I love Gujarati food- period. Undhiyoo is one of my all-time favorites. P, on the other hand dislikes Undhiyoo......only because he has had the oily, spicy version served at the weddings....which is not bad actually. But P hates oily and spicy food. So when i set out to make Undhiyoo, i was on a mission to change P's opinion about this much loved dish.
So did i end up accomplishing my mission? Well, you would have to try my undhiyoo or else just take my word for it. It turned out yummilicious...finger-licking-licious to be specific. It is one of the best dishes i have ever cooked, even if i say so myself. And P's become a fan of my undhiyoo. Never again is he going to make a fuss about eating undhiyoo. But the credit actually goes to my mom and Rashmi aunty- one of my hometown neighbors who shared their recipes with me. I just combined the two versions and came up with one of the most amazing undhiyoos i have ever had. Traditionally undhiyoo is served with kadhi and puris, and jalebis as dessert on the side. I served mine with puris and kadhi too. May be i will leave the jalebis for the next time.

Undhiyoo is a vegetable-medley dish specifically made during the winter with all the vegetables available during the season; healthy and nutritious.


Ingredients

Serves 6

3 medium potatoes- chopped into big pieces
2 sweet potatoes chopped into big pieces
8 baby brinjals
3 cups papdi/surti papdi
1 cup lilva
a pinch of soda bi-carb
10-15 pieces methi muthiya

2 roma tomatoes-chopped (optional)

Additionaly if you can find
purple yam
plantain
yam

you can also add this to the vegetable medley.

For stuffing

2 cups lilva dana
1-1/2 cup fresh shredded coconut
1-1/2 cup coriander/cilantro
5-7 green chilies (as per your spice level)
1 inch piece of ginger
4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp lemon/lime juice
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ajwain
salt to taste
sugar to taste
2 tsp garam masala/undhiyoo masala/dalshaak no masalo

For the muthiya

1 cup wheat flour
1 cup chopped methi
3 tbsp rava/coarse wheat flour
salt to taste
sugar to taste
1/3 tsp turmeric
1/3 tsp chili powder
2 green chilies
1/2 inch piece of ginger
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp oil

For tempering
1 tsp ajwain
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/3 tsp turmeric
1/4th tsp asafoetida




1. For the muthiyas, mix the wheat flour, rava/coarse wheat flour, methi, salt, sugar, turmeric chili powder and oil.
2. Crush the green chilies, ginger and garlic into a fine paste and add it to the methi-wheat flour mix and add in the lime juice.
3. Knead into a fine soft dough. Make small oblong balls and deep fry them. Set aside.
4. String the surti papdi/papdi so that there are no fibrous threads left, wash and coat with soda bi-carb and ajwain.
5. FOr the stuffing mixture put all the ingredients into a food processor and blend into a coarse paste. Add the chopped tomatoes to the mix.
6. Make 4 cuts into the baby brinjal and stuff the mixture into it, If using baby potatoes, stuff them in a similar way.
7. Heat oil in a cooker, add the mustard seeds, and when they pop, add the ajwain, turmeric and asafoetida and add the surti papdi/papdi.
8. Next make a layer of the stuffing mixture.
9. The next layer should consist of yam, purple yam and plantains. and coat with a layer of the stuffing mixture.
10. If not adding the yams and plantains, make a layer of the potatoes, sweet potatoes and stuffed brinjals and make a layer of the stuffin mixture on top.
11. Add the muthiyas and lilva next and another layer of the stuffing mixture on the top.
12. Add 3 cups water and cook for 2 whistles.
13. Let it cool and finally mix all the vegetables well.
14. Serve with Kadhi and puri.