Veg Handi Recipe | Hotel Style Mixed Vegetable Diwani Handi gravy

Diwani handi is a classic authentic royal mixed vegetable preparation cooked in a handi.

I love to reliash and eat restaurant style food at home.Todays recipe is hotel style mixed veg handi – a creamy gravy where veggies are cooked in onion tomato,cashewnut paste & cream with selected royal spices.

I have sauted veggies but you can even boil them prior before adding to gravy.but rememeber they should yet be crunchy.personally whether paneer or veggies ,I like it stir fried and crisp before adding to gravy.

Handi is a special cooking vessel with shallow depth and wide round base.It is available in steel,clay as well as non stick.If you do not have handi you can cook it in a regular kadhai or pan too.

Do not skip any of the ingredients mentioned below for the authentic taste of restaurant style mixev veg handi gravy

Once the vegetables are almost cooked add chopped coriander leaves and green chillies. Serve Diwani Handi hot with Hyderabadi parantha or roomali roti.

Ingredients:
2 cup mixed vegetables ( cauliflower, peas, carrot,potatoes french beans,corn)
1/2 cup paneer, medium cubes (fried golden brown in oil) (optional)
1 medium bell pepper, deseeded and medium cubes
1 large tomato or 2 small tomato +1 medium onion (for making gravy)
1 small onion + 1 medium tomato - finely chopped
1 tsp red chili powder (kashmiri chilli powder)
3 tbsp cashew paste (soak 3 tbsp cashews – about 19-22 cashews in half cup hot water & grind to fine paste)
2 tbsp ginger garlic, finely chopped (3 garlic cloves + half inch ginger crushed coarsely)
1 tsp coriander cumin powder
1 tsp hyderabadi garam masala

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tsp chopped coriander leaves + 1 tsp chopped mint (pudina leaves)

pinch nutmeg ( jaipahal) powder

pinch cardamom / elaichi powder

1-2 green chillies slit from centre

1/2 tsp sugar (optional)

1 tsp dahi ( curd)
1/2 tsp red chili powder
2 tbsp cream
2 tbsp butter

pinch kasuri methi

3/4 cup water
3 tsp oil
Salt to taste

Whole spices for tempering

1 bayleaf /tej patta

2 cloves/lavang

1inch cinamom

2 strands mace /javitri

Garnish

onion rings

coriander leaves

cream

Method:
1 Heat oil into a kadai/handi. Add veggies one by one and and fry half-cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside ( remember we are going to cook the later also ,veggies should be just done,they shouldnt become soft)
2 prepare cashew paste in mixer by grinding soaked cashes using water in which cashews have been soaked .Grind 1 large tomato or 2 small tomato with red chill powder to make red paste .grind medium onion make onion paste. (you can even grind onion tomato with red chilli powder to make onion tomato red chilli powder paste)

3 In the remaining oil .add butter ,now add whole spices and saute till they are fragrant.add onions and fry till they become golden brown. Now add ginger garlic paste along with chopped mint coriander leaves .Saute for 10-15 seconds. T

4 next add tomatoes and cook til they become pulp and fat leaves the side of pan. Next add red chilli ,turmeric and coriander powder.stir and add cashew paste and curd & saute till you see the fat releasing from sides
5 now add salt ,sugar, water ,slit green chillies and simmer gravy for 3 – 4 minutes on medium flame
6.Now add fried vegetables.Simmer for 2 minutes. now add garam masala ,kasuri methi and mix well. Add nutmeg and cardamom powder mix well .lastly add some cream
7.add coriander leaves and stir and simmer for 1 minute.

8. Garnish with mint or coriander leaves , onion rings and Serve hot with lemon wedges along with naan, tandoori roti, jeera rice , phulka or chapati.

Tips :

1.Add veggies as per availability

2. Can use 2 tbsp melon seeds (magaj) instead of cashew nuts to achieve the nuttiness.

3 Can make the above sabji in a regular pan or kadhai

Kothimbir dethachi bhajji |Coriander stem pakora ,pakoda,fritters

I just love pakoras . Coriander stalk fritters or kothimbir chya dethachi bhajji /pakora is todays recipe. Cilantro /coriander is known as kothimbir and stalk/stem means deth in Marathi.

I have already posted coriander leaves pakora recipe earlier.

I am a fan on cilantro or coriander leaves and I add to MOST of my recipes for garnishing.

