Oondhiyu (Undhiyu) (Gujarati Mixed Vegetable dish)

BM# 63: Journey through the Cuisines 

Week 3: Gujarati Cuisine 

Day 15: O for Oondhiyu
We are starting third week of our mega marathon 'Journey through the cuisines' and my choice for this week is 'Gujarati cuisine'. The main reason for picking Gujarat is to cook today's dish. I wanted to try this delicious mixed vegetable dish called Undhiyu or Oondhiyu for the mega marathon and initially I was thinking of doing Gujarati cuisine for the last week (so U would have been Undhiyu), but I couldn't find dishes for most of the other letters, so it became Oondhiyu instead.

This was actually the very first dish I cooked for the marathon. Few months ago, I ate Undhiyu for the very first time at one of our Gujju friends and it was absolutely amazing. Since then I had it in my mind and when I sat down to make my list for the marathon, this was the first one on there.
This dish is made with choke full of veggies. 'Undhu' in Gujarati means 'upside down', traditionally undhiyu is cooked in earthen clay pots that are turned upside down onto the open fire. There are quite a few different recipes to make this dish, I followed Tarla Dalal's and Kanan's recipes.

This dish needs some patience and some pre-planning. There are quite a few different vegetables that are used but they can be substituted or omitted based on the availability. I did a big grocery shopping at the local Indian store and stocked up frozen yam (regular & purple), surti lilve (pods & seeds) and methi leaves. All the other veggies are easily available in local stores as well.

Once you have the veggies ready, then comes the preparing and cooking part. It takes good 2½~3 hours to make the whole meal -- oondhiyu (along with methi muthiyas), poori and shrikhand. This is how it is served at weddings and on special occasions. But you can serve the oondhiyu with roti.
The oondhiyu I ate at my friend's house had deep fried veggies which makes the dish taste amazing, but also high in calories. I pressure cooked mine (following Tarla Dalal & Kanan's recipes) and I think it tasted just as good. This dish is definitely worth every minute spent on it. All the different flavors just explode in your mouth. Both my husband and I thoroughly loved it. I can't wait to make it again.

Recipe from Tarla Dalal.com & SpiceuptheCurry:

Oondhiyu

Ingredients:

For the Veggies:
• 4~6 Baby Potatoes, peeled and cut into long pieces
• 5~6 Baby Eggplant, cut a '+' on the bottom
• 1cup Purple Yam, peeled and chopped (I used frozen purple yam)
• 1cup Surti Papadi, stringed and cut (I used frozen surti lilva)
• 1 Small Sweet potato, peeled and cut into big pieces
• ¼cup Surti papdi seeds (I used frozen vaal beans)
• 1 Recipe Methi Muthiyas
• To taste Salt
• 2tbsp Oil
• ¼tsp Asafoetida (Hing)
• ½tsp Carom seeds (Ajwain)
• ¼tsp Turmeric
• ½tsp Ground Coriander
• ½tsp Ground Cumin
• ½tsp Sugar
For Oondhiyu Masala:
• ¼cup Dry grated Coconut
• ¼cup Roasted Peanuts
• 3tbsp Roasted Sesame seeds
• ½cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
• 1~2tsp Sugar
• 1tsp Ground Coriander
• 1tsp Ground Cumin
• 1tsp Red Chili powder
• 1tsp Lemon juice
• 2 Green Chilies, finely chopped
• To taste Salt

Method:

1. Make the Methi Muthiyas: Follow the recipe from here and keep the muthiyas ready.
2. Make the Masala: Coarsely grind peanuts and sesame seeds. Combine them with all the  other Masala ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside.
3. Prep the veggies: Stuff the slit eggplants with little masala. Add all the other veggies including the stuffed eggplants to the masala and toss well to coat.
4. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add the carom seeds and cook for a few seconds. Next add hing and cook again for few seconds.
5. Add all the vegetables along with the masala and 1/4 cup water to the pan. Stir in turmeric and stir well. Pressure cook for 2 whistles.
6. Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid.
7. Transfer the oondhiyu to a broad non-stick pan and add the Methi muthiyas. Cover and cook for 5~7 minutes for the flavors to mingle.
8. Serve hot with pooris and shrikhand.

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