Anjum Anand’s Autumnal Vegetables Cooked with Herbs and Coconut is a delicious slow-cooked treat from northeast India
Anjum Anand’s Autumnal Vegetables Cooked with Herbs and Coconut
The northwest Indian state of Gujarat is known for its amazing snacks. My favourites are dhokla, feather-light steamed savoury sponges; khandvi, delicate spirals of pasta-like dough flavoured with mustard seeds and curry leaves; and the great British favourite, onion bhaji. But it has much more to offer, and at this time of year many Gujaratis will crave Undhiyo, a wintry dish of slow-cooked root vegetables flavoured with herbs, spices and coconut. It was a one-pot dish traditionally cooked over coals in the garden. The spice paste would be stuffed into gashes in the vegetables so its flavours could penetrate them The vegetables were then layered in the pot, with those that took longest to cook closest to the heat. The pot was sealed and everything cooked in slow, steamy unison into a yielding mass.
Thankfully, the dish makes a smooth transit to the modern stove-top and works just as well with English autumnal vegetables. It is normally paired with savoury gram-flour dumplings but to keep things simple I often accompany it with basmati rice and naan.
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
5 tbsp vegetable oil
1/8 tsp asafoetida
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 medium-large potato, peeled and cut into 1in chunks
4 small aubergines, slit through the middle
2 handfuls of chickpeas
1 medium-large parsnip, peeled and cut crosswise into ¾ in discs
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1in chunks
For the paste: 40g fresh coriander, washed and chopped, leaves and stalks
2 rounded tsp coriander powder
1¼ tsp cumin powder
1-2 green chillies, de-seeded
¾ tsp carom seeds
70g finely grated fresh/frozen coconut (you will find frozen coconut in the freezer compartments in Asian stores), plus extra to garnish
20g ginger, peeled
2 fat cloves garlic, peeled
4 tsp lemon juice
1½-2 tsp salt or to taste
1 tbsp sugar
1 rounded tbsp roasted peanuts, powdered (to help to bind the gravy)
Method
For the paste, use a hand-blender or pestle and mortar to make a fine purée of the ginger, garlic, chillies and lemon juice. Add a splash of water if necessary. Add coriander (reserving a little for garnish) and pulse to shred finely (or chop if you don’t have a blender). Stir in remaining ingredients, taste and season.
Heat oil in a large non-stick pan. Add asafoetida and fry for 20 seconds. Add mustard seeds and, once they splutter, add paste. Give a stir and cook for 5 minutes over a medium flame. Stir in all vegetables except beans. Add 200ml water, bring to the boil, cover and cook over a gentle flame, giving occasional stirs. Once vegetables are just soft (18-20 minutes), stir in chickpeas. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with fresh coconut and coriander.
Anjum Anand’s Autumnal Vegetables Cooked with Herbs and Coconut
The northwest Indian state of Gujarat is known for its amazing snacks. My favourites are dhokla, feather-light steamed savoury sponges; khandvi, delicate spirals of pasta-like dough flavoured with mustard seeds and curry leaves; and the great British favourite, onion bhaji. But it has much more to offer, and at this time of year many Gujaratis will crave Undhiyo, a wintry dish of slow-cooked root vegetables flavoured with herbs, spices and coconut. It was a one-pot dish traditionally cooked over coals in the garden. The spice paste would be stuffed into gashes in the vegetables so its flavours could penetrate them The vegetables were then layered in the pot, with those that took longest to cook closest to the heat. The pot was sealed and everything cooked in slow, steamy unison into a yielding mass.
Thankfully, the dish makes a smooth transit to the modern stove-top and works just as well with English autumnal vegetables. It is normally paired with savoury gram-flour dumplings but to keep things simple I often accompany it with basmati rice and naan.
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
5 tbsp vegetable oil
1/8 tsp asafoetida
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 medium-large potato, peeled and cut into 1in chunks
4 small aubergines, slit through the middle
2 handfuls of chickpeas
1 medium-large parsnip, peeled and cut crosswise into ¾ in discs
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1in chunks
For the paste: 40g fresh coriander, washed and chopped, leaves and stalks
2 rounded tsp coriander powder
1¼ tsp cumin powder
1-2 green chillies, de-seeded
¾ tsp carom seeds
70g finely grated fresh/frozen coconut (you will find frozen coconut in the freezer compartments in Asian stores), plus extra to garnish
20g ginger, peeled
2 fat cloves garlic, peeled
4 tsp lemon juice
1½-2 tsp salt or to taste
1 tbsp sugar
1 rounded tbsp roasted peanuts, powdered (to help to bind the gravy)
Method
For the paste, use a hand-blender or pestle and mortar to make a fine purée of the ginger, garlic, chillies and lemon juice. Add a splash of water if necessary. Add coriander (reserving a little for garnish) and pulse to shred finely (or