If you are a fan of mixed vegetable recipes from the Indian cuisine, this recipe post is sure for you. And even if you are not, then post trying this classic Gujarati recipe, I’m sure you would be. This is a super delicious Surti Undhiyu Recipe, which does not take much time as compared to the traditional one. This Undhiyu is a Gujarati style mixed vegetable dish, which is prepared majorly with the seasonal fresh produce that the winters in India bring along. You can’t really not try it, as if you do, you’ll miss out on something tasty as well as wholesome.
Table of Contents
- What is Undhiyu
- More on Undhiyu Recipe
- How to make Undhiyu (Stepwise Photos)
- Ingredient Swaps
- Expert Tips
- Recipe Card
What is Undhiyu
Undhiyu is a one-pot vegetable casserole dish that is the hallmark of vegetarian cuisine in the Gujarati food repertoire. Essentially, an Undhiyu Recipe takes a lot of time to get done and needs a good amount of patience. This is because, traditionally, the array of vegetables is cooked or fried in batches.
However, this particular Surti Undhiyu Recipe does not take much time, as all the veggies along with the Methi Muthia (fenugreek leaves dumplings) are steamed together in a pressure cooker. Though, if you want, you can also cook the vegetables in a large pot or pan. Thus, the method becomes easy and less time consuming.
Undhiyu is so called as it is derived from the Gujarati word ‘undhu,’ which means ‘upside down.’ An authentic way of cooking this entire dish is to cook it in earthen pots, called ‘matlu’ in Gujarati and ‘matka‘ in Hindi. The pots are sealed and placed upside down in a fire pit dug inside the ground. The slow-cooking in the earthen pot gives the dish an earthy and rustic flavor.
An Undhiyu Recipe is usually bursting with flavors, aroma and textures because of the different veggies, a special masala and the muthias (fenugreek dumplings) that go in its making. Not just this, it is also a hearty and nutritious dish. Especially, this one, where I have also added less oil than what is generally added.
More on Undhiyu Recipe
Undhiyu is a personal favorite. I have had it many times while living in Mumbai. One of the best ones was at a Gujarati function in Mithibai College, Juhu, Mumbai. Right from the starters to the dessert, the entire Gujarati buffet there was absolutely stunning and spot on with flavors. We took small portions of everything and had a lovely hearty meal.
The vegetables added in an Undhiyu Recipe are mostly root veggies like purple yam (kand), regular yam, sweet potatoes and baby potatoes. Others are small brinjals, raw or ripe bananas, ivy gourd and Indian flat beans (surti papdi). Fresh pigeon peas (tuvar lilva) are also added.
In the absence of fresh pigeon peas, you can also add fresh green peas or fresh green chickpeas in the Undhiyu. Another lilva special recipe is this Gujarati Lilva Ni Kachori, which is also famous during the winter season.
This Undhiyu Recipe is vegan. If you want to make a gluten-free version, skip asafoetida. You can also make a satvik or no onion, no garlic variation by skipping garlic. This recipe serves 10 to 12 servings. You can easily halve the recipe.
Undhiyu is best served with pooris and Aamras or Shrikhand. You can also serve this healthy mixed vegetable casserole with soft phulkas, jowar roti or bajra roti.
Variations
Undhiyu is a winter delicacy, and is typically from Southern Gujarat. Some of the vegetables added in it are only available in the winter season.
There is another variation of the Undhiyu Recipe, which is made by the farmers of South Gujarat and is called as ‘umbadiyu.’ The recipes and ingredients are different, but all of the elements are cooked in upside down earthen pots only.
Another dish from the Parsi cuisine called ‘umberiu’ has a close resemblance to the Gujarati Undhiyu. The Parsi style umberiu is also cooked in the similar manner. That is, in an upside-down earthen pot in a fire pit.
Step-by-Step Guide
How to make Undhiyu
Prep Vegetables
1. String and pod the surti papdi beans. I used half-half of surti papdi (hyacinth beans) and valor papdi (fava beans).
After stringing and halving them, rinse very well. Strain and keep aside. I used a total of 150 grams of beans which yielded 2 cups stringed and podded beans.
2. In a bowl of water, peel, rinse and place the other vegetables – 10 to 12 baby potatoes, 1 medium sweet potato, 1.5 to 2 cups chopped purple yam and 8 to 10 small brinjals.
Note: Only the upper stalk of the brinjals have been removed and they have not been slit. You can also just rinse and keep the brinjals aside.
