Veg Handi | Veg Diwani Handi

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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.

veg handi garnished with coriander leaves and served in a copper handi with text layover.

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.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Veg Handi

Preparation

1. Soak cashews in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes.

cashews for veg handi recipe

2. After 20 to 30 minutes, drain the water and add them to a grinder or blender.

cashews for veg handi recipe

3. Add water and grind or blend to a very smooth paste.

cashew paste to prepare veg handi recipe

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.

chopped veggies for veg handi recipe

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.

vegetables for veg handi recipe

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.

melting butter to prepare veg handi recipe

7. Add whole spices – cinnamon, green cardamoms, mace, cloves and tej patta (Indian bay leaf). Saute the spices till fragrant.

adding whole spices for veg handi recipe

8. Add finely chopped onions.

adding chopped onions for veg handi recipe

9. Stir and saute the onions on a low heat stirring often.

sauteing onions for vegetable handi recipe

10. The onions need to become golden.

browning onions for vegetable handi recipe

11. Then add ginger-garlic paste, chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves) and mint leaves. Stir and saute for a minute.

adding ginger-garlic paste for veg handi recipe

12. Add finely chopped tomatoes.

added chopped tomatoes - veg handi recipe

13. Stir and saute till the tomatoes soften, become pulpy and you see fat leaving the sides of the mixture.

sauteed tomatoes for veg handi

14. Then add turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder.

adding spice powders to make vegetable handi recipe

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.

added cashew paste - making veg handi recipe

16. Stir often and saute till you see fat releasing from the sides.

sauteing the veg handi masala paste

17. Add water and stir.

add water to make veg handi recipe

18. Then add slit green chilies.

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.

simmering veg handi gravy recipe

20. Season with salt according to taste. You can also add sugar for a light sweet taste. Stir and mix again.

add salt to make vegetable handi recipe

20. Add the steamed veggies.

add steamed veggies - making veg handi recipe

21. Stir very well and simmer the veggies in the gravy for 2 to 3 minutes. The gravy would begin to thicken by now.

simmering veggies - veg handi recipe

22. Grate a bit of nutmeg directly in the gravy. About a pinch of grated nutmeg or nutmeg powder.

add grated nutmeg - veg handi recipe

23. Then add crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) and garam masala powder. Stir.

spices for making veg handi recipe

24. Lastly add cream. I added amul cream. Use a low fat cream.

cream for veg handi recipe

25. After adding cream, stir the veg handi gravy well and then switch off the heat.

cream for vegetable handi recipe

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.

veg handi recipe, vegetable handi recipe

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veg handi recipe, veg diwani handi recipe

Veg Handi

This veg diwani handi recipe is a rich, creamy curry made with mixed vegetables.
4.85 from 39 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Cuisine North Indian
Course Main Course
Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Difficulty Level Easy
Servings 3
Units

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)

Nutrition Facts
Veg Handi
Amount Per Serving
Calories 320 Calories from Fat 207
% Daily Value*
Fat 23g35%
Saturated Fat 12g75%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 6g
Cholesterol 54mg18%
Sodium 509mg22%
Potassium 500mg14%
Carbohydrates 22g7%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin A 2859IU57%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg67%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg59%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 2mg10%
Vitamin B6 1mg50%
Vitamin B12 1µg17%
Vitamin C 25mg30%
Vitamin D 1µg7%
Vitamin E 1mg7%
Vitamin K 16µg15%
Calcium 157mg16%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 45µg11%
Iron 2mg11%
Magnesium 62mg16%
Phosphorus 151mg15%
Zinc 1mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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This Veg Handi post from the archives first published in November 2014 has been republished and updated on December 2022.

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Welcome to Dassana's Veg Recipes. I share vegetarian recipes from India & around the World. Having been cooking for decades and with a professional background in cooking & baking, I help you to make your cooking journey easier with my tried and tested recipes showcased with step by step photos & plenty of tips & suggestions.

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120 Comments

  1. Thank you once again for this delicious recipe, I prepared this for dinner tonight, and it was awesome…… In fact it was looking just like urs veg handi….but I want to ask something in pictures there is a clay handi or mitti ki handi, but I used regular pan……does it make any difference in taste?? And pl tell me also that can I use clay pot or handi directly on gas?? Because i am desperate to cook dum biryani and want to use clay pot for this.. Pl tell me how should I do this??

    1. welcome richa. thanks for sharing your positive feedback. cooking on clay will give slight earthy flavor and old world charm. yes, you can use clay pot or handi directly on gas. ask the potter from where you buy about using the clay pot directly on gas.

  2. Hi Amit,
    I found all the recipes user friendly and not much to buy extra ordinary items , thank you so much for this wonderful and helpful site to refer to make any special items within easily available Indian ingredients. I will refer it to all my friends on FB and WhatsApp

    Medha Kaushik

    1. thanks medha for this positive feedback on recipes and also for referring the site to your friends.

  3. Thank you very much dassana…This dish came out picture perfect as you have posted..it’s was so yummy..we all enjoyed this mouth watering dish to the fullest. .thank you very much for posting delicious recipes. .I tried many of your recipes and all came out well..Thank you very much for taking all the pain in posting the recipes step by step with pictures. .so that we too don’t miss a single ingredient. .your presentation is awesome..keep on posting new dishes..once again thanks a lot5 stars

    1. welcome jayanthi. thanks for sharing positive feedback on recipes. glad to know that you like the recipes presentation and it is helping you in cooking.

  4. Hi Dassana,

    This recipe was super yummy, much much better than restaurant curries.
    After finding your blog, i am regularly using your blog for my everyday cooking.

    Thanks for taking all the effort for the detailed recipes and pics, which are helpful for beginners. This is by far the best Indian cooking blog i found.

    Thanks5 stars

    1. welcome sharmilee. thanks again for sharing positive feedback on recipes.

  5. Hi Dassana,

    Honestly, I do not like Indian food as they take lots of time. Though I’m an Indian, I mostly end up eating salads, soup and other western food. But I made a couple of dishes from your recipes – they are awesome and very easy to make. Thank you for all the good work.5 stars