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The origin of this mouth-watering dish is Gujarat. Kathiyawadi Undhiyu is the regional speciality of Surat city in Gujarat. The name of this dish comes from the way this dish is prepared.
The Gujarati word “undhu” means upside down. This dish is prepared in a “matlu,” an earthen pot. The mixed vegetables are stuffed with spices and oil in an earthen pot and are cooked upside down underground in a pot.
This seasonal dish is prepared in the surat, Navsari, and Valsad regions, with fresh seasonal vegetables on the South Gujarat coastline. The dishes like handvo and lilva kachori are also prepared during winter because of the fresh vegetables available during this time.
How to Make Kathiyawadi Undhiyu?
Kathiyawadi Undhiyu Recipe
Ingredients
For muthiya
- 1 cup Gram flour
- 1 ½ cups Fenugreek leaves chopped
- ½ tsp Red chili powder
- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 ½ tsp Sugar
- ¼ tsp Lemon juice
- Oil
- Salt as per taste
- Pinch of baking soda
For masala
- ¼ cup Coconut grated
- ⅓ cup Roasted Peanut powder
- ½ tbsp Sesame seeds
- ¼ cup Coriander leaves finely chopped
- ½ tbsp Green chili ginger, and garlic paste
- 1 tsp Sugar
- ½ tsp Lemon juice
- Salt
For curry
- 3-4 – Brinjal
- 6-8 – Baby Potatoes
- ½ cup Surti papdi strings removed
- ½ cup Valor papdi strings removed
- ½ cup Tuvar lilva
- ½ cup Yam/Sweet potato chopped
- ½ cup Green peas
- 1 tsp Red chili powder
- ½ tsp Cumin powder
- ½ tsp Coriander powder
- ⅓ tsp Turmeric powder
- ¼ tsp Garam masala powder optional
- Pinch of Asafoetida optional
- 1 cup Water
- Oil
- Salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, take gram flour, fenugreek leaves, red chili powder, turmeric powder, baking soda, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and oil.
- Mix the ingredients, add water as required, and make a soft dough. Then grease your hands with oil and make 10-12 oval-shaped muthiya from the dough. Heat the oil and deep fry the muthiya on medium flame.
- Fry until golden brown and the outer layer is crispy. With the slotted spoon, transfer them to a plate with a paper napkin. Let it cool.
- Now in a bowl, to prepare stuffing masala, take all masala ingredients (coconut, peanut powder, sesame seeds, coriander leaves, green chili, ginger and garlic paste, sugar, lemon juice, and salt).
- Mix well and taste it. It must have a strong spicy, mildly sweet, sour, and salty taste. Add ingredients if required.
- Take all the chopped vegetables required to make undhiyu. While chopping, makes sure not to separate the segments. And stuff the veggies with prepared masala.
- Heat oil over a medium flame in a vessel or a pressure cooker. Add a pinch of hing and saute, then add surti papdi, valor papdi, tuvar lilva, and green peas and add salt. Mix and cook for a while.
- Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, and garam masala powder.
- Mix well and cook for 5 minutes. Then add potatoes and brinjal, and add a pinch of salt.
- Add water and cook until the vegetables are tender. Close the lid and cook for 2-3 whistles.
- Add muthiya and cook for another minute or two.
- Garnish undhiyu with coriander leaves. Mix and serve the undhiyu with puri.
Notes
- You can skip the whole step of preparing masala and directly sprinkle the masala while cooking.
- Papdi is an essential ingredient for kathiyawadi undhiyu; make sure that you at least have one of them.
- Muthiya has a sweet and sour taste, so don’t forget to add muthiya to the kathiyawadi undhiyu.
- If you are health conscious, you can reduce the quantity of oil used in this recipe.
If you like vegetables, this mixed vegetable recipe from Indian cuisine, the kathiyawadi undhiyu dish, is what you need to try. This classic Gujarati undhiyu dish is prepared majorly with seasonally produced vegetables in winter.
Kathiyawadi Undhiyu is a hallmark of vegetarian Gujarati cuisine. This recipe takes a lot of time to prepare and cook, but this one-pot vegetable casserole dish is extremely delicious.
This dish can be served with puri and shrikhand for lunch or dinner and is prepared specially during Makar Sankranti (kite festival) in Gujarat.
FAQ
Undhiyu can be served with?
Undhiyu is a mixed vegetable casserole seasoned with spices, red lentils, grated coconut, and sugar. This dish can be served with rice, chapati, or puri. This dish is prepared in Gujarati households during winter, and undhiyu is served with puri and shrikhand.
What does Gujarati undhiyu taste like?
Undhiyu is a flavorful Gujarati winter dish simmered in chutney and oil, sealing its various flavors and textures. Along with the brittle yet crunchy muthiya, the soft sweetish banana undercut by the hard earthy vegetables is yummy.
