Undhiyu | Surti Undhiyu

Undhiyu - a one-pot Gujarati medley of winter vegetables cooked in a mildly sweet coconut masala. This version is prepared surti style with plenty of green garlic and fried methi muthiya. Seconds? Always.

Btw - it's a long post, but I highly recommend you take the time to read through it all. I've provided loads of tips and notes on the ingredients to help you achieve perfect surti undhiyu.

Note - This recipe was originally posted in January 2010 but I have updated the post with new photos and content. The recipe remains the same.

A 15 mile drive to Wembley in the winter was always exciting - it usually meant my Mum was going to make undhiyu! She made a point of making a special trip to buy all the special vegetables when they were at their freshest.

Ever since I can remember, she's been preparing her classic undhiyu once every winter and over the past 5 years, I've been helping out. I've picked up loads of tips and I'm sharing them with you here!

The Recipe Details

Undhiyu is a traditional Gujarati mixed-vegetable winter stew, that's slow cooked and has a variety of textures. The name comes from “undhu,” meaning upside-down, referring to the original rural method where fresh winter vegetables were cooked in earthen pots (matlu) buried in a fire pit. "Surti" refers to the region of surat (you might have heard of surti sev khamani), where this particular version of undhiyu originates.

Classic Surti-style undhiyu includes a seasonal mix of baby brinjals, baby potatoes, green peas, fresh pigeon peas (tuvar lilva), ratalu (kand), sweet potato, raw banana, and of course, surti papdi.

It's incomplete without methi muthia - small dumplings made from fresh fenugreek leaves (methi) then shaped and deep-fried to golden brown. These dumplings provide a chewy texture to contrast the soft vegetables and aromatic masala.

Surti undhiyu is traditionally served with poori and gajar halwa. At home we sometimes substitute the halwa with jalebi!

Ingredients Notes

The Vegetables

Surti papdi - aka flat beans or gujarati papdi. They are small, around 5-7 cm length, slightly curved in shape and are available in most Indian grocery stores from November to February. If you cannot find fresh, use frozen. As a last resort, use val papdi.

Baby aubergine or small brinjals – aka small ravaiyya.

Baby potatoes – I prefer these over normal potatoes as they hold their shape whilst cooking.

Purple yam – aka ratalu or kand. It's an Indian root vegetable that is purple in colour. You will need to peel the outer skin before chopping into large chunks. I suggest wearing cooking gloves whilst preparing these as they tend to cause an itch! Fresh ratalu is available during the winter. You can use frozen too. If you end up buying a large purple yam, use the leftovers to make farali ratalu.

White sweet potato – I like to use white flesh sweet potatoes as they hold their shape while cooking. You can find them in both British and Indian stores.

Raw green banana – known as kacha kela or matoke. Find ones that are as green as possible as they are more firm and less sweet. You must cook undhiyu as soon as possible after purchasing these as they ripen and become sweet.

Fresh pigeon peas – tuver dana aka lilva. Fresh is available during the winter season, but frozen works well too.

Green peas – good old green peas - I always use frozen here.

The Green Masala

Fresh coriander leaves – finely chopped.

Green garlic – lilu lasan is the backbone of this recipe. You can buy it fresh and frozen from Indian grocery stores.

Green chilies and ginger - crushed.

Coconut – another special addition to surti undiyu. You can use fresh grated coconut or dried desiccated coconut.

Sesame seeds – use the white ones. You need these for both the masala and for the tempering.

Spice powders - red chilli powder (I specifically use kashmiri which is mild in heat), ground coriander and cumin powder and garam masala.

Lemon juice - adds a little tang and balances the spices.

Sugar - along with the lemon juice, it gives a subtle sweet and tangy flavour.

Oil - I like to use a neutral flavoured oil such as sunflower oil.

The ingredients for methi muthiya and tempering are in the recipe card below!

How to make Undhiyu Step-by-Step

This recipe is made in three steps:

1. make the methi muthia
2. prepare vegetables and masala
3. assemble the undhiyu in a large pot and cook

First step – make methi muthia

Prep the methi by washing thoroughly and roughly chopping. Then combine all the ingredients for the muthiya and knead into a soft dough. Divide into equal sized balls then deep fry.

I highly recommend frying the muthiya instead of baking or air frying simply because the flavour and texture is far superior. Baking leads to chewy muthiya which are difficult to eat.

Bonus tip - reserve the oil you used for frying and use it for the tempering later - this helps layer all the incredible flavours.

To save time on preparation, you could do this step the day before.

Second step - make undhiyu masala and prep vegetables

Prepare the masala by mixing together all of the ingredients in a large plate.

To prepare the papdi - remove the strings from both ends.

Peel the potatoes, sweet potato and purple yam, and remove the stem of the baby aubergine. Cut the raw banana into large chunks (leaving the skin on).

Slice a criss-cross cut on the top ends of the aubergines and baby potatoes. Don't cut all the way through.  Stuff the cross with the prepared green masala - this helps the flavour to set into the vegetables. Set these aside.

Mix the sweet potato, yam, papdi, tuver dana and green peas with the prepared green masala.

Tip - Cut the root vegetables in large chunks otherwise they will mash as they cook.

Third step - assemble and cook

Start with the tempering. Use plenty of oil here - it makes all the difference.

The next step - the assembly - takes a bit of thought. It's important to layer the vegetables in a way that they all cook at a similar rate. You don't want some vegetables mashed and some raw.

Once you have tempered the seeds, start by adding the masala mixed with papdi, tuver, peas, sweet potato and yam.

Finish by arranging the aubergine and potato on top. You do not need to mix the pot at this stage. Add approximately half a cup of water to help create steam.

Close the lid - use a glass lid if possible to help you see what's going on in the pot. Constantly removing the lid will prevent build up of steam which is needed to cook the vegetables. Keep the heat low at all times to prevent burning.

After 20-25 minute check the veggies and gently mix so that the potatoes which were previously on top are now moved to the bottom of the pan and allow to cook until the vegetables are just tender. If you feel the undhiyu is dry, add a little water.

Add the muthiya only once the undhiyu is 90% cooked. Keep the lid on and let the muthiya cook for a further 5-10 minutes.

Storage

I recommend making undhiyu as soon as possible after purchasing the fresh vegetables - on the same day if possible or at least the day after.

It's also best eaten the day it is prepared. However, it can stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container.

I've tried freezing undhiyu but upon defrosting the vegetables completely loose their texture. I do not recommend.

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!

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