The key to cooking a delicious Vegetable Handi is to start with a well-prepared roasted tomato base. To make this base, blanch the tomatoes in hot water for five minutes, then puree them. Lightly fry the puree in oil. This process is similar to preparing a tomato concasse in advance.
Vegetable Handi and Vegetable Kadai are quite similar, with only minor differences in the colour of the gravy. Technically, Vegetable Kadai is served in a small kadai (wok), but there isn’t a significant difference in the cooking style used by most chefs in hotels.
Now, let’s set aside the debate and try my new recipe for Vegetable Handi. This dish is a delightful mix of vegetables combined with a creamy gravy infused with delectable spices, giving it an authentic restaurant-style flavour and texture. I’ve used a limited selection of veggies, but you can feel free to include any healthy vegetables of your choice. Enjoy!
Prep Time – 20 mins
Cook time – 30 mins
Total time – 50 mins
Serves – 4
Ingredients :
Capsicum – 30 gm
Potatoes – 50 gm
Onion – 30 gm
Green Peas ( shelled ) – 30 gms
Carrot – 40 gm
Tomatoes – 60 gm
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Green Chillies – 6 pcs
Red Chilli powder – 1 ½ tbsp
Kasuri Methi – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Asafoetida – a pinch
Garam Masala – a pinch
Vegetable stock – 50 ml
Oil – 40 ml
Cooking Cream – 2 tbsp
Tomato Ketchup – 2 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Lemon – 1
Method :
1 ) Grind the onions and half of the green chillies and cashew nuts to paste.
2 ) Wash and clean the vegetables. Blanch them in hot water for 5 minutes. Drain the water and use a little of it as stock later. Dice the veggies and set aside.
3 ) Make a puree of the blanched tomatoes and saute it in oil for 5 minutes. Remove and set
aside.
4 ) Roast the onion, green chilli and cashew nut paste nicely for approximately 8 to 10 minutes on a slow flame or till lumps are formed and oil floats out. Now add all the dry spices and fry
further.
5 ) Add the tomato paste and the diced vegetables, green peas along with slit green chillies and vegetable stock, tomato ketchup, add salt. Mix well. Top it up with butter, cover it with a lid, and let it cook on a slow flame for 20 minutes. Keep checking in between, if all the stock is evaporated, add a little bit more and continue.
6 ) Check for consistency and seasoning. Make sure the gravy is of thick consistency. Remove from flame. Squeeze the lemon juice and cream. Garnish with grated cheese and serve hot with Naan or Roti.
