Serve this delicious and moreish Surti Undhiyu with soft poori and a bowl of gajar halwa (which is another Indian delicacy that should not be missed during this season). Or why not serve with desi ghee wali jalebi for a satisfying meal. In this post, you’ll see how to make the best ever undhiyu recipe from scratch with all the tips and tricks to get it right in the first go. Included is an Instant Pot Undhiyu recipe. Now that winter is here, words like methi thepla, baingan bhartha and undhiya are repeatedly spoken in our home! Once a year, my Mum makes a 15-mile journey to Wembley to buy the special vegetables required for the surti undhiyu recipe. She always calls the shop in the morning for the availability of all the ingredients as the vegetables are imported from India.
What is Gujarati Undhiyu
Undhiyu is essentially a Gujarati mixed vegetable curry/sabzi (Gujarati style mixed vegetable casserole). It is a slow-cooked winter vegetable stew and is packed with lots of flavours and textures. The name undhiyu comes from the Gujarati word “undhu” meaning upside down. In the rural areas of southern Gujarat, families get together on the farm and collect the fresh vegetables and cook the undhiyu in a big batch in a clay pot or earthen pot, known as ‘matlu’. These are then sealed, and then slow-cooked upside down once buried in a fire pit that has been dug into the ground. For this special technique, undhiyu is also known as matka or matla undhiyu. This rustic method of cooking is unique for this dish and rewards great flavours. In urban areas, undhiyu can be prepared at home in a thick base pot, karahi or pressure cooker which is a very easy and time-saving method requiring less oil. Classic Surti style undhiyu is prepared using Indian winter vegetables such as small eggplants (baby brinjals), baby potatoes, green peas, fresh pigeon peas (tuvar lilva), ratalu (kand), sweet potato, raw banana (matoke) and of course surti papdi. These vegetables are cooked in a mildly sweet, spicy and tangy green masala paste of fresh herbs, coconut and spices. This aromatic blend of spices is absorbed by the slow cooked vegetables. The dish is finished with fenugreek muthia, which are also known as ‘dhokri muthia’ in some regions of Gujarat. Undhiyu can be eaten on its own or enjoyed with hot puris and a sweet dish.
Makarsankranti (Uttarayan)
There are two Gujarati festivals in the calendar which are eagerly awaited by all Gujaratis! One is Navratri and the other makar sankranti! Undhiyu is traditionally prepared on makar sankranti (uttarayan) Making traditional undhiyu at home from scratch is a laborious task, but with careful planning, the end result is one of the most rewarding! Nowadays, many people from urban areas go to farmhouses to host undhiyu parties to experience the village lifestyle and also to have a taste of freshly prepared undhiyu On Makar Sankranti, this special dish is often prepared alongside tal papdi, mamra ladoo or singdana/peanut chikki
Regional Variations
Surat is renowned for its food, and surti undhiyu is the king of all surti food. Another delicacy from this city is surti sev khamani. Surti Undhiyu – usually, this version the vegetables are stuffed with a fresh green masala using coriander, green chillies, ginger and green garlic, aka leelu lasan. This is why this particular recipe is also called leelu undhiyu in surat and nearby cities. Kathiyawadi Undhiyu is popular in kathiyawad region. Though it is prepared with the same ingredients, cluster beans (guvar) and cauliflower are also added. It can be enjoyed Bajra Rotla and Bhakhri too. This Kathiyawadi style recipe is much spicier in taste and instead of stuffed veggies, they are cut into big chunks and deep-fried before cooking in sweet and spicy masala. Jain undhiyu, in this version garlic ginger and all the root vegetables are skipped. Instead, other ingredients like bottle gourd (doodhi or lauki) ivy gourd (tindora) and toor daal are added. Chapdi Undhiyu – It is cooked in tomato and onion gravy and it’s liquidy like dal. Ubadiyu – a similar dish called ubadiyu (or umbadiyu) and it is from Valsad, south Gujarat coastline. The procedure is the same but few ingredients differ like the use of wild beans (locally grown) and curry leaves stalks.
