Undhiyu
The delicious and famous mixed vegetable dish is strongly associated with Gujarat. The name of the dish comes from the Gujarati word "matlu" meaning earthen pot and "undhu" meaning upside down since it's been traditionally cooked upside down underground in earthen pots fired from above.
The dish comprises of vegetables that are available on the South Gujarat coastline during the winter season: green beans (surati papadi), raw banana, small eggplants , muthia(fried fritters made with fenugreek and chickpea flour), baby potatoes, purple yam, sweet potato. All the vegetables are stuffed or wrapped with spiced grated coconut paste and slow cooked in steam.
I tried to emulate the steamed cooking in an earthern pot by sealing the edges and all the openings of a big non stick vessel with a dough. And it really tasted good. A must do dish for the food lovers.
Here's the procedure.
1) Keep all the vegetables ready. Usually these veggies go into undhiyo. Baby potatoes, sweet potato, yam, surati papdi and green brinjals. I took around 5 baby potatoes, 3-4 brinjals, 2 medium sized sweet potatoes, around 2 cups of grean beans and one plaintain raw banana. I avoided yam as I could not manage to find it in grocery stores here.
Peel off potatoes, sweet potatoes and yam. Cut yam and sweet potato into medium-sized pieces. Put cuts in potatoes such that it could be stuffed. Remove stem of brinjals and put similar cuts as in potatoes to help in stuffing. Cut the tips of beans from both the corners and peel of the middle thread. Split it open. Can seperate out seeds from few beans if you want and layer on the top while cooking. Add little salt, ajwain around 1/2 tsp and a pinch of soda bi carbonate in the beans and let it stay aside.
Cut off the corners of the banana. Don't peel the skin off. Cut it into medium sized round pieces.
2) Let's prepare the fenugreek fritters i.e. Methi Muthias.
In a container, take around 1 and 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh methi, 1/2 cup chick pea(besan) flour, 2 tbsp wheat flour, 3 tbsp oil, 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, salt as per taste, 1 tsp sugar, 1 and 1/2 tsp ginger chilli paste, around 1/2 tsp coriander powder. Mix everything well. Add very little water and mix well such that everything is incorporated well and a dough is formed.
Apply some oil on your palms. Take some dough, roll a bit and form small fritter. Repeat for rest of the dough. Deep fry the fritters in hot oil on medium high flame until these are brown on all the sides. (To avoid using oil, you can even bake these.)
3) Now let's prepare the stuffing of coconut.
In a separate container, take 1 cup of grated fresh coconut. ( if you are using more vegetables you can increase the proportion), 1 cup chopped coriander, 3 tbsp green garlic( if not available use normal garlic), salt to taste, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 and 1/2 tbsp coriander cumin powder, 2 tsp red chilli powder, 2 tsp lemon juice. Mix everything well. Tatste it and add more spices if required.
Keep the stuffing aside.
4) Let's start stuffing the vegetables. Gently stuff the potatoes and brinjals. Mix the rest of vegetables with stuffing. Toss the banana pieces in stuffing too.
5) Now we will be cooking the vegetables. You can pressure cook for 10-15 minutes on low flame( for around 2 whistles). However, I tried to emulate the traditional way of cooking in pot by sealing the edges of a big pan (with a lid) and its opening with dough. Just like we cook dum Biryani.
Heat the pan. Add 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add 1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds), 1/4 tsp hing (asofoetida). Now transfer all the surti papdis ( beans) and mix it well. Layer all the other vegetables over it. Spread some bean seeds on the top if you have separated earlier.
Now in a small container, add 3/4 cup water, salt, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp coriander cumin powder, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp garam masala powder, 1/2 tsp dry mango powder and little lemon juice. Mix it well. Now pour this liquid over the vegetables.
Place the thick long string of knead dough over the edges of the pan. Place the lid on it. Check that there are no openings. If any, cover it with dough. This will help the vegetables get cooked in steamed. Let the undhiyu cook on low-medium flame for around 25-30 minutes. You can take the dough out and open the lid. You can check if the vegetables are cooked by inserting a fork or knife. If not cooked, cover the lid, let it cook for some more time. Sprinkle some fresh coriander.
Extremely delicious Undhiyu is ready. When serving, plate all the layers of vegetables.
You can serve it with some salad or chutney.
I served it with quinoa salad. The recipe will be shared in different blog post.
Happy cooking friends. Cook it with love because anything cooked turns out delicious.
