National Undhiyu Day in India Date in the current year: January 14, 2024

Undhiyu originates from the city of Surat, the commercial and economic center in South Gujarat, which is famous for its unique cuisine. There’s even a popular Gujarati saying that goes: “Eat in Surat and die in Kashi for the ultimate experience of the soul.”

The name of the dish is derived from the word “undhu”, which can be translated from Gujarati as “upside down”. It refers to the traditional cooking method of undhiyu: the dish is made in earthen pots named “matu”, which are placed in the ground and a fire is made above them. As a result, undhiyu is literally cooked upside down.

Undhiyu is a seasonal dish made from the vegetables that are widely available in South Gujarat in winter. Its most common ingredients include green beans or green peas in a pod, baby eggplants, unripe bananas and/or plantain, purple yam, potatoes, and muthia (fritters or dumplings made with spiced gram flour and fenugreek leaves). Vegetables are spiced with dry green curry paste that typically includes green chili pepper, cilantro, garlic, ginger, sugar, and sometimes also freshly grated coconut.

Of course, very few people cook undhiyu traditionally these days. Today, the most common way to cook undhiyu is to coat vegetables with curry paste and some oil, add a little water, and slow cook them for a long time, stirring infrequently. The finished dish should be dry, and crisp vegetables should remain a little crunchy. To make sure that none of the vegetables are overcooked, ingredients are usually added starting with the ones that take the longest to cook (yams, potatoes, eggplant) and finishing with beans/peas and ripe plantain. Before serving, undhiyu is garnished with lemon or lime juice and chopped cilantro.

There’s a variation of undhiyu called surti undhiyu, which is usually served with puri (deep-fried unleavened bread) at weddings and other big occasions. Red lentils are the main ingredient in surti undhiyu; it is seasoned with a mild sauce containing various spices, palm sugar and grated coconut. The finished dish is garnished with toasted grated coconut and chopped peanuts, and served with a side of rice.

Even if you don’t leave in Gujarat (or India in general), you can observe National Undhiyu Day to celebrate Indian cuisine. Why not try cooking undhiyu yourself? There are plenty of recipes online, and if you have a multicooker, it will be very easy to cook!