Undhiyu

It finishes dry, with every chunk keeping its shape, so it is barely stirred.

Vegan.

Ingredients

300 g purple yam, in chunks
300 g potatoes, in chunks
250 g small aubergines, slit
250 g green beans in the pod, or new peas in the pod
2 unripe bananas, in thick slices
200 g muthia: fenugreek leaves and gram flour dumplings
60 g coriander leaves, for the paste
a 5 cm piece of ginger, for the paste
8 cloves garlic, for the paste
4 green chillies, for the paste
2 teaspoons sugar, for the paste
60 g coconut, grated, for the paste
6 tablespoons groundnut oil
2 teaspoons salt
100 ml water
juice of 1 lime, to finish

Method

IT FINISHES DRY, WITH EVERY CHUNK KEEPING ITS SHAPE, SO IT IS BARELY STIRRED. Its article is unusually explicit about the target and the consequence. The finished preparation IS DRY: individual chunks of vegetables are COATED WITH A THIN LAYER OF SPICE AND OIL BUT RETAIN THEIR SHAPE -- and THEREFORE the contents MUST BE STIRRED RELATIVELY INFREQUENTLY during cooking. It adds that crisp vegetables such as bean pods should IDEALLY RETAIN A LITTLE OF THEIR CRUNCHY TEXTURE. So this is a dish of eight vegetables that must each still be identifiable at the end, which is a different problem from any curry.
THE WATER IS A HUNDRED MILLILITRES AND NO MORE. Its article says a VERY SMALL AMOUNT sufficient to steam the root vegetables. Enough liquid to steam, not to simmer.
THEY GO IN IN STAGES, WHICH ITS ARTICLE SPELLS OUT. To ensure no component is overcooked, the root vegetables and aubergine are HALF-COOKED before the quick-cooking bean pods and ripe plantain are added.
THE BEAN PODS GO IN WHOLE, POD AND ALL. Its article says typically used along with the TENDER POD. That is where the crunch it asks for comes from.
THE PASTE IS DRY, AND SUGAR IS IN IT. Its article lists a DRY CURRY PASTE of coriander leaves, ginger, garlic, green chilli and SUGAR, and sometimes freshly grated coconut. Ground with no water at all.
THE AUBERGINES ARE SLIT AND STUFFED WITH THE PASTE. Not chopped. The slit holds it and the aubergine keeps its shape.
THE MUTHIA ARE MADE SEPARATELY AND ITS ARTICLE SAYS HOW. Dumplings of fenugreek leaves and spiced gram flour, EITHER STEAMED OR FRIED. Fried ones hold up better in the pot.
IT IS SLOW-COOKED FOR A LONG TIME, LIDDED. An hour on the lowest heat. The name is the old method: undhu means UPSIDE-DOWN, from cooking it inverted underground in earthen pots called matlu, FIRED FROM ABOVE -- which is as slow and as even as heat gets.
IT IS FINISHED WITH CORIANDER AND LIME, WHICH ITS ARTICLE SPECIFIES. And its variants differ sharply: a Surti one with red lentils, coconut and palm sugar in a mild sauce, served with puri; a Kathiyawadi one DEEP RED AND FAR SPICIER.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under India · All recipes