Cheers,
Shweta
The delicious and famous mixed vegetable dish is strongly associated with Gujarat. The name of the dish comes from the Gujarati word "matlu" meaning earthen pot and "undhu" meaning upside down since it's been traditionally cooked upside down underground in earthen pots fired from above.
The dish comprises of vegetables that are available on the South Gujarat coastline during the winter season: green beans (surati papadi), raw banana, small eggplants , muthia(fried fritters made with fenugreek and chickpea flour), baby potatoes, purple yam, sweet potato. All the vegetables are stuffed or wrapped with spiced grated coconut paste and slow cooked in steam.
I tried to emulate the steamed cooking in an earthern pot by sealing the edges and all the openings of a big non stick vessel with a dough. And it really tasted good. A must do dish for the food lovers.
Here's the procedure.
1) Keep all the vegetables ready. Usually these veggies go into undhiyo. Baby potatoes, sweet potato, yam, surati papdi and green brinjals. I took around 5 baby potatoes, 3-4 brinjals, 2 medium sized sweet potatoes, around 2 cups of grean beans and one plaintain raw banana. I avoided yam as I could not manage to find it in grocery stores here.
Peel off potatoes, sweet potatoes and yam. Cut yam and sweet potato into medium-sized pieces. Put cuts in potatoes such that it could be stuffed. Remove stem of brinjals and put similar cuts as in potatoes to help in stuffing. Cut the tips of beans from both the corners and peel of the middle thread. Split it open. Can seperate out seeds from few beans if you want and layer on the top while cooking. Add little salt, ajwain around 1/2 tsp and a pinch of soda bi carbonate in the beans and let it stay aside.
Cut off the corners of the banana. Don't peel the skin off. Cut it into medium sized round pieces.
2) Let's prepare the fenugreek fritters i.e. Methi Muthias.
In a container, take around 1 and 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh methi, 1/2 cup chick pea(besan) flour, 2 tbsp wheat flour, 3 tbsp oil, 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, salt as per taste, 1 tsp sugar, 1 and 1/2 tsp ginger chilli paste, around 1/2 tsp coriander powder. Mix everything well. Add very little water and mix well such that everything is incorporated well and a dough is formed.
Apply some oil on your palms. Take some dough, roll a bit and form small fritter. Repeat for rest of the dough. Deep fry the fritters in hot oil on medium high flame until these are brown on all the sides. (To avoid using oil, you can even bake these.)
3) Now let's prepare the stuffing of coconut.
In a separate container, take 1 cup of grated fresh coconut. ( if you are using more vegetables you can increase the proportion), 1 cup chopped coriander, 3 tbsp green garlic( if not available use normal garlic), salt to taste, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 and 1/2 tbsp coriander cumin powder, 2 tsp red chilli powder, 2 tsp lemon juice. Mix everything well. Tatste it and add more spices if required.
Keep the stuffing aside.
4) Let's start stuffing the vegetables. Gently stuff the potatoes and brinjals. Mix the rest of vegetables with stuffing. Toss the banana pieces in stuffing too.
5) Now we will be cooking the vegetables. You can pressure cook for 10-15 minutes on low flame( for around 2 whistles). However, I tried to emulate the traditional way of cooking in pot by sealing the edges of a big pan (with a lid) and its opening with dough. Just like we cook dum Biryani.
Heat the pan. Add 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add 1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds), 1/4 tsp hing (asofoetida). Now transfer all the surti papdis ( beans) and mix it well. Layer all the other vegetables over it. Spread some bean seeds on the top if you have separated earlier.
Now in a small container, add 3/4 cup water, salt, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp coriander cumin powder, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp garam masala powder, 1/2 tsp dry mango powder and little lemon juice. Mix it well. Now pour this liquid over the vegetables.
Place the thick long string of knead dough over the edges of the pan. Place the lid on it. Check that there are no openings. If any, cover it with dough. This will help the vegetables get cooked in steamed. Let the undhiyu cook on low-medium flame for around 25-30 minutes. You can take the dough out and open the lid. You can check if the vegetables are cooked by inserting a fork or knife. If not cooked, cover the lid, let it cook for some more time. Sprinkle some fresh coriander.
Extremely delicious Undhiyu is ready. When serving, plate all the layers of vegetables.
You can serve it with some salad or chutney.
I served it with quinoa salad. The recipe will be shared in different blog post.
Happy cooking friends. Cook it with love because anything cooked turns out delicious.
Cheers,
Shweta
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