Easy Gujarati Style Surti Undhiyu Recipe

 Easy Gujarati Style Surti Undhiyu Recipe

Here is an authentic recipe of Surti Undhiyu, A Gujarat's Signature Winter Dish
Surti Undhiyu is a traditional Gujarati recipe cooked with a whole variety of mixed vegetables and whole ground spices.
It is difficult to prepare Undhiyu in a small quantity due to the number of vegetables that go into its making. Even if you add just 100 gms of each, you will get almost a kilo of Undhiyo. Ms Meena Parikh shares her secret recipe and a big box of Surthi Undhiyo with me.



As soon as winter sets in, the vegetable sellers in Gujarati dominated areas of Mumbai will stock up on the various vegetables that are needed for this wonderful dish. This delectable undhiyu recipe is made with methi muthiyas, baby potatoes, baby eggplants, yam, surti vaal, toor dal, coconut, coriander leaves, garam masalas and a melange of other spices that gives an aromatic flavour to the dish.



If you haven't tried this dish yet, this is the right to make it

 Happy cooking!

INGREDIENTS

  

For Methi Muthiya

1 cup methi leaves

½ cup coriander leaves

½ cup gram flour

½ cup coarse wheat flour

¼ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

2.5 tsp sugar

¼ tsp baking soda

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp green chilli paste

2 tsp lemon juice

3 tbsp oil

1 tbsp water

Oil for deep frying

For Masala

¼ cup peanuts

2 tbsp sesame seeds

Salt to taste

3 tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

2 tbsp lemon juice

½ cup coriander leaves

For Undhiyu

½ cup purple yam kand

½ cup sweet potatoes

5 small brinjals

5 small potatoes

4 green chilli

¾ cup oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp carom seeds

2 dry red chilli

1 inch cinnamon

3 cloves

1 bay leaf

Pinch of Hing

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tsp chopped ginger

1 cup surti papdi

1 cup fresh tuvar dana

½ cup green peas

2 chopped tomatoes

Salt to taste

½ tsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp red chilli powder

2 tbsp coriander powder

¾ cup water

2 tsp tamarind pulp

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp garam masala

For Tadka

4 tbsp oil

1 tbsp kashmiri red chilli powder

INSTRUCTIONS

 

Making Muthia:

1.   In a mixing bowl, add methi leaves, coriander leaves, wheat flour, besan, spices (turmeric, red chili powder), salt, sugar, baking soda, ginger paste, green chilies, oil, and lemon juice in a bowl. Mix well. 

2.   Now add little water at a time and knead into smooth and soft dough. Don’t add too much water otherwise, it becomes too sticky. 

3.   Grease your palm with oil and roll muthiya into small oval-shaped dumplings.

4.   Fry the muthiyas on medium flame till it becomes crispy and brown.

Making Masala

1.  In a mixture jar, add peanuts, sesame seeds, salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and coriander powder. Grind into a coarse mixture.

2.   Now add ginger paste, garlic paste, coriander leaves, and lemon juice. Mix well. Keep aside to use later.

Making Undhiyu Recipe:

1. Fry purple yam (kand) and sweet potatoes on medium flame. 

2.   Now fry raw banana pieces on medium flame. Keep all fried vegetables aside. 

3.   Make a cross ‘+’ sign at the upper part of the baby eggplant, potatoes, and green chili. Stuff the center with prepared masala. 

4.   Add remaining masala and fried veggies.

5.   Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, ajwain, dry red chili, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, and a pinch of hing.

