Undhiyu (Layered Mixed Vegetable Dish)

Undhia

Traditional Gujarati layered mixed-vegetable dish cooked in a pressure cooker with a coconut-coriander spice masala, including papdi, potatoes, brinjal, yam, and banana; methi muthia can be added.

Ingredients

• 1/4 kg potatoes
• 1/4 kg brinjal (small eggplant) (small; to be stuffed)
• 1/4 kg yam
• 100 gm surti papdi
• peas, etc. (optional)
• 1 big bunch coriander
• 2 ripe bananas (to be stuffed)
• 1 big coconut (grated)
• ginger
• green chilli
• garlic
• salt
• red chilli powder
• turmeric (haldi)
• coriander/cumin (dhania/jeera) (spice mix/powder as written)
• jaggery (a little bit)
• garam masala
• lemon
• oil (for the masala and cooking)
• 1 tbsp chickpea flour (channa flour) (in masala)
• baking soda (for papdi (amount not specified))
• 1/4 tsp carom seeds (ajwain) (to papdi; plus 'carom' mentioned generally)
• asafoetida (hing) (added to oil in cooker)
• methi muthia (optional; fried or layered)

Instructions

1. Mix all the masala ingredients together well in a plate and keep ready.
2. Cut all vegetables separately into big pieces.
3. Coat each vegetable with a little masala.
4. For papdi: add soda and carom seeds (ajwain) to papdi, then add masala (also add 1/4 tsp ajwain to papdi).
5. Heat oil in a pressure cooker; add hing.
6. Layer vegetables in the cooker: first papdi, then potatoes, then brinjals, then ripe banana (stuff the brinjals and banana with masala).
7. Pressure cook for 2 whistles on fast gas; check and cook for 1 more whistle if needed.
8. If all layers do not fit, cook the first layer; steam brinjal and banana separately, then mix them in after other vegetables are cooked.
9. Optionally add methi muthia either fried, or as an additional layer.

Tips

• Stuff brinjals and bananas with the masala.
• If the cooker is small, steam brinjal and banana separately and mix later.
• Methi muthia can be added (fried or layered).