Instant Pot Undhiyu

A blend of winter special vegetables, dumplings and Indian spices; this Gujarati Instant Pot Undhiyu is a colorful and tasty side for roti or puri.

This Instant pot version is easy to make without compromising on the taste! 

Indian cuisine is full of delicious curries. There are some regional favorites and some that have mass appeal. From Paneer Butter Masala and Bhindi Masala that are famous all over the country to the more specific Paatra nu Shaak and Farali Aloo; we love them all.

These mains pair wonderfully with flatbreads, rice, salads and papad. These make a great meal.

When it comes to curries, there are some that start as a more concentrated ones and slowly get popular. Gujarati cuisine as a whole is like that. It started as a specific cuisine to a state and now it is amazing to see how it has spread its wings across the globe.

It is really amazing that the recipes we once enjoyed as a family are now enjoyed in popular restaurants, chains, weddings etc. And Undhiyu is undoubtedly one such recipe.

Jump to:

• What is Undhiyu
• Using the Instant Pot
• Why this recipe works
• Ingredients and Substitutions
• How to make this recipe
• To make the recipe in a Pressure Cooker
• Storing and Serving
• Expert Tips and Notes
• Types of Undhiyu
• Recipe FAQs
• More Gujarati Recipes to try
• Instant Pot Undhiyu

What is Undhiyu

A peculiar Gujarati recipe that is popular in the community in various forms is 'Undhiyu'. The undisputed king of Gujarati cuisine this one is above the popular Dhokla, Khandvi and Thepla for sure.

This green masala based curry is a blend of earthy vegetables, flavorful greens and muthiyas (flour dumplings) is a keeper. It is a time consuming process but the end result is delicious and lip smacking.

Contrary to the popular curries, this one does not use traditional ingredients. There are no tomatoes or onions in the recipe. Simply a flavorful blend of cilantro, lots of garlic and green chili to make a delicious base.

While this recipe does have an exhaustive list of ingredients; some are easy to leave out if not available. However, certain ingredients make the recipe what it is; so so not skip them.

Served with roti, steamed rice or simply by itself through winters, this one is popular for winter weddings. And a star for Sankranti (kite flying) along with Til Chikki and Ponk.

Every family has their own version if Undhiyu. This recipe is the one I have been taught by my grandma. Except cooking in the instant pot; the entire recipe is what we have had for years. She was renowned for her undhiyu and I am so happy to have had documented this recipe years ago when I was not even into blogging.

Using the Instant Pot

There are several ways to make this popular vegetable. From the most traditional way of making it in a clay pot under the ground to the more common dutch oven method or a large pan.

And when it comes to an 'easier' way to make this tedious recipe, the Instant pot steps in. A lot of folks have been making their Undhiyu using a pressure cooker. Similar in concept, we can make Instant Pot Undhiyu too.

Moreover, the instant pot is deep and not excessively broad; making it perfect to layer the ingredients as we should while making this.

Why this recipe works

• This is an easy way to make a traditional recipe in the instant pot.
• This mix of vegetables, muthiyas and greens is a super rich sabji that is delicious.
• Undhiyu is naturally Vegan.
• Substitute flour in muthiya to make it gluten-free too.
• While it is great to have all the vegetables, the recipe works with less vegetables too.
• Half the preparation like making the green masala, cleaning the greens etc. can be done ahead of time.
• The recipe has only 4 minutes of cook time.
• Instant pot undhiyu is great to make and store. It can be frozen for months too.
• Undhiyu is great to serve with roti, rice or simply with a spoon.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Green Masala: The heart of the vegetable is this green masala. We add heaps of garlic, ginger, green chili and cilantro. Adding green garlic is a great idea too. Moreover, we add carom seeds, sesame seeds, cumin seeds and asafetida. Along with that we add shredded coconut too.
• Muthiya: We add dumplings made with whole fenugreek leaves, wheat flour and spices. These are unique to the recipe and so I would not recommend skipping them. Traditionally we use fried muthiyas in undhiyu. However, we can shallow fry them as I do in this recipe.
• Root Vegetables: Undhiyu uses a blend of root vegetables. A mix of baby potatoes, purple yam, sweet potatoes and yam are great for the recipe. Clean and peel the root vegetables before using. Pick and choose the ones you enjoy most.
• Beans: Mixed green beans are signature to the recipe. We use Surti Papdi, tuvar dana, val papdi and papdi dana in the recipe. However, they can all be used or in a combination depending on availability.
• Other Vegetables: We also add baby eggplants, fenugreek leaves and coconut in the recipe.
• Spices: The recipe calls for whole spices like cumin seeds, mustard seeds, sesame seeds, asafetida and carom seeds. We also add sugar and salt to the recipe for taste. Additionally, a pinch of baking soda is used to make sure all the vegetables cook well.

See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.

How to make this recipe

1- In a food processor add these.