Todays recipe is based on best out of waste theme .

I just love the fragrance and taste of coriander leaves.I have even tried growing coriander at home.
Normally we use the coriander leaves while cleaning a coriander bunch and throw away the stems .

You will be delighted to know that we can make a delicious pakoda /bhajiya using tender stems of coariander leaves..

So next time dont throw ,but try this tasty pakora .I made few changes to the original recipe which used chana dal instead of besan /chickpea flour.

Recipe source : chakali blogspot

Ingredients:
1 cup Chopped stems of cilantro
1 medium Onion
1/2 cup besan /chickpea

2 tbsp Rice Flour
2 tbsp whole wheat Flour
2-3 Green chili +ginger half inch + 2 garlic clove coarse paste
1 tsp Cumin Seeds

1 tsp sugar (optional)
Salt to taste
Vegetable Oil for Deep Frying

Method:
1 chop coriander stalks finely
2 Chop onion finely. In a mixing Bowl put chopped cilantro stems, chopped onion, besan, 2-3 Green chili +ginger half inch + 2 garlic clove coarse paste, Rice Flour, Wheat Flour, Cumin seeds and salt to taste. Mix these ingredients together. This mixture should be thick and little sticky.

3 In a deep kadai  heat enough oil for deep frying. Drop the mixture in the form of small sized balls. Deep fry till it turns golden brown.

4 Serve bhajia /fritters with tomato sauce or tamarind chutney and green spicy chutney.

Tips

1.Can use 1 tbsp red chilli powder instead of green chilliies

2.can add 1 tsp coriander cumin powder to above recipe

3. Can soak 1/2 cup chana dal for minimum 3 hours and grid it with very little water and use it instead of besan .

4 dont add too much water in batter ,batter should be of dropping consistency.

5.If batter becomes watery or runny ,add 1-2 tbsp of besan or wheat flour ,adjust salt and then try dropping pakoras

Onion Peanut chutney

I like to experiment and hunt for various variety of chutneys for idli or dosa .Hence you will find 37 varieties of chutnies on my blog.
Yesterday while surfing net I found this chutney by Mrs Vah re Vah chef and without wasting time i tried this chutney with stuffed matar paratha.OMG it was yummilicious.

I was short of time so didnt do tempering/tadka .You can do tempering as per your liking but it tastes yummy even without tadka.Also I used tamarind instead of lemon juice in original recipe .I have not removed skin of the peanuts so the chutney has a brownish tinge .

Ingredients:

Peanuts - 1/4 cup

medium onion - 1 no

green – 2-3 nos ( add more for spicy taste)

Garlic cloves – 2big cloves or 4 small

ginger half inch piece (optional)

Tamarind - a small pinch / 2 tsp lemon juice (adjust as per spiciness of chillies)

Salt & water - as needed

To temper  (optional)

Cooking oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Urad dal - 1/2tsp

Curry leaves – few

Method:

1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a kadai and roast the peanuts.After 2 minutes,add the chopped big onion,red chillies,garlic cloves and a pinch of tamarind along with required salt.
2. Saute everything well.Let it cool.Grind it to a smooth paste and temper the mustard seeds,urad dal & curry leaves.
3. Serve with idli,dosa drizzled with gingely oil.

Tips

• Adjust the quantity of green chillies as per your taste.can use red chillies instead of green
• You can add half inch ginger to above recipe
• Tempering gives a nice flavor to this chutney but is optional
• can replace tamarind with lemon juice

Chettinad Egg Curry | Chettinadu style Muttai Masala

I love eggs in any form .I keep on searching for various egg recipes, so you will find a lot of them on my blog.

New addition to the egg recipe was Chettinad style egg curry.Today's recipe is a finger licking and spicy egg curry with flavorful spices..

 If you are a spicy lover then, it is a very good recipe to try.This recipe is quite different from the normal curry, because it has a intense spicy flavour

from the freshly ground masala.

Ingredients:
Eggs - 4
Oil - 2 tblspn
Mustard Seeds  - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp 
Onions - 2 large sliced thinly
Tomato Puree - 1/2 cup ( 2 medium size pureed)
Green chilli - 1 slit
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tblspn 
Salt to taste

For Roasting and Grinding:
Oil - 1 tsp
Coriander Seeds - 2 tblspn
Whole Pepper - 1 tsp
Dry Red Chilli - 4
Cumin Seeds / Jeerakam - 1 tsp
Fennel Seeds / Sombu / Saunf - 1 tsp
Cloves - 5 no.
Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
Poppy seeds - 1 teaspoon
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup

garnish - coriander leaves

Method:

 1. Hard boil egg for 7-10 minutes. Cool remove peel & make slits on them.In another pan, heat a teaspoon of oil. Add eggs followed by salt and red chilli powder.Roll the eggs well so that the red chilli powder coats the eggs nicely. Fry for a minute.



