It was some 1 year ago, I was chatting with my friend Aruna and as usual we started discussing about food. She asked me if I have tasted the popular Gujarati dish Undhiyu . Though I had heard about this dish and tasted it before, I had not cooked it myself. So Aruna sent me the recipe. But just one week before our discussion, I had bought frozen Undhiyu mix – which comes with all the frozen vegetables and muthiya . So I tried the recipe with the same mix and it was great. I forgot about this recipe after that.
Last week I was watching a cooking show on TV. They were showing Undhiyu and I wanted to try it immediately. This time, instead of buying the frozen pack, I bought all the vegetables separately and made the muthiya etc at home. When it was done, our whole apartment was filled with amazing aroma.
For the most part, I followed Aruna’s recipe. I made few changes which I followed from Sanjeev Kapoor’s site and Nupur’s version . I have seen the usage of green peas in masala only in Sanjeev Kapoor’s version. I did not use coconut at all because I was out of my coconut stock. I wasn’t sure it would come out good. But the final dish was lip-smackingly good.
Vegetables:
4 small purple eggplants 4 small potatoes 4 big pieces of plantain 8 tendli (ivy gourd) 1/4 cup surti papdi (whole tender avrekayi ) 1/4 cup purple yam( ratalu )
For paste: 1/4 cup coriander leaves ( I used along with thick stems ) 4 green chillies 1 tea spn jaggery 1 tbl spn lemon juice 1 tea spn ginger 1 tea spn garlic 1/4 cup fresh peas ( I used 1/2 cup peas ) 1/4 cup coconut ( I did not use this ) 1 tea spn coriander seeds 1 tea spn cumin seeds A pinch turmeric Salt
For Muthiya : 1/4 cup fenugreek leaves 1/8 cup wheat flour 1/8 cup besan 1 tea spn chilli powder A pinch turmeric Salt Oil
Tempering: Oil 1/2 tea spn ajwain A pinch asafoetida
Method: In a bowl, take the muthiya ingredients. Add a little water to make a dough. Make small balls from the dough. Deep fry the balls and keep it aside. ( I used a deep kadayi and used just about 1/4 cup oil and fried the muthiya on a medium flame).
Grind the paste ingredients without adding too much water. Make deep cross into eggplants, plantains and stuff the paste into them. ( I also stuffed potatoes ).
String the surti papdi . If they are too big, cut them into two. Cut tendli into 4. Heat oil ( I used the oil remaining from frying muthiya ) and add ajwain , asafoetida.
Now slowly add all the vegetables and add remaining paste over the vegetables. Add about 1/4 cup water ( Usually oil is used, I used water ).
Cover and cook on a medium flame. Since I used frozen yam, I didn’t add it at this stage, since it becomes paste if cooked for long. When the vegetables are almost done, add muthiya (and yam if it was not added before).
Cook for 2-3 mins and take off the heat. Do not mix too much after adding muthiyas .
Serve hot.
Serves : 3-4 Preparation time : 45mins
There are times, when I get bored of cooking and like to make some one pot dish. I usually go back to pasta/noodles dishes. This was one such dish that I just made up. I had seen similar baked dishes in different books, but I mainly used all the vegetables I had with me. It was a nice change and very filling dinner.
Ingredients: 1 and 1/2 cups elbow macaroni 2 cups vegetables – red & yellow bellpeppers, cabbage, corn, jalapenos 1/2 cup tomato 1/2 cup soya granules 1 tbl spn chopped fresh basil 1 egg white 1/2 cup milk 1 tea spn all purpose flour 1 tea spn butter 1/4 cup parmesan cheese Pepper Olive oil Salt
Method: Cook macaroni according packet instructions and keep aside. Cook soya granules according to packet instructions. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and add all the vegetables. Fry for a minute and then add cooked soya, salt pepper. Fry for about 5mins. Then add tomatoes and cook for few more minutes. Take off the heat and garnish with chopped basil.
In another sauce pan, heat butter. Add flour and whisk continuously. Now pour the milk whisking it all the time to avoid any lumps. Take off the heat and pour a little of the this sauce into well beaten egg white whisking all the time. Transfer the mixture back to the sauce pan and cook the sauce for about 1min. Take care the sauce does not form any lumps. Add salt pepper. Preheat the oven at 350F for 10mins. Spray an oven safe bowl with cooking spray (or apply some butter). Pour in half of the cooked macaroni and then half of the vegetable mixture. Then put another layer of remaining pasta and then a layer of remaining vegetables. Pour the sauce over the top. Sprinkle parmesan cheese.
Bake for about 10mins or till the cheese melts.
Serves : 4-5 Preparation time : 30mins
