to make veg handi
preparation
1. soak cashews in hot water for 30 minutes.
2. after 30 minutes, drain and add them to a grinder or blender.
3. add water and grind 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.
5. steam the veggies in a 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 flame 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 flame.
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. you can also add sugar for a light sweet taste. stir 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 flame.
26. garnish with chopped coriander or mint leaves and serve veg handi with tandoori rotis, naan, parathas or chapati or rumali roti.
more curry recipes
Veg Handi
INGREDIENTS
for the cashew paste
- 3 tablespoon cashews OR about 20 to 22 cashews
- ½ cup hot water for soaking OR 125 ml hot water
- 3 tablespoon water for grinding the cashews. 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 cubes - optional (cottage cheese)
- 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 powder
- 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 30 minutes.
- after 30 minutes, drain and add the soaked cashews to a grinder or blender.
- add water and grind 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.
- 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 with tandoori rotis, naan, parathas or chapatis.
NOTES
you can use a steel handi or even a regular kadai or pot or pan to make this dish.
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.
You’re my kitchen mom, whatever I have cooked it’s just your teachings , those picture instructions are too good tutor ! Thank-you
Welcome Garima. Thanks for your kind words and positive feedback.
I tried this recipe yesterday . And it was. A Big hit!!!. Thnx a lot Amit.. becoz of ur recipes, wich never fails, I started loving to cook now..
Welcome Dr.Leena. Glad to know this.
Hi Amit. I tried this recipe of veg Hundi. And it was just yuummmmy.. I and my family loved it. Thnx a ton.i don’t enter kitchen for cooking before watching ur recipe .almost Evryday I try a new dish, And it never had disappointed me. Happy guru purnima. You are my Guru, teacher of cooking..thnx a lot.
Welcome Dr.leena. Thanks for your kind words and for sharing positive feedback on recipes. Happy Guru Purnima to you too. Stay Blessed and happy cooking.
Hello ma’am. Its always a pleasure to go through ur blog and all ur recpies plus the very nice depiction of images makes cooking even more feasible.
I am a beginner, probably my question might sound stupid. I wanted to ask does the handi over here means earthern pot??? If yes how hv u used it on gas stove??
Thanks Bhavya. Handi can be made of any substance like clay, steel or iron. basically its the shape of utenstil. this clay pot is from kerala and one can easily use it on fire. in tamil nadu, goa and kerala different types of clay utensils are available, that can be used for cooking. they just have to be seasoned and treated before using for cooking.
Hello mam, I am a big fan of your blog and refer it from time to time. Luv the way you give details and step by step photos too. Have tried many recipes using your blog and they have come up superb. Thanks a lot for your efforts.
Welcome SUHAS. Thanks for your kind words. Nice to know that you are liking the recipes posted on blog.
I absolutely love this recipe! That you so much for your website! Just out of curiosity…what type of onion do you use?
Welcome Susan. Usually we easily get red onions in Indian markets. that’s what i use.
I have tried many of the recipes from vegrecipesofindia and all were superb always.
I can trust this site in dreams also. Whenever I have to make something different and special I just check it on this site and when I see recipe is available.. at that time I m sure that my meal is going to be perfect.
Thanks Dassana Amit for nice recipes and to the point description of it.
Welcome Saee. Glad to know this. Thanks for your kind words and positive feedback on recipes.
Today I made this recipe it was a super duper hit in my house.exactly restaurant taste..Thank you so much for posting such awesome recipes.
Welcome Sri. Thanks for sharing your positive feedback.
I made this today. Came out so really well. You are a super star Amit Dassana!
thanks a lot ridhi for the ‘super star’ tag. glad that you liked the recipe. thanks for sharing.
Hiii… I would definitely like to thank you for all the excellent recipes which I could have prepared just bcz of you….when I got married I hardly knew anything to cook but nw I can call my self an excellent chef and all credit goes to you..thankyou so much…..
Welcome Gargi. Glad to know that recipes have helped you in cooking. Thanks for your positive feedback.
toooo goooood………..thank u
thanks 🙂
Thank you for this recipe…it was loved by all at home…i fried the veggies , which gave a different taste …..It was yummmmyyy….thanks again.
thanks aishwarya for sharing this. glad to know.
Hi ma’m ,
I like ur recipes n d presentation so much. I hav been checking ur blog since so long…n never thanked u. The recipes were very nice n helped me to cook gud now. working with vegetables only is a hard job n u made it so simple for us. thanx…
thanks a lot sulagna.
This is fabulous! I just made it for dinner and nobody can stop eating it. Outstanding recipe as usual that makes me look like a good cook. Thanks Dassana. 🙂
Just one comment, green chillies are mentioned in the instructions but not there in the ingredient list. I figured out from the images that two were added, but I just thought to let you know.
thank you sneha. there are some recipes that are too good and i am myself saying it as i know how they taste. and this veg handi is one of them. thanks for the bit on green chilies. i will update in the post.
Hi dassana
I m regular visitor to it site..and it help me a lot to learn different cuisine..previous I didn’t know anything about cooking.after visiting ur sure I can make so many good dishes.and my kids and even hubby loved it.All credit goes to you..thank u so much for sharing such a precious recipes with us.ur step by step method is sone pe suhaga..God bless u for this great work..love u so much..thanks.
Welcome Nanda. glad to know that recipes are helping you in cooking and learning new recipes. thanks for your positive feedback and best wishes.
Can I first dry roast the spices and then grind them into a powder instead of using them whole?
don’t powder the spices and add. the result will be different in the gravy. if you don’t want the spices, then do not add them.
Hi dear. This recipe seems to be awesome. I wanted to ask you that can it be prepared a day before for a party or the taste will not be that good as that of a freshly prepared one.
Thanks Rajyashree. you can prepare veg handi a day before and keep in the fridge. the taste will change slightly but will still taste good. However freshly prepared food is always healthy and more tasty.
Veg handi came out very well my 2 yr Lo enjoyed thank u so much fr lovely recipe
pleased to know this geevino 🙂 you are welcome and thank you for your positive views.
Made the low fat version of it by substituting butter with olive oil and cashews with khus khus and melon seeds. Still turned out amazing.
thanks ayushi for sharing your variation. good to know this.
Looks great,can’t wait to try!!!
Dish turned out very beautifully ……my husband loved it very much ? loving all your dishes … Thank you so much for posting us all your recipes …. Loving all of them .
thankyou harini for your positive feedback and loved to hear your husband loved the veg handi recipe. you are welcome 🙂
Hi I have teenage son who is very fussy about food Thankyou for your wonderful recipes .
pleased to know this thankyou minakshi and your are always welcome.
Namaste!
A huge Thank you to you. I love cooking. But every time I used to spends hours searching for receipes at diiferent sites. But when I saw yours, I was too impressed. Now I only turn on to your site for any receipe that I wish to make. They are so interesting and the food tastes absolutly amazing. My parents and my elder sister always like the food.
Thank you much.
Keep shining.
Loads of love.
namaste suhasini. thanks a ton for this lovely comment and feedback on the recipes. also for sharing your experience. thanks again and happy cooking 🙂
Absolutely delicious….I was so happy when my 6 yr old DD polished her plate including all the veggies.this website is a blessing.god bless u.
pleased to know this sowmia glad your baby liked the veg handi 🙂 thankyou for your positive words and god bless you.
where can I buy earthern handi? i would like to cook this dish in it.
pratichi you should get these handis with the vendor selling earthenware’s for cooking. hope this help’s you sometimes you also get these in exhibition’s