6.   Now add chopped ginger and garlic. Sauté for a minute.

7.   Add surti papadi, tuvar dana, and green peas. Cover and cook vegetables till it slightly cooked and become soft.

8.   Add chopped tomatoes and salt. Cook tomatoes till it becomes slightly soft.

9.   Now add turmeric powder, red chili powder, and coriander powder. Mix well.

10.  Add stuffed veggies and masala coated veggies on the surface of papadi and dana layer.

11.    Now add masala coated fried veggies on the layer of stuffed veggies.

12.   Add water and cover and cook undhiyu on low flame for 15-20 minutes.

13.   Then add tamarind pulp, sugar, and garam masala. Mix well.

14.  Add stuffed chilies and muthiya. Cover and cook for 5 minutes so all flavored absorb in muthiya.

15.  Now in a pan, heat oil. When the oil is heated switch off the flame and add red chili powder. Immediately pour tadka on undhiyu. Mix well.

16.  Garnish with coriander leaves and serve undhiyu with puri or paratha.

The recipe is a tad bit complicated but totally worth every effort. 

Small Indian Fenugreek Methi Bhajji Recipe

 Small Indian Fenugreek Methi Bhajji Recipe

 

 Sometimes even bitter tastes beautiful. 

Fenugreek or Indian Small Leaf  Fenugreek is commonly used in Indian cuisine. Methi as they call it in hindi are microgreens rich in minerals, protein, potassium, zinc, and vitamin . It's also used for flavoring the various dishes.

It helps in controlling blood sugar levels as galactomannan, a natural soluble fiber present in Fenugreek slows down the rate of sugar absorption into the blood.

This Microgreens are relatively easy to grow on a small scale and can also thrive indoors if indirect bright light is available. It takes approximately 10 to 12 days to sprout into a stem and leaflets. 

For cooking it, you just need to cut off the root part, then wash and chop to cook it.  

This Methi Bhajji recipe is

Deliciously Simple

Nutritious 

Easy to Cook 

Just 5 ingredients 

Perfect as a main or side dish 

Methi leaves can be very bitter and even more bitter after cooking. The main way to eliminate the bitterness is to soak the methi bundles in salt water for half hour. Squeeze the salty water out and cook it later. 

Now for the 5 ingredients easy recipe 

Ingredients 

15 to 20 bundles of Indian Small Leaf Methi

2 medium sized onions 

2 Tbsp cooking Oil 

5 to 6 cloves of garlic 

2 slit green chillies 

Salt to taste

Method 

1. Soak the methi bundles in salt water. Let it soak for half an hour. Rinse the methi leaves very well in water. Drain all the water. 

2. Now snip off the roots, and chop the rest of it roughly.

3. Finely chopped the onion. 

4. Peel and chop the garlic too and keep aside. 

5. Now take a non stick or heavy bottom pan. Add oil to it. Let it heat and add onions.

6. Stir the onions and cook they are pinkish in color. 

7. Add the garlic and slit green chillies.

8. Lastly  Add the chopped methi leaves and salt to taste. 

9. Stir on high flame for 2 minutes. Then cover the lid and cook on low flame till water is dried up. 

10. Methi bhajji is ready to be served.  

This rustic, healthy and yet tasty recipe of an Indian style Methi Bhaji or Sabzi made with fresh Indian small leaf  Fenugreek makes a perfect meal with hot roti, curd pickle or can even be paired with dal-chawal. 

Sugar Free Modaks for Ganesha with honey and tutti frutti

 

Sugar Free Modaks for Ganesha with Honey and tutti frutti 

This year let's enjoy Bappa this season  and gorge on modaks without any guilt.
So yes I put on my chef's cap and got my hands all messy and sticky with the purest of honey.
The honey is organic, raw and the best substitute for sugar in my recipe.  The recipe is simple to follow and the modaks  turned out delicious.

