If you’re a fan of mixed vegetable recipes in Indian cuisine, this post is perfect for you. Even if you’re not, trying this classic Gujarati recipe might just change your mind. Introducing the super delicious Surti Undhiyu Recipe – a Gujarati-style mixed vegetable dish that doesn’t take as much time as the traditional version. This Undhiyu is crafted with seasonal fresh produce that the winters in India bring along, making it a tasty and wholesome treat you won’t want to miss.
What is Undhiyu?
Undhiyu is a one-pot vegetable casserole dish that stands out in the vegetarian cuisine of Gujarat. Traditionally, preparing Undhiyu Recipe takes a considerable amount of time and patience as various vegetables are cooked or fried in batches. However, this Surti Undhiyu Recipe streamlines the process by steaming all the veggies, along with Methi Muthia (fenugreek leaves dumplings), together in a pressure cooker. Alternatively, you can also use a large pot or pan to cook the vegetables, making the method easier and less time-consuming.
The name “Undhiyu” is derived from the Gujarati word ‘undhu,’ meaning ‘upside down.’ The authentic method involves cooking the dish in earthen pots, known as ‘matlu’ in Gujarati and ‘matka‘ in Hindi. These pots are sealed and placed upside down in a fire pit dug into the ground, providing the dish with an earthy and rustic flavor.
An Undhiyu Recipe is a burst of flavors, aromas, and textures, thanks to the variety of veggies, special masala, and muthias (fenugreek dumplings). This hearty and nutritious dish is made even healthier in this recipe with the addition of less oil than usual.
More on Undhiyu Recipe
Undhiyu is a personal favorite, especially from my time living in Mumbai. I vividly remember a fantastic version at a Gujarati function in Mithibai College, Juhu, Mumbai, where the entire buffet, from starters to dessert, was a delightful explosion of flavors.
The vegetables in an Undhiyu Recipe include root veggies like purple yam (kand), regular yam, sweet potatoes, and baby potatoes. Other additions are small brinjals, raw or ripe bananas, ivy gourd, and Indian flat beans (surti papdi). Fresh pigeon peas (tuvar lilva) contribute to its authentic taste.
In the absence of fresh pigeon peas, you can use fresh green peas or fresh green chickpeas. This vegan Undhiyu Recipe can be made gluten-free by skipping asafoetida. For a satvik or no onion, no garlic variation, simply omit the garlic. The recipe serves 10 to 12, but you can easily halve it.
Undhiyu is best enjoyed with pooris and Aamras or Shrikhand. Alternatively, pair this healthy mixed vegetable casserole with soft phulkas, jowar roti, or bajra roti.
Variations
Undhiyu is a winter delicacy primarily from Southern Gujarat, featuring vegetables available during the winter season.
A variation known as ‘umbadiyu’ is made by farmers in South Gujarat. While the recipes and ingredients differ, the cooking process remains consistent with upside-down earthen pots.
The Parsi cuisine offers a dish called ‘umberiu,’ bearing a close resemblance to Gujarati Undhiyu Recipe. The Parsi style umberiu is also cooked in an upside-down earthen pot in a fire pit.
How to Make Undhiyu Recipe
Prepare Vegetables:
Remove the strings and pods from the surti papdi beans, using a combination of surti papdi (hyacinth beans) and valor papdi (fava beans).
After stringing and halving them, rinse thoroughly, strain, and set aside. I used a total of 150 grams of beans, resulting in 2 cups of stringed and podded beans.
In a bowl of water, peel and rinse the following vegetables:
- 10 to 12 baby potatoes
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 1.5 to 2 cups chopped purple yam
- 8 to 10 small brinjals
- Note: Only remove the upper stalk of the brinjals; there’s no need to slit them.
Make Methi Muthia:
In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup tightly packed finely chopped methi leaves and 1 cup gram flour (besan).
Add the following ingredients:
- 1 pinch of baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ tablespoon oil
- ¾ to 1 tsp sugar or as required
- ½ teaspoon salt or as required
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon ginger and green chili paste (or ½ inch peeled ginger + 1 to 2 green chilies – crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle)
- Mix everything evenly and cover, letting it sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add 1 to 1.5 tablespoons water and mix well. Keep the mixture slightly sticky to ensure the muthias remain soft after cooking.
- Apply some oil to your palms and shape the muthias, setting them aside covered with a bowl or lid.
If preferred, the muthias can be deep-fried. If fried, add them at the end once the Undhiyu Recipe is cooked through. Simmer for an additional 4 to 5 minutes after adding the fried methi muthias.
Prepare Green Masala Stuffing:
In a mixing bowl, combine ½ cup tightly packed grated fresh coconut and 3 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves or ¼ cup finely chopped coriander leaves.
