Instant Pot Undhiyu

A blend of winter special vegetables, dumplings and Indian spices; this Gujarati Undhiyu is a colorful and tasty side for roti or puri. This Instant pot version is easy to make without compromising on the taste! 

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Undhiyu; the star of winter meals is a mix of vegetables, spices and fried dumplings. This Gujarati delicacy is generally made in Winter because the ingredients used are generally available at that time. It is served at weddings, enjoyed for weekend meals and sold at several Indian stores! 

For those not familiar with the dish; Undhiyu is an Indian curry served with puri, roti or steamed rice. The highlight if the dish is the green paste that is made using cilantro, green chilies, garlic and ginger. Combined with coconut, this forms the base of the curry.

The add-ins includes yams, potatoes, greens like pigeon peas, eggplants, wheat flour dumplings and fenugreek leaves. These can be customized based on liking and availability!  

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Why make Undhiyu in the Instant Pot?

The most tedious part of making Undhiyu is the amount of preparation it requires to get everything together. It takes DAYS to prepare everything; shell fresh beans, clean fenugreek leaves etc. 

Making the Undhiyu in a pan takes a long time and there is always a fear of it burning or settling to the bottom of the pan. Pressure cooker is a great option and I used that before I started using the Instant Pot.

Now that I use the  Instant Pot, it is super easy. A timed version of the dish, the low pressure is perfect to cook the potatoes and yams without making the greens super soggy. The principle that  Instant Pot uses far lesser water than pressure cooker makes Undhiyu perfect in consistency. 

Now that I have started using the Instant Pot, I LOVE this method. I make it more often as the recipe will turn out great each time. I already tried it several times; before posting it here! 

The ingredients used in the recipe

The first part of the recipe included the making the muthiya. Dumplings made from fenugreek and flour; these are yummy as is and in the curry! Personally, this is my favorite part of the recipe. These can be deep fried, baked or shallow fried. 

The green sauce used in the recipe has a handful of ingredients. While cilantro, green chilies, garlic and ginger are important; the other ingredients can be modified. In place of fresh turmeric, 1/4 tsp of powdered turmeric can be used or skipped completely too. The coconut used in the recipe can be fresh or frozen. 

For the vegetables; use the ones you like and skip the rest. The main ingredients include greens, yams, potatoes and eggplants. The pigeon peas used can be fresh or frozen. Surati Papdi is available in the frozen aisles and can be used. If you get fresh ones; use that. Addition of desi papdi is a great idea too. I could not find it this time so skipped. 

Baby potatoes are great in the recipe. They can be used with or without peeling. If you cannot find them use the big ones, peeled and cut into cubes. Sweet potato is great for a mild sweet taste. Use the regular white ones or the purple ones. The same goes for yams. Finally, the eggplants. They can either be the small ones with slits made on them or big ones diced into pieces. 

Making a BIG batch of Undhiyu

The ingredients below might be a LOT for a meal. Given that it needs so many ingredients; it is a great idea to make a BIG batch of Undhiyu. It can be refrigerated for 2-3 days but frozen for much longer. The flavor does not change much over time as it has enough oil. 

I like to enjoy it for two meals and freeze the rest. Then, it is a quick weekend meal to just make roti or puri and serve with the Undhiyu. Make some steamed rice and it completes the meal! 

Ingredients

Mix all the ingredients mentioned above in a bowl. Add 1/4 cup water and knead into a firm dough. Add more water if required. Make either round or log shaped logs and keep aside. These can either be deep fried and added to the undhiyu, or shallow fried to avoid excess oil.

To prepare the Vegetables


Add fresh turmeric, green chilies, ginger, garlic cloves, cilantro, a pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp carom seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds and 1 tsp sugar to a blender pot. Add as little water as possible and make a thick green paste. Add half the shredded coconut and set aside.

Next, remove the skin from potatoes and yams. Make 2 inch pieces cubes of yams and sweet potatoes. Make + slits in the potatoes and eggplants. Set aside. 

To cook the Undhiyu

In the base of the  Instant Pot add oil. Set the mode to 'Sauté' and Normal. Add  cumin seeds, carom seeds, sesame seeds and a pinch of asafetida in the oil. 

Once the seeds pop, add half of the green masala and let it sizzle for a minute or two. Then add Tuvar Lilva and Surati Papdi to the oil. Sauté for a couple of minutes. 

Next layer the potatoes, yams and sweet potato. Put the remaining green masala on the top and top with fenugreek leaves and remaining shredded coconut. Finally add the eggplants and muthiya. 

Add 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp sugar and 1 cup water. Close the lid of the Instant Pot. Set mode to 'Pressure Cook' pressure level to 'low' and time to 4 minutes. Set valve to sealing and let the cycle complete.


Once the Instant Pot beeps, do a quick release and open the lid. Mix the undhiyu well, top with shredded coconut and cilantro. Serve with puri or phulka rotis. Serve with rice to complete the meal! 

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