Undhiyu Ingredients
The medley of Indian vegetables play a very big role, so try to get all the vegetables listed here for the original taste of the traditional recipe. A trip to an Indian grocery store (even better a Gujarati store) should provide you with these ingredients.
undhiyu vegetables list
surti papdi or flat beans are also known as desi or gujarati papdi. They are small, around 5-7 cm length, slightly curved in shape and are available during November to February winter months. If fresh is not available, use frozen. If surti papdi not available, you can use val papdi. purple yam – ratalu or kand is an indian root vegetable. You will need to peel the outer skin before chopping into large chunks. I suggest wearing cooking gloves or apply a littke oil on your hands whilst preparing these as they tend to cause itchy skin. Again, fresh ratalu is available during winter and should not be skipped in the recipe. Frozen can be used when fresh is hard to get hold of. If you end up buying a large purple yam, use the leftovers to make farali ratalu. sweet potato – shakkriya we like to use white flesh sweet potatoes as they hold their shape while cooking. They are a little pricier than local orange flesh variety. raw banana – known as kacha kela or matoke, the greener the better as they are more firm and less sweet. 6. fresh pigeon peas – tuver dana are also called lilva. Fresh is available during the winter season, frozen works well too. 7. green peas – known as lila vatana or hare matar. 8. baby eggplants or small brinjals – small raviyya. They have a characteristic oval shape 9. baby potatoes or small new potatoes – as these hold their shape whilst cooking
undhiyu masala
fresh coriander leaves – kothmir is must, try to find a fresh green bunch. green garlic – lilu lasan is the backbone of this recipe for wonderful flavour. If fresh is not available, use frozen or use normal garlic cloves. green chilies and ginger. coconut – use fresh, frozen or desiccated but do not skip this. sesame seeds – brown or white tal or til, do not use black sesame seeds. carom seeds – ajwain or ajmo is a must, these seeds give a unique taste and help indigestion. available in any indian shop or major supermarkets. lemon juice or lime juice, sugar, salt and any basic cooking oil. I use vegetable oil or sunflower oil as they are flavourless. basic Indian masala powders like red chilli powder, ground coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala. We do not add turmeric powder.
ingredients for methi muthia
It is not possible to imagine any undhiyu recipe without these aromatic fenugreek dumplings, they are the highlights of this dish! Be sure to make extra as half of them will vanish before they go in the dish, they are as tasty as our dakor na gota. You can deep fry, air fryer them or bake however the latter will make hard muthia.
- fresh fenugreek leaves – methi 2. flours – gram flour or chickpea flour (besan) and whole wheat flour (roti atta) 3. salt, sugar, lemon juice 4. carom seeds – ajwain
- green chilli paste and ginger paste 6. small pinch soda bicarb or baking soda 7. vegetable oil for deep frying
tempering vaghar
black mustard seeds – rai. We are not using cumin seeds for this recipe. asafoetida – hing sesame seeds – tal carom seeds – ajwain or ajmo
Our suggestions, tips and tricks for Best Undhiyu Recipe
For an authentic taste! Don’t compromise on oil and don’t use short cuts to prepare. Use all the ingredients as fresh as possible – only go to the supermarket on the day or the day before preparing this recipe use the same oil for tempering in which you had fried the methi muthia, to layer and develop extra flavours in the dish, this is the trick used by cooks and chefs. You can prepare methi muthia day before. We usually make a big batch and freeze them. It comes in handy to make a quick undhiyu. I have made deep-fried methi muthiya. But you can cook them in an appe pan or air fryer. make in small quantity if making for the first time. use appropriate cookware, don’t have heavy-based pan? use a flat frying pan (tawa) underneath your main pan to give an extra base. if possible use glass lid so you can see what’s going on inside the pan without removing the lid, as it is necessary to let the steam stay inside whilst cooking. don’t use any other vegetables that are not in the ingredients list. Cut the root vegetbales in large chunks otherwise they will mash as they cook. i recommend that you use fresh vegetables to achieve maximum taste but depending on your circumstances, you can use frozen vegetables which are available in the asian grocery shop. try and add your homemade masala to it.
Storage
for maximum taste and freshness, it should be eaten on the same day, however, it stays fresh in the refrigerator for a couple of days if stored in an airtight container. in the past, we have stored cooked undhiyu in the freezer but did not find any joy as it doesn’t taste as good as fresh one. however, you may just freeze uncooked vegetables. stuff the vegetables with the masala, and store in an airtight container and freeze it for a couple of months maximum. Once ready to cook, follow the cooking method. do not defrost but cook straight away and no extra water is necessary. It is a great make ahead of time dish for large group parties & potluck.