Make Methi Muthia
3. Take 1 cup tightly packed finely chopped methi leaves and 1 cup gram flour (besan) in a mixing bowl.
4. Add the following ingredients:
- 1 pinch of baking soda
- ¼teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼teaspoon red chili powder
- ½teaspoon cumin powder
- ½teaspoon coriander powder
- ½tablespoon oil
- ¾to 1 teaspoon sugar or as required
- ½teaspoon salt or as required
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoonginger and green chilli paste(or ½ inch peeled ginger + 1 to 2 green chilies – crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle)
5. Mix everything evenly and keep aside covered for 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Then, add 1 to 1.5 tablespoons water and mix well. Keep the mixture slightly sticky, so that the muthias remain soft after cooking.
7. Apply some oil in your palms and shape the muthias. Keep aside, covered with a bowl or lid.
If you want, you can also deep fry muthia. If fried, add lastly once the undhiyu is cooked through. But then simmer for 4 to 5 minutes after adding the fried methi muthia.
Make Green Masala Stuffing
8. Take ½cup tightly packed grated fresh coconut and 3 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves or ¼cup finely chopped coriander leaves in a mixing bowl.
9. In a mortar-pestle, crush to a paste – 1 to 1.5 inch peeled ginger, 8 to 10 small to medium garlic cloves and 2 to 3 green chilies (about 1 to 2 teaspoons, chopped).
You can also crush or grind or blend all 3 of them together. If using readymade paste, then add½ tablespoon ginger paste, ½tablespoon garlic paste and ½tablespoon green chilli paste.
You can also add garlic chives, instead of garlic.
10.Add the below listed ingredients to the coconut and coriander leaves in a bowl.
- 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
- ½ tablespoon ginger paste
- ½tablespoon garlic paste or finely chopped green garlic chives
- ½tablespoon green chili paste
- ¼to ½teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½teaspoon red chili powder
- 3 teaspoons coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin powder
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¾to 1 teaspoon salt or as needed
11. Mix very well and then check the taste of the green masala. Add more lemon juice, salt or sugar, if required.
I have kept all the flavors balanced in the dish. But if you want, you can have a more spicy, sweet or tangy taste in Undhiyu.
12. On the base, give a crisscross slit to the brinjals and stuff the prepared green masala in them.
In the same way, stuff the masala in the potatoes. If you want, you can stuff the masala in the raw bananas too.
Keep the stuffed vegetables aside. Some green masala mixture will be left. Keep this aside.
MakeUndhiyu
13. Heat 4 to 5 tablespoons sesame oil or peanut oil in a 3 litre pressure cooker. Add ½teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain) and ½teaspoon cumin seeds.
Stir and fry the spices for a few seconds or till they change their color. You can also use sunflower oil or safflower oil.
14. Then, add ⅛teaspoon asafoetida (hing) and stir.
15. Now, add the stringedand poddedbeans. If you are using fresh pigeon peas, you can add them at this step.
16. Stir well. To preserve the green color of the beans, you can add a pinch of baking soda. I did not add.
17. Now, add half a portion of the leftover green masala stuffing mixture.
18. Stir and very well. Sauté on low to medium heat for 3 minutes. Then, lower the heat and make a neat layer of the beans at the bottom.
Layer Vegetables
19. Then, place the chopped purple yam in a neat layer.
20. Then, make another layer of chopped raw unripe bananas and sweet potato.
21. Now, sprinkle ¼of the green masala mixture evenly. Don’t stir.
22. Make the next layer of stuffed brinjals and potatoes.
Cook Undhiyu
23. Add ½cup water from the sides. Don’t stir.
24. Now, gently place the prepared methi muthia in a layer. Sprinkle 2 to 3 pinches of salt all over.
25. Cover the pressure cooker with its lid and pressure cook on medium to high heat for 2 whistles or 8 to 10 minutes.
Do use a 3 litre pressure cooker to make this recipe. If you have used a 4 or 5 litre pressure cooker then adjust the water and cooking time as needed.
26. When the pressure settles down naturally, remove the lid and gently mix everything, without breaking the stuffed vegetables and muthias.
27. Serve hot Undhiyu with poori or roti. While serving, if you want, you can garnish with chopped coriander leaves or some grated coconut.
Ingredient Swaps
- Purple Yam: In place of purple yam, use elephant foot yam or regular yam.
- Small Eggplants: In place of baby eggplants or small brinjals, use medium sized brinjals. Do not use large-sized eggplants.