2.Meanwhile, roast all the ingredients given under "For Roasting and Grinding" except poppy seeds and coconut. Roast well till you smell nice aroma out of it. Towards the end of roasting, add poppy seeds and coconut. Continue roasting for few seconds and turn the flame off. Allow it to cool to room temperature. Make a smooth paste of it by adding 1/4 cup or enough water.



3.Now heat some more oil in a kadai. Add in mustard seeds, turmeric powder and curry leaves.
Now add in the onions and green chilli along with some salt. Saute this for 2 mins till they are translucent. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 more mins, so the onions turns soft and cooked.

4.Now add in the masala paste along with ginger garlic paste and saute this till the oil separates on top.Now add in the tomato puree and cook them for 5 more mins till they are cooked.

5.Now pour some water and add in the eggs. Cover the kadai and let them cook for 10 mins till the oil floats on top.garnish with coriander leaves
6.Serve with rice or chapati or bread

Tips:

1) If you do not like spicy gravy, reduce the red chilli quantity and prepare the gravy.
2) Instead of onion, add shallots for additional taste.Addition of curry leaves gives a very nice aroma so try to add atleast a sprig .

3) It is slightly thick gravy with eggs. Adjust water quantity based on the consistency you need.

Garlic Naan Recipe|How to make butter garlic naan no yeast on stove top without tandoor

Sharing with you one more, special dear to me recipe of Indian flat bread, world famous as "Garlic Naan".

Garlic Naan is a North Indian flat bread,  infused with a nice garlic & coriander flavor..!Garlic due to its dominant flavour is usually omitted in many dishes but when combined with soya and wheat flour, it is transformed into a delicacy. This aromatic herb has many medicinal values, one of them being to lower the blood cholesterol levels in your body.





Not just me, this naan is favorite of everyone who have ever tried Indian food. Isn't it?



Naan (Persian: نان‎, Hindi: नान, Urdu: نان, Punjabi: ਨਾਨ, Pashto: نان, Uyghur: نان‎, Kurdish: nan) is a leavened, oven-baked flatbread. It is typical of and popular in West, Central and South Asia.Generally, it resembles pita and, like pita bread, is usually leavened with yeast; unleavened dough (similar to that used for roti) is also used. Naan is cooked in a tandoor, from which tandoori cooking takes its name. This distinguishes it from roti, which is usually cooked on a flat or slightly concave iron griddle called a tava.



 Modern recipes sometimes substitute baking powder for the yeast. Milk or yoghurt may also be used to give greater volume and thickness to the naan. Typically, it will be served hot and brushed with ghee or butter. A typical naan recipe involves mixing white flour with salt, a yeast culture, and enough yogurt to make a smooth, elastic dough.The dough is kneaded for a few minutes, then set aside to rise for a few hours. Once risen, the dough is divided into balls (about 100 grams or 3.5 oz each), which are flattened and cooked.



Peshawari naan and Kashmiri naan are filled with a mixture of nuts and raisins; in Pakistan, the most famous naan variety is the roghani naan which is sprinkled with sesame seeds; Kulcha is another type. Amritsari naan also called as amritsari kulcha is stuffed with mashed potatoes, onion (optional) and lots of spices. Possible seasonings in the naan dough include cumin and nigella seeds.

I always had a thought that making Naan at home is close to impossible since it needs a tandoor where it is usually cooked. I had seen this in one of the tv channels since then it was so  tempting that I wanted to give it a try too.
All of us  love to eat  Naan in restaurants . Most times we pick up at a take-away .Its almost close to the Naan prepared the traditional way using the tandoor (clay oven). Without the use of tandoor or an oven, and without yeast or egg, the popular Indian flatbread can be made at home with the help of our ever reliable iron tawa. It comes out wonderfully light and fluffy with a smoky flavor.