So note the ingredients for the recipe and get it done before Bappa arrives

Ingredients

For Modak

 
1 litre Milk
3 tablespoons Milk powder
2 tbsp Pure Honey
1 tsp Ghee
2 tbsp Tutti Frutti bits
1/2 juice of lime

For filling

1 cup assorted nuts ( almonds, walnuts, pistachios, cashews)
2 tbsp Honey

Method

1. For the filling, mix the nuts and Honey together and keep aside. You can give it a spin in the mixer.

2. Now add the Milk to a pan and boil. Squeeze the juice of half a lime.

3. Boil till the milk curdles and water separates from mawa.

4. Strain the whey and collect the mawa in a muslin cloth.
Remove all the water and transfer it to a dish.

5. Now add the Milk powder,  honey, tutti frutti and ghee and mix well to make a soft dough.

6. Now put this dough in the refrigerator for an hour, so that it gets firm.

7. To make Modaks, you will need a modak mould. Oil your hands, before you start making the modaks.

8. Now take the mawa filling and add to the greased modak mould, keeping the centre empty.

9. Add the filling in the middle of the mould.

10. Seal the modak mould, with mawa mixture and then press firmly before unmoulding.

11. Unmould the modak and make the rest of the modaks the same way.

12. You will make approximately 12 to 13 modaks  with this recipe. 

 

 

 

 

Now enjoy these modaks with Bappa. I hope liked my sugar free modak recipe.  Give this recipe a try to please Lord Ganesha. Do not forget to give your valuable feed back in the comments section.

Easy and Simple Blueberry Compote Recipe

  What is Compote ?

Compote is an easy recipe that involves simple fruit mixed with sugars to make a chunky syrup. Compote or compôte is a thick syrupy jam like dessert that originated from medieval Europe. The whole fruits are first cooked in water with sugar and spices to enhance flavours. Then preserved in glass jars and used to top desserts or sweeten breakfast dishes like toast, pancakes waffles etc. Compote is similar to jam and doesn’t take a long time to make.

 

 

When I received a delightful product hamper with the best quality fruit, dry fruit and other condiments from Taste of America, I decided to make a Blueberry Compote with it. You can use fresh or frozen blueberries for this recipe. Sharing a very simple recipe for blueberry compote that just needs four ingredients. 

 

 

 Blueberry Compote Recipe

 

Ingredients

 

1 cup Fresh Blueberries

1/4 cup  sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp cornflour mixed in water

 

 

Method

 

 1. You need to add all the ingredients in a sauce pan and cook on medium heat.

2.  Keep stirring till the sauce thickens. It should reduce to half and coat the spatula. Stir for 3 to five minutes on slow flame. 

3. Then switch off the gas, and let it cool for some time.

4.Store in an air tight jar and keep refrigerated.

 

Watch the YouTube video for pictorial recipe

 

To enjoy pour on cheesecakes, ice cream, pancakes or just lick straight away from the jar. If you wish add maple syrup or honey instead of sugar to this recipe. You can make compote with other berries like strawberries, blackberries, mulberries, raspberries, and jamun too.

 

 

Easy Pear salad with Feta Cheese and walnuts

 Easy Pear salad with Feta Cheese and walnuts 

So the saying goes : When life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade.

I improvised on that saying ..... 

So when life gives you pears, you should make a delicious Pear Salad. 

When I recently visited the Bandra Bazar I noticed an abundance of pears being sold at every street vendor's stall. I got really excited to pick up a bagful of fresh soft juicy pears at a really good price. On  returning home, I wished to make the best recipe with them hence I tried this Pear and Feta Cheese Salad. The secret ingredient that makes it extremely palatable and delicious is Mustard. 

It was light refreshing and extremely delicious. The fresh pears, salad leaves when combined with soft Feta cheese made a  great combination to relish.  

Note the ingredients for the easy Pear  Salad with Feta Cheese and walnuts..

