Oondhiya

"Eat Indian food and curry on." (~Internet)


Oh yes, we "curry on" splendidly wherever or whatever.  I was brought up on a mixed diet of various Indian foods, Chinese and Continental fare but Indian remains the main basic. I do fusion foods with fusion at a lesser or greater degree, but desi Indian grub remains my favorite. Actually a curry (any curry veg or non-veg) and rice diet or just a simple rice, dry vegetable and yoghurt meal does just as well for me.

Today I am sharing a dish called Oondhiya also spelled as Undhiya. It is a Gujarati food which I ate for the first time at my friend Meena's place. I liked it enough to incorporate it in our home recipes. Of course there are some differences in what Meena makes in relation to quantity of spices, as both of us don't measure out spices. We just go by what our 'hand' says! Approximate measures. So I make it the way I know my family likes it. In that way it is a bit different I suppose in intensity of spices. But the ingredients and method of cooking are all picked up from her.

So here goes...



Ingredients

For oondhiya masala

Coriander seeds......................8 tsps (I had coarsely ground coriander, so I used 7 level tsps)
Turmeric.................................1 tsp
Aamchur (dry mango pwdr)......31/2 level tsps or acc to taste. You could use lemon juice instead of aamchur. I prefer the former though.
Sesame seeds...........................3 level tsps
Dessicated coconut..................6 tsps
Peanuts (raw, unsalted)...........3 tbsps
Red Chilli pwdr.......................1/1/2 tsps, or acc to taste
Garam masala.........................1/2 tsp
Garlic.....................................3-4 cloves
Jaggery...................................4 tbsps, or acc to taste
Kasuri methi...........................1 tsp (dried fenugreek leaves)
Salt to taste
Peanut oil/any oil....................1-2 tbsps
Green coriander......................a small handful, chopped

In a mixer, grind coarsely, all the ingredients except oil and green coriander.
Check for salt, aamchur, chilli and jaggery. If it's all fine, remove from mixer container and add the oil and the green coriander. Mix well.







Vegetables

Brinjal/aubergine...................7-8 small ones or 5 bigger ones (the long variety)
Potatoes................................7-8 small ones or 4-5 medium ones, halved horizontally
Sweet potato..........................as desired
Green peas............................a generous handful
Oil

For tempering [chonk]
Ajwain...................................2-3 small pinches
Asafoetida (hing)....................2 pinches
Ghee......................................2 tbsps unmelted or 3tbsps melted

(You can also use green bananas, beans, rataloo, aka purple yam/ubi)

Note: If you don't have small aubergines or potatoes use big ones. Cut them either into halves horizontally or into three thick roundels if they are bigger. Here, we don't always get small potatoes or aubergines so I make use of the bigger vegetables in this way.

Slit the vegetables at the top in a 'cross.' Push in the ground masala. Stuff in as much as possible. Retain what is left to use later.

You can see how I have cut bigger potatoes, sweet potatoes and aubergines and stuffed them.
Heat about 3-4 tbsps of oil in a large, flat bottom non stick pan. Add the hing and ajwain.
Now put in the potatoes and sweet potatoes first. Lower heat to minimum, cover and cook. Turn them around two or three times. When they are 3/4 done, move the potatoes as much to the side as possible, and place the brinjals in the pan. Put in the peas too. sprinkle the left over ground masala over the vegetables. Cover and continue cooking on low heat. When it's done add the muthias. Gently mix the veggies with a flat spoon in a lift and turn. Now heat 2-3 tbsps of ghee and pour over the vegetables.

Undhiya made with small brinjals, potatoes (left) & big ones (right)

For the muthia

Besan (black chickpea flour)....2 parts
Sooji (semolina)......................1 part
Oil..........................................a little for moyn
Kasuri methi...........................a couple of pinches to a total of 3 teacups of flour
Turmeric.................................1/5 tsp
Red chilli................................acc to taste
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Sift the besan, to remove lumps if any. Add the suji, mix well.
Add salt, turmeric, chilli pwdr, kasuri methi and mix again.
Now for the moyn. Pour in a little oil, little at a time, and keep mixing it in. When the flour looks like coarse bread crumbs, and can be formed into a ball in your fist, moyn is right.
Now add 2-3 tbsps of water and knead. Add another tbsp or more if required. The dough should be smooth, not too stiff neither too soft. It should come off the container cleanly.
Form into a roll. Break off a small bit and press it in your fist to form a muthia.
Heat some oil in a pan and deep fry the muthias.

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