Crush to a paste in a mortar-pestle: 1 to 1.5 inches peeled ginger, 8 to 10 small to medium garlic cloves, and 2 to 3 green chilies (about 1 to 2 teaspoons, chopped). Alternatively, crush, grind, or blend all three together. If using ready-made paste, add ½ tablespoon ginger paste, ½ tablespoon garlic paste, and ½ tablespoon green chili paste. Optionally, you can use garlic chives instead of garlic.
Add the following ingredients to the coconut and coriander leaves in the bowl:
- 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
- ½ tablespoon ginger paste
- ½ tsp garlic paste or finely chopped green garlic chives
- ½ tablespoon green chili paste
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 3 teaspoons coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin powder
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¾ to 1 tsp salt or as needed
Mix well, then taste the green masala. Adjust with more lemon juice, salt, or sugar if necessary. The flavors are balanced, but you can customize for a spicier, sweeter, or tangier Undhiyu.
Make a crisscross slit in the brinjals and stuff them with the prepared green masala. Similarly, stuff the masala into the potatoes. Optionally, stuff the masala into the raw bananas. Set the stuffed vegetables aside, keeping some green masala mixture for later.
Prepare Undhiyu Recipe:
Heat 4 to 5 tablespoons of sesame oil or peanut oil in a 3-liter pressure cooker. Add ½ tsp carom seeds (ajwain) and ½ tsp cumin seeds. Stir and fry for a few seconds until they change color. You can use sunflower oil or safflower oil as alternatives.
- Add ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida (hing) and stir.
- Add the stringed and podded beans. If using fresh pigeon peas, add them at this step.
- Stir well. To maintain the green color of the beans, you can add a pinch of baking soda, but it’s optional.
- Add half of the leftover green masala stuffing mixture and stir well. Sauté on low to medium heat for 3 minutes. Then, lower the heat and create a neat layer of beans at the bottom.
Layer Vegetables:
- Place the chopped purple yam in a neat layer.
- Create another layer with chopped raw unripe bananas and sweet potatoes.
- Sprinkle ¼ of the green masala mixture evenly without stirring.
- Make the next layer with stuffed brinjals and potatoes.
Cook Undhiyu Recipe:
- Add ½ cup water along the sides without stirring.
- Gently place the prepared methi muthia in a layer and sprinkle 2 to 3 pinches of salt over them.
- Cover the pressure cooker with its lid and for 2 whistles or 8 to 10 minutes.
- Use a 3-liter pressure cooker for this recipe. Adjust water and cooking time if using a 4 or 5-liter pressure cooker.
- When the pressure naturally settles down, remove the lid and gently mix everything, being careful not to break the stuffed vegetables and muthias.
- Serve hot Undhiyu with poori or roti. Optionally, garnish with chopped coriander leaves or grated coconut.
Ingredient Swaps:
- Purple Yam: Substitute with elephant foot yam or regular yam.
- Small Eggplants: Use medium-sized brinjals if baby eggplants are not available. Avoid using large-sized eggplants.
- Pigeon Peas: Instead of fresh pigeon peas, use fresh green chickpeas, Edamame, or green peas. Omit any of the fresh peas if unavailable.
- Green Beans: Substitute surti papdi with fava beans or fresh lima beans.
- Baby Potatoes: Use medium or large-sized potatoes if baby potatoes are not on hand. Peel and chop them, but do not stuff them with the green stuffing masala.
- Garlic: Replace garlic with garlic chives.
Expert Tips:
- Keep the methi muthia mixture slightly sticky for softer muthias after cooking.
- grease your palms with some oil, While shaping the methi muthias. Alternatively, you can deep-fry the muthias if preferred.
- If using ready-made paste, add ½ tablespoon each of ginger paste, garlic paste, and green chili paste.
- Adjust lemon juice, salt, and sugar in the green masala mixture according to your preferences.
- In addition to stuffing brinjals and potatoes with the green masala mixture, you can also stuff raw bananas with it.
- Use sesame oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, or safflower oil for cooking.
- To preserve the green color of the beans, optionally add a pinch of cooking soda.
Conclusion
In the realm of Indian cuisine, Surti Undhiyu stands as a testament to culinary artistry. Its rich history and vibrant flavors make it not just a dish but a celebration on a plate. The Surti Undhiyu Recipe shared here is an invitation to embark on this gastronomic adventure, where every bite tells a story of tradition, innovation, and a love for good food.
FAQs
Can I make Undhiyu without fresh pigeon peas?
Yes, substitute with fresh green peas or green chickpeas for an equally delightful Undhiyu experience.
What’s the significance of the term ‘Undhiyu’?
The name is derived from ‘undhu,’ meaning ‘upside down,’ reflecting its traditional cooking method in inverted earthen pots.
Can I make Undhiyu gluten-free?
Certainly, skip asafoetida to make the Undhiyu Recipe gluten-free.
How do I adjust the spice levels in Undhiyu?
Customize the green masala with more or fewer green chilies based on your spice preference.
Is it possible to prepare Undhiyu without onion and garlic?
Absolutely, omit the garlic for a satvik or no onion, no garlic variation of the Undhiyu Recipe.