Ingredients 

For the Salad 

1 Bunch lettuce or rocket salad leaves 

2 Sweet & crunchy pears

1 cup crumbled Feta Cheese

 Handful mixed nuts ( walnuts, almonds, Cashew Nuts) 

Pomegranate seeds/Corrinader for garnish (optional) 

For the Dressing

2 tsp honey 

1 tbsp mustard 

1tsp Balsamic vinegar 

1 tsp  Extra virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste 

Juice of half lemon

Method 

1. Roughly chop the lettuce leaves. Also chop the pears into small cubes.

2. Now make the marinade dressing with ingredients and keep aside.

3. Take a large bowl, add the Pear, nuts, lettuce leaves and mix it together lightly.  

4. Add salt, pepper and a dash of lime juice to this. 

5. Keep it in the refrigerator. Just before serving mix in the marinade.

6. Now add the crumbled Feta cheese and toss it lightly. 

7. Garnish With Pomegranate seeds and Corrinader leaves. Serve the salad chilled and fresh.

Trust me it's a refreshing change to your regular salad. You can add cubes of cottage cheese if feta cheese is not available. 

Hope you liked my easy Recipe. If you have any other interesting salad recipe do share it in the comments below. 

Sukhdi or Goud Papdi - Traditional Gujarati Winter Sweet

 Sukhdi or Goud Papdi is a traditional Gujarati sweet which is made up of Wheat flour which is coursely crushed, jaggery & Ghee. 

"Sukhdi" happens to be a winter delicacy, no doubt but can be enjoyed in moderation all throughout the year.  We don't need any occasion or season to grab this desi gujarati sweet.

Like yesterday,  when we visited Ms Meena Parikh's home, she had especially prepared a fresh batch of these tasty treats.

And when I asked her for the recipe she instantly explained the entire recipe in detail. The basic three ingredients remains the same, Wheat flour, Ghee and jaggery. But you can add edible gum, coconut, sesame seeds, almonds, cashews, pistachios etc. 

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup jaggery

1 cup ghee (clarified butter)

1 tsp Cardamom powder (optional) 

Handful of nuts

Method

1. Heat 1 cup of Ghee in a kadhai

2. Now add 2 cups of wheat flour. Add in small portions.

3. Keeping the flame on slow, see that all the flour gets mixed well ensuring no lumps are formed.

4. Now patiently roast it until it changes colour, and the ghee starts getting separated. 

5. You will also get a delicious aroma at the time of Ghee separating. 

6. Here you can add the jaggery,  keep flame on low. 

7. Stir it until it starts melting and becomes smooth. When you notice bubbles forming keep stirring  and combine it properly.

8. After it is completely cooked take it out on a greased  plate and let it cool on room temperature. Remember take a flat surface plate and let the sukhdi set in it. 

9. Cut out the sukhdi into square/diamond shape. Top it with crushed nuts and press on the top. Keep it aside for an hour, allow it to dry completely.

10. Now you can separate the pieces and store in an airtight container. 

 

 

Note

You can add crushed Elaichi powder when it is cooking with jaggery. 

Now enjoy Sukhdi in winters or just any time of the year.

Fruity Ice cubes - New Fun Recipe - Summer Recipe

 Fruity Ice cubes - New Fun Recipe - Summer Recipe 

I decided to try a really cool  recipe this Summers. The heat is exhausting and the warmer days just  has us feeling like numerous trips to the freezer and having those icy drinks. Well, so here I was jazzing up plain water to make these Fruity  icy tap treats - just add fruit to your next round of ice cubes 🌞 in Summers will make all the difference.

 

 

What more? These Fruity ice cubes are extra fun in martinis or sangrias too 🙃 balance, right?

INGREDIENTS

Filtered water

Fruits like 🍓🍊🍋🥝

Orange 

Lime

Mint

Kiwi

Mango

Pomegranate 

METHOD

1. Wash the fruits and chop them into tiny bits; arrange in the ice cube tray.

2. If you’re using mint or any herbs, press them slightly with a knife or spoon to allow them to release their flavor.

3. Now pour the filtered water over the fruit pieces.

4. Freeze for at least 4 hours or until the cubes are set. 

4. You can pour over Club soda, juices, add them to smoothies, lassi or even aerated drinks to enjoy in the Summers.

 

 

 

 

 

Do try out my Fruity Ice cubes to beat the Summer heat. 

Let me know how you liked my recipe.