- Pigeon Peas: In place of fresh pigeon peas (lilva), use fresh green chickpeas, Edamame or green peas. You can also omit adding any of the fresh peas.
- Green Beans: In place of surti papdi (hyacinth beans), use fava beans, or fresh lima beans.
- Baby Potatoes: In place of baby potatoes, use medium or large-sized potatoes. Peel and chop them. But do not stuff them with the green stuffing masala.
- Garlic: In place of garlic, use garlic chives. Finely chop the chives and add them to the green stuffing masala mixture.
Expert Tips
- Keeping the methi muthia mixture slightly sticky will result in softer muthias, after cooking.
- While shaping the methi muthias, grease your palms with some oil. You can also deep-fry the muthias if you prefer.
- If you are using readymade paste, then add ½ tablespoon each of ginger paste, garlic paste and green chili paste.
- The lemon juice, salt and sugar in the green masala mixture can be adjusted according to your preferences.
- In addition to stuffing the brinjals and potatoes with the green masala mixture, you can also stuff the raw banana with it.
- You can use sesame oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil or safflower oil to cook this dish.
- To preserve the green color of the beans, you can add a pinch of cooking soda.
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Undhiyu Recipe | Surti Undhiyu
By Dassana Amit
Undhiyu is a one pot vegetable casserole dish that is the hallmark of Gujarati vegetarian cuisine. This is an easy Surti Undhiyu recipe that does not take much time.
4.91 from 20 votes
Print Pin Save
Prep Time 1 hour hr
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Cuisine Gujarati, Indian
Course Main Course
Diet Vegan
Difficulty Level Moderate
Servings 10
Units
Ingredients
Veggies for undhiyu
- 150 grams surti papdi (hyacinth beans) or a mix of surti papdi and valor papdi (fava beans) or 2 cups chopped surti papdi
- ½ to ⅔ cup fresh pigeon peas (fresh tuvar, lilva) – optional
- 100 grams brinjals – small-sized or baby eggplants or 8 to 10 small eggplants
- 150 to 200 grams baby potatoes or 10 to 12 potatoes
- 100 grams sweet potato or 1 medium sweet potato
- 100 grams plantain (unripe green banana) or 1 medium-sized
- 150 grams purple yam (kand) or about 1.5 to 2 cups chopped purple yam
For methi muthia
- 1 cup fenugreek leaves – (fresh methi leaves) – finely chopped
- 1 pinch baking soda
- 1 cup besan (gram flour)
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon ginger and green chilli paste or ½ inch peeled ginger + 1 to 2 green chilies – crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder
- ½ tablespoon oil
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon sugar or add as required
- ½ teaspoon salt or add as required
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 to 1.5 tablespoon water or as required
For green masala
- ½ cup fresh grated coconut – tightly-packed
- 3 tablespoons coriander leaves – finely chopped or ¼ cup finely chopped coriander leaves
- 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
- ½ tablespoon ginger paste or 1 to 1.5 inch peeled ginger crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle
- ½ tablespoon garlic paste or 8 to 10 small to medium garlic cloves, crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle, or swap with chopped garlic chives
- ½ tablespoon green chili paste or 2 to 3 green chilies crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 3 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar or add as per taste
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon salt or add as required
For tempering undhiyu
- ½ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida (hing) or 2 to 3 pinches of asafoetida
- ½ cup water
- 4 to 5 tablespoon sesame oil or peanut oil or any oil
Instructions
Preparing veggies
String and pod the surti papdi beans. I used half-half of surti papdi (hyacinth beans) and valor papdi (fava beans).
After stringing them and halving them, rinse very well. Drain all the water and set aside.
In a bowl of water, peel, rinse and place the other veggies – 10 to 12 baby potatoes, 1 medium sweet potato, 2 cups chopped purple yam. Also keep 8 to 10 small brinjals.
Note that the only the upper stalk of the brinjals have been removed and they have not been slit. You can also just rinse and keep the brinjals aside.
Preparing methi muthia
Take 1 cup tightly packed methi leaves, finely chopped and 1 cup besan or gram flour in a mixing bowl.
Add a pinch of baking soda, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ¼ teaspoon red chili powder, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon coriander powder and ½ tablespoon oil.
Next add ¾ to 1 teaspoon sugar or add as required, ½ teaspoon salt or add as required and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
Simply mix everything and keep aside covered for 10 to 15 minutes.