• ¾ cup garlic cloves
• ⅓ cup ginger
• 5-6 green chili
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp asafetida

2- Blend to a coarse paste.

3- Add 1 cup cilantro leaves and stalks.

4- Blend using water (if required) to a coarse mix. Mix in ¼ cup shredded coconut and set aside.

5- Add all the ingredients under Muthiya to a bowl.

• 1 cup Wheat Flour
• ¼ cup Chickpea Flour
• 1 cup Fenugreek Leaves (chopped)
• ¼ tsp Ginger Chilli Paste
• ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1½ tsp Vegetable Oil
• 1 tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Sugar

Mix everything well and make small balls. Heat ¼ cup oil in a pan and add these muthiyas once the oil is hot.

6- Shallow fry for 4-5 minutes, and remove. Reserve the oil to use.

7- Add the same oil to the base of the Instant Pot. Set mode to 'Sauté' and normal.

8- Once hot, add these and let them pop.

• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp asafetida

9- Then add in half the green masala that we prepared.

10- Mix well and top it with 1 cup Tuvar beans and 1 cup Surati Papdi.

11- Add in the 1 cup valor and mix everything well so the green masala coats it all.

12- Then layer 10-12 Baby Potatoes (peeled) and 1 medium Sweet Potato (peeled and diced).

13- Follow this with 1 medium Purple Yam (peeled and diced) and 1 medium White Yam (peeled and diced).

14- Add the remaining green masala and ½ cup fenugreek leaves.

15- Add the remaining shredded coconut on top.

16- Layer the 4-5 baby eggplants and muthiyas. Add ½ cup water, 1½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon sugar and ½ teaspoon baking soda.

17- Close the lid. Press 'Cancel' and pressure cook on low pressure for 4 minutes. Move the vent to sealing and let the cooking cycle finish. Once the cooking is done, do a quick release and open the Instant Pot.

18- Mix everything well, top with more shredded cilantro and coconut. Serve this instant pot undhiyu with your choice of flatbreads like roti, puri or by itself.

To make the recipe in a Pressure Cooker

To make Undhiyu in the pressure cooker, the steps remain same.

Simply start by tempering the spices in the base of the pressure cooker and start layering the vegetables.

Close the lid and pressure cooker for 2 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally and then open the pressure cooker. Mix well and enjoy topped with cilantro and coconut.

Storing and Serving

Undhiyu can be enjoyed straight out of the instant pot. Simply serve hot with roti or puri and some aamras.

However, the spices and flavors often become better as the undhiyu stands. Simply bring the undhiyu to room temperature and transfer to containers. Refrigerate till ready to serve. Warm through before serving.

Instant Pot Undhiyu can be frozen too. To do so, cool and transfer into small containers enough for each serving. Freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw or simply warm up in the microwave before serving.

Expert Tips and Notes

• Peel the potatoes and yams before hand if you like. Simply dip them in cold water to keep from turning brown.
• Use green garlic for the best flavor. However, regular garlic works too.
• The same recipe can be made in the pressure cooker too.
• Do not overcook the undhiyu. It will simply turn into a mush.
• Handle the undhiyu with a lot of care. The spatula you use should not mash up the vegetables. They should be easy to identify.
• Do not skimp on the oil or water. Oil makes everything flavorful and the water does ensure we do not get a 'burn' warning on the instant pot.
• Let the vegetables be slightly big in size. Making them super small will definitely mush them as the greens cook.
• Fresh vegetables make the best undhiyu. However use frozen vegetables if fresh are not available.

Types of Undhiyu

While the word Undhiyu is more like a dish from Gujarat; there are variations within Gujarat too. Based on which region the undhiyu is from or based on the cooking style, undhiyu can be classified into these types.

• Surti Undhiyu: As the name suggests, this one is from Surat, a city in Gujarat. Made with green masala and no red chili or tomatoes, this is often called Leelu Undhiyu meaning 'green undhiyu'. This is the recipe we have here.
• Kathiyawadi Undhiyu: A different kind of undhiyu from the Surati version, this is deep red in color and far spicier. Popular in the Kathiyawad region. Made with fried chunks of vegetables, it is often served with roti or bajri rotla.
• Umbadiyu: Similar to undhiyu, umbadiyu is also a mix of vegetables and spices from Valsad. It is made in an earthen pot using twigs to cook it under the ground. A rustic recipe, this is quite aromatic and flavorful.
• Jain Undhiyu: As the name suggests, we do not use garlic and potatoes in this recipe. Instead I like to use raw bananas, bottle gourd and green peas to make up for the lack of tubers.
• Chapdi Undhiyu: From Rajkot, this variation has wheat flour rounds dunked in a spicy red curry made with vegetables in a tomato onion based gravy. This is rather different from the other types of Undhiyu but delicious nevertheless.

Recipe FAQs

More Gujarati Recipes to try