Dough resting: 2 hrs Prep & Cooking: 10 mts

Makes approx 6-7 naans

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour/maida

3/4  cup warm milk /water

1/2 cup curd/yogurt

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

3/4 tsp baking pwd

pinch of baking soda (optional)

1 tsp kalonji or chopped coriander ( i had not used kalonji)

4-5 garlic (lasun/lehsun) cloves chopped

1-2 tbsps butter

flour for dusting

Method :

1 Sieve flour, baking pwd, baking soda and salt two times. Place the sieved flour on a wide plate. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour sugar, milk, yogurt and slowly combine, to form a soft dough.

2.Finally add  oil and kneed for a while till the dough springs back when you press with your finger. Cover with  moist cloth and let it rest for 2 hrs.The dough will double in size by then.

before

after 2 hrs

3.After two hrs, knead the dough gently for 2 mts.Divide the dough into equal sized balls.
4.Place a large lemon sized dough and roll into a thick roti, slightly elongated in shape.(triangular/pear shaped) .Sprinkle a few  coriander leaveschopped garlic pieces  /onion seeds/kalonji. roll lightly with rolling pin so that they get fixed to the naan.

 

5.Now reverse( turn it ulta /upside down so that garlic side goes down)  the naan, Wet your fingers with water and Apply water on top of the naan .


 6.Place it on the skillet wet side facing down. This will make the naan stick to the skillet. Cook closed for a min. You will find bubbles on the naan when you open it. 

naan on hot tava

naan cooked covered

BUBBLES ON NAAN

7.Now cook the other side of the naan over direct heat of the burner using tongs, spreading the naan all over the heat such that brown spots appear. Do this for a few secs only and not too close to the flame.

 8.Brush some butter over the naan and serve hot with  paneer butter masala / paneer tikka masala /dum aloo/ butter chicken / dal makhani /Methi Matar Malai /palak chicken/kadhai paneer.

Tips:

Do not use non stick tava.
Can use black sesame seeds instead of kalonji

Do not make them too thick as they puff up when baked.
For oblong shape, roll it circular and while putting on the hot griddle pull it from one side to get the shape.
Alternately, you can pat the roti instead of rolling it, and stretch it using your fingers

Corn Poha Recipe

Todays recipe is a twist to normal kanda batata pohe where I have  added CORN/ MAKA 

CORN POHE!!! a common 10- minute-recipe of maharashtrians. It's a very popular Dish in Maharashtra. Maharashtrian people makes it for Breakfast or any time as a snack.

 A word 'Kande pohe' is used as a term for marriage talks. It also has a traditional symbol attached to it - in an arranged marriage when a boy goes with his family to the girl's house for the first time the dish which is generally served is "kande pohe!" .....' Actually the reason is that this dish takes less time to be prepared,tasty to eat and satisfies the hunger completely. So here's KANDE CORN POHE for u...


There is one famous song from marathi movie "Sanai Choughade"
"Aayushya he chulivarlya kadhaitale Kande Pohe………..."

……. Life is like kande pohe in kadai, that means tasty and colorful.

Ingredients

•2 cup Pohe (Flaked, beaten rice),

•2 medium size onions,

•1 cup corn kernels(makyache dane)

•3-4 green chilies,

1/2  cup roasted peanuts

•1 tsp lemon juice

•2 tsp sugar,

•salt to taste,

•2 tbspoon oil,

•2 teaspoon mustard seeds,

•1/2 teaspoon asafoetida,

•2 teaspoon turmeric powder,

•coconut and coriander leaves for garnishing.

Method:

1.Rinse Pohe in water and drain. Set them aside for 10 minutes.

2.Add some salt, sugar and lemon juice to them.

3.Chop green chilies finely. Chop cilantro/coriander leaves. Chop onion and potatoes into medium pieces.

4.Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. As they start spluttering, add asafoetida, turmeric powder, chopped onion, Corn,peanuts and green chilies.

5.Cover and cook on medium heat till potatoes turn tender. Then add pohe and stir.

6.Cover for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, stir and let them cook for another 2-3 minutes.

7.Garnish with coconut and coriander leaves. Serve hot with mango or chili pickle.

Variation:

 Try different versions of kaande pohe by adding one or more of vegetables such as curry leaves, chopped tomatoes, green peas, chopped brinjal pieces and cabbage.

 Add any of these vegetables at the time of tempering and follow the rest of the method same as above.

Add 1 teaspoon black Maharashtrian masala for a different flavor.

Drizzle a little bit of ghee on top before serving.