Then add 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of water and mix really well. Keep the mixture slightly sticky, so that the methi muthia remains soft after cooking.
Apply some oil in your palms and shape the muthias. Keep aside covered with a bowl or lid.
If you want you can also deep fry methi muthia. If fried then add lastly once the undhiyu is done and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes.
Making green masala stuffing mixture
Take the fresh grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves in another mixing bowl.
In a mortar-pestle crush to a paste, 1 to 1.5 inch ginger, 8 to 10 garlic cloves and 2 to 3 green chilies. You can also crush or grind all three of them together.
If using ready paste then add ½ tablespoon ginger paste, ½ tablespoon garlic paste, ½ tablespoon green chili paste.
You can also use finely chopped garlic chives instead of garlic.
Add 2 tablespoons of white sesame seeds, ½ tablespoon ginger paste, ½ tablespoon garlic paste or chopped green garlic chives, ½ tablespoon green chili paste.
Also add ¼ to ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chili powder, 3 teaspoon coriander powder, 2 teaspoon cumin powder, 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
Season with 1 tablespoon sugar and ¾ to 1 teaspoon salt. Feel free to adjust these seasonings according to your preferences.
Mix very well and then check the taste. Add more lemon juice, salt or sugar if required.
Stuffing veggies
From the base, give a criss cross slit to the small brinjals and stuff the masala in it.
In the same way also, stuff the masala in the baby potatoes. If you want you can stuff the masala in the raw bananas also.
Keep the stuffed veggies aside. Some stuffing masala will be left. Keep this aside.
Tempering and cooking undhiyu
Heat 4 to 5 teaspoons sesame oil or peanut oil in a 3 litre pressure cooker.
Add ½ teaspoon carom seeds and ½ teaspoon cumin seeds. Stir and fry on low heat until the carom seeds and cumin seeds crackle.
You can also use sunflower oil or safflower oil.
Then add ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida/hing. Stir and mix on low heat.
Now add the stringed and podded beans. If you are using fresh pigeon peas, you can add them at this step.
Mix and stir well. To preserve the green color of the beans you can add a pinch of soda if you prefer.
Now add half a portion of the leftover green stuffing masala.
Again mix very well and sauté for 3 minutes on a low to medium heat. Then make a neat layer of the beans at the bottom.
Then place the chopped purple yam in a neat layer.
Then make another layer of chopped raw bananas and sweet potato.
Now sprinkle ¼ of the coconut masala evenly. Don't stir.
Make a next layer of stuffed brinjals and potatoes.
Add ½ cup water from the sides. Don't stir or mix.
Now gently place the prepared methi muthia in a layer. Sprinkle 2 to 3 pinches of salt all over.
Cover the pressure cooker with its lid and pressure cook on a medium to high flame for 2 whistles or for 8 to 10 minutes.
When the pressure settles down on its own, remove the lid and gently mix everything without breaking the stuffed veggies.
While serving if you want, you can garnish Surti Undhiyu with chopped coriander leaves or some grated coconut. Serve Undhiyu with poori or roti.
Notes
Substitutes:
- Purple yam – elephant foot yam or regular yam.
- Small brinjals – medium sized aubergines.
- Fresh pigeon peas – fresh green chickpeas, edamame beans, green peas.
- Surti papdi – fava beans or fresh lima beans.
- Baby potatoes – medium or large potatoes
Recipe Notes:
- Please use 3 litre pressure cooker as mentioned in the recipe. If you use a 4 or 5 litre cooker, you will need to adjust the amount of water and the cooking time.
- Undhiyu can also be made in a pot. So add water as needed to cook the veggies.
- You can omit adding garlic if you prefer.
- Feel free to adjust the seasonings and spices as you like.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
Nutrition Facts
Undhiyu Recipe | Surti Undhiyu
Amount Per Serving
Calories 233Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Fat 10g15%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Sodium 343mg15%
Potassium 509mg15%
Carbohydrates 30g10%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 1512IU30%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 0.2mg13%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 0.1mg6%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 1mg5%
Vitamin B6 0.2mg10%
Vitamin C 10mg12%
Vitamin E 1mg7%
Vitamin K 5µg5%
Calcium 50mg5%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 93µg23%
Iron 3mg17%
Magnesium 56mg14%
Phosphorus 127mg13%
Zinc 1mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This Undhiyu Recipe from the blog archives, first published in April 2015 has been republished and updated on December 2022.
