Veg Handi/ Veg Diwani Handi restaurant style curry

This is Rich Creamy curry with lots of vegetables restaurant style.

I have adapted the recipe from dassana and have made slight changes to hers.

Ingredients for Veg Diwani Handi/Veg Handi

To make cashew paste:

• 3 tbsp cashews or about 20 to 25 cashews
• ½ cup hot water for soaking

Other ingredients:

• ¼ th chopped carrots, about 2 small or 1 medium carrot
• ¼ th cup chopped french beans, about 8 to 10 french beans
• ¼ th cup chopped potatoes, about 1 medium potato
• ¼ th green peas (fresh or frozen)
• ¼ th  cauliflower florets
• ¼  sliced mushrooms, 6 to 8 button mushrooms (optional)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped onion
• 1 medium tomato, finely chopped tomatoes
• 3 to 4 medium garlic + ½ inch ginger, crushed to a paste or 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp chopped coriander leaves finely chopped
• 1 tsp chopped mint leaves finely chopped
• 1 cup water ( a little more if you are making the gravy slightly thinner like mine)
• 3 tbsp low fat cream, (you can use full fate if you wish to)
• ½ tsp red chili powder/lal mirch powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
• ¼ tsp garam masala powder
• ½ tsp kasuri methi/dry fenugreek leaves (crushed)
• a pinch of nutmeg powder or grated nutmeg
• 1 tbsp butter + 1/2 tbsp oil
• salt as required

whole spices:

• 1 small to medium tej patta/bay leaf
• 2 clove
• ½ inch cinnamon/dal chini
• 2 single strand of mace
• 2 green cardamoms

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Then soak cashews in the hot water for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile when the cashews are soaking, wash, peel and chop the veggies.
3. 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.
4. After 30 minutes, drain and add the soaked cashews to a grinder or blender.
5. Add water and grind to a very smooth paste.
6. Heat butter and oil in a handi or pan.* check notes.
7. Add whole spices - cinnamon, green cardamoms, mace, cloves and bay leaf. sauté the spices till fragrant.
8. Add finely chopped onions and sauté the onions on a low flame till they turn golden brown in colour.
9. Add ginger-garlic paste, chopped coriander and mint leaves and sauté for a minute.
10. Add finely chopped tomatoes, sauté till the tomatoes become pulpy and you see oil leaving the sides of the mixture.
11. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder, cashew paste.
12. Keep stirring  till you see oil releasing from the sides of the pan
13. Add water and give a nice stir.
14. Now add slit green chilies. Add mushrooms at this point if using and stir again and let the gravy begin to simmer. takes about 3 to 4 minutes on a low to medium flame.
15. Add salt and stir again.
16. Now add in the steamed veggies.
17. Mix well and simmer the veggies in the gravy for 2 to 3 minutes. The gravy would begin to thicken by now.
18. Grate a little of nutmeg directly in the gravy.  Say about a pinch of grated nutmeg or nutmeg powder.
19. Add crushed kasuri methi/dry fenugreek leaves and garam masala powder and stir.
20. Lastly add cream. I added low fat cream you can use full fat if you wish to.
21. After adding cream, mix & switch off the flame.
22. Garnish with chopped coriander or mint leaves and serve vegetable handi with Jeera rice, tandoori rotis or chapatis.

Note:

 You can use ½  tsp sugar which id completely optional, this gives you a sweet touch to the curry.

You can add  tsp yogurt / thick curds which gives you a slightly sour taste to the gravy.

I have skipped both as I did not want it to sweet or sour.
As i did not have a big handi I made the gravy part in mud handi (# 6 - # 15)then later shifted the gravy in ad bigger pan and then continued cooking. you can cook the complete thing in a handi or a pan, but cooking in handi gives a earthen flavour. 

I made the gravy slightly thinner than making it thicker as I was going to serve it with Jeera rice.

Happy Cooking,