Undhiyu The Gujarati Dish– A Celebration of Seasonal Vegetables

Servings: 8-10
Preparation time: 30-35 minutes.
Stuffing Preparation time: 10 minutes.
Preparing Methy Muthia time: 10-12 minutes.
Frying potato and eggplant time: 6-7 minutes.
Cooking time: 15-16 minutes.
Total time: 80 minutes.

Yesterday, I prepared ‘Undhiyu” along with my Gujarati friend, and it was a truly joyful cooking experience. I am very happy to share this special Gujarati preparation with you, my viewers.

Undhiyu/Undhiyo is a traditional and much-loved winter delicacy from Gujarat, known for its rich mix of seasonal vegetables and aromatic spices.

Undhiyu (Undhiyo) is a signature traditional dish from Gujarat, especially popular in the Surat and Kathiyawad regions. Its name comes from the Gujarati word “undhu”, which means upside down, because traditionally it was cooked in an earthen pot buried in the ground and heated from above, giving it a unique slow-cooked flavour.

Undhiyu is mainly prepared in the winter season, when fresh seasonal vegetables like surti papdi, brinjal, potato, sweet potato, and purple yam are easily available.

It is also strongly connected with festivals like Uttarayan (Makar Sankranti), where families enjoy this hearty mixed-vegetable delicacy as a special seasonal treat.

However, we prepared it in a heavy-bottom pan, carefully maintaining the traditional method. The result was a delicious, flavourful, authentic Undhiyu that beautifully reflected the essence of Gujarati cuisine while being adapted to a modern kitchen.

The combination of fresh vegetables, Methi Muthia, and a mildly sweet-spicy masala makes Undhiyu both hearty and comforting.

Now I truly understand that this recipe is one of the best ways to celebrate seasonal vegetables and give a wholesome, flavourful treat to the family.

Preparing and sharing this dish feels like celebrating the season itself, and it adds warmth, joy, and togetherness to the family meal.

Ingredients:

Fresh Tuvar/ GreenToovar Dana : 50 gm.
Surti Papdi (Lablab/Field Beans): 50 gm.
Papadi (Flat) Beans: 50 gm.
Peas: 50 gm.
Purple Yam: 100 gm.
Sweet Potato: 100 gm.
Baby Potato: 100 gm.
Raw Banana: 50 gm.
Eggplant (brinjal): 100 gm.
Salt: 1 tablespoon
Sugar: 1 tablespoon
Turmeric Powder: 1 tablespoon
Cumin: 1 teaspoon
Ajwain: 1/2 teaspoon
Chilli Powder: 1 tablespoon (as per taste)
Lemon: 1/2 no.
Meetha Soda: 2 pinch
Groundnut/Sesame Oil: for deep frying and cooking the recipe.

For Stuffing:

Peanuts: 100 gm.
Green Garlic Leaf: 100 gm
Fresh Coconut: 1/2 no.
Sesame Seed: 100 gm
Sugar/ Jaggery: 2-3 tablespoon
Fresh Turmeric: 50 gm.
Coriander Leaf: 100 gm.
Green Chilli: 50 gm.(as per taste)
Ginger: 50 gm.
Garlic: 4-5 cloves
Salt: 1 tablespoon
Ajwain: 1 teaspoon
Garam Masala: 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida powder: 1 teaspoon
Cumin Powder: 1 teaspoon
Coriander Powder: 3 tablespoon

For Methy Muthiya:

Fresh Methy Leaves: 100 gm.(chopped)
Fresh Coriander Leaves: 20 gm(chopped)
Wheat Flour: 1 tablespoon
Besan (Chickpea Flour): 3 tablespoon
Ajwain: 1/4 teaspoon
Sesame Seed: 2 tablespoon
Grated Ginger: 1 teaspoon
Green Chilli: as per taste
Salt: 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder: 2 pinch
Coriander powder: 1 teaspoon
Cumin Powder: 1/4 teaspoon
Lemon Juice: 1 teaspoon
Sugar: 1/2 teaspoon
Green Coriander Leaves: 2-3 tablespoon (Chopped)
Peanut oil: 2 tablespoon (for moin)
Meetha soda: 1 pinch

Preparation:

Clean surti papdi and flat beans; trim the both ends, remove Strings from each bean. Slit into two, keep aside.
Clean and chop purple yam, raw banana and Sweet Potato into big chunks, keep aside.
Wash Eggplant and potato carefully, cut into length wise (as +sigh) so that it joined with one end and put it in a bowl filled with water (otherwise it will turn dark brown as it contains lots of iron).
Roughly grind peanut on pulse mode for 30-40 seconds, keep aside.
Chop garlic leaves and coriander leaves into fine pieces, keep aside.
Grate coconut, keep aside.
Grate fresh turmeric, keep aside.
Coarsely grind green chilli, ginger and garlic on pulse mode, keep aside.

Preparation of stuffing:

In a mixing bowl; add all stuffing ingredients, slightly crush all in motar- pestle or use mixer for pulse mode for 30 seconds. stuffing is ready.
Check the taste of stuffing, add more lemon juice, salt , sugar as per your taste.
Stuff eggplant and potato with prepared stuffing, keep aside.
Left out stuffing; keep aside for further use.

Preparing Methy Muthia:

In a big mixing bowl; add chopped Methi leaves, coriander leaves, along with all Muthia ingredients. Mix and mash all, adding water in small quantity if required.
Mash properly (more you mash better it is) make dough like Roti-dough.
Apply oil in your plam and make marvel size balls out of the dough or as per your desired size, keep aside.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom frypan; let oil to smoke. Pour a bit of dough into the oil. If comes up, it means right temperature of oil otherwise wait for a while and test again.
After getting right temperature of oil, deep fry all balls (muthiya) till it becomes golden brown in colour.
Fresh methy leaves Muthiya is ready (outer crispy layer with sesame seed looks really awesome as there is pearl on it). keep aside.

Frying:

In the same pan fry stuffed potatoes and eggplant until 80% done, keep aside.

Method:

Heat 100-150 ml. oil in a heavy bottom pan (you may use 3-4 litre cooker); add cumin and ajwain, sputter for few seconds.
Add suruti papadi and papadi beans; stir fry for couple of minutes on medium flame, add pinch of meetha soda (it preserve the green colour).
Lower the flame; add a layer of (left out) stuffing, add toovar dana, peas and a layer of purple yam and raw banana, continue to cook on medium flame for 3-4 minutes with lid on.
Now add another layer of stuffing (left out) evenly, add a layer of sweet potato ( don’t stir).
Make the next layer of fried eggplant and potatoes; add 1/2 cup of hot water from sides (don’t stir), continue to cook on lower flame for 3-4 minutes with lid on.
Add a layer of methy muthiya; sprinkle 2 pinch of salt, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, and all (left out) stuffing, close the lid, pressure cook, only one whistle on high flame.
Put off the flame; let it be cool.
Open the cooker; gentely mix everything, without breaking the muthiya and stuffed vegetables.
Transfer into serving bowl, garnish with chopped coriander and grated coconut.
I served it with Poori and Jalebi.