Serving
usually, it is served with nylon sev on top of it and eaten with jalebi as a treat. Serve it piping hot on a plate with roti, paratha or hot and fluffy poori for a wholesome meal. You can also serve it along with shrikhand or aam ras.
How to make Undhiyu Recipe-step by step recipe pictures
this recipe is made in three steps, first prepare methi muthia. the second step is to prepare vegetables and masala and the third and final step is to assemble the undhiyu in a large pot and then cook. follow these step by step recipe instructions, printable recipe card below with the exact measurements.
first step – make methi muthia – fenugreek dumplings
clean methi leaves, wash thoroughly in running clean water and roughly chop it. in a plate or mixing bowl combine all the muthia ingredients with one tsp. oil and knead into a soft dough like you would do for chapatti. divide into the small marble size portions and make round balls or oval shape. heat oil in a kadai, and deep fry on medium heat in hot oil. leave it aside for later use.
second step – make undhiyu masala and prep vegetables)
clean and wash coriander and roughly chop it up. in a mixer grinder or food processor add coriander, chilies, and ginger and make corse paste, if using garlic add that too. transfer into the plate and add all the other masala ingredients and mix well, leave it aside. prepare papdi by removing the strings from both ends, if some are mature remove the beans from the pods and use it. peel the potatoes, sweet potato and purple yam, and remove the stem of the baby eggplants. make a criss-cross cut on eggplants and baby potatoes, don’t cut all the way but from 1/4 way down keep it intact. stuff with prepared green masala. in a big and wide plate mix sweet potato, yam, papdi, tuver dana and green peas and mix it with the prepared green masala, cut a raw banana with the skin and mix it too.
third and final step assemble and cook
in a heavy big bottom pan or kadai, heat oil and add mustard and carom seeds. once they splutter add sesame seeds and hing, keep the heat now on low. slowly and carefully add all the vegetables with masala mix, with the spoon arrange them flat as possible. on top of the vegetables arrange stuffed potatoes and eggplants. add 1/4 cup water or less and cover the pan with the lid, if possible use glass lid so you can see what’s going on inside the pan without removing it. keep the heat low as possible and let the steam build in the pot. after 20-25 minute check the veggies, very gently now mix the veggies and let the potatoes go under the other vegetables and cover the lid again. if needed, add a little water. after another 20 minutes, check the vegetables again, 90% should be done at this stage. arrange methi muthia on top and cover the lid and let it steam for another 10 minutes. check the veggies, it should be just done but not mushed. turn off the heat, mix it very gently. serve in a bowl, garnish it with fresh coriander and fresh coconut (optional)
Instant Pot Undhiyu
- Prepare all ingredients according to stovetop undhiyu method above.
- Arrange the inner pot in the Instant Pot.
- Select SAUTE mode, add oil.
- Once oil is HOT add mustard, carom and sesame seeds.
- As they begin to crackle add the stuffed potatoes then layer all the vegetables coated in masala.
- Top with the stuffed small aubergines.
- Add little water and cancel SAUTE and close the lid without stirring. Secure the valve.
- Select PRESSURE COOK LOW on 4 minutes OR HIGH on 2 minutes.
- Once done release the pressure manually, ADD fried methi muthia and gently stir the undhiyu.
- Let it sit the UNDHIYU for 5 minutes so MUTHIYA soaks UNDHIYU flavours.
- Serve HOT.
More Gujarati Recipes
Did you enjoy reading and making our irresistible undhiyu recipe, you may want to try our other authentic gujarati recipes. gujarati masala bhakhri – vegan and crispy whole wheat flatbread that is delicious, wholesome and can be done in 15 minutes. a perfect breakfast. sukhdi – a sweet dish made with only 3 ingredients, it is rich, filling and irresistible. fajeto – an authentic gujarati spiced beverage that is made with mangoes. sev tameta nu shaak – easy and simple recipe gujarati lasan chutney what about winter recipes of gujarat, have a look at these raab – an old age warm drink loaded with nutritious ingredients. valor-ringna nu saak – rustic, wholesome and vegan sabji. gundar pak/paak – exotic energy bars prepared with edible gum, spices and herbs. As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations! Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
Instagram Facebook Pinterest YouTube
Note:- This post was originally posted in January 2010 but I have updated the post since with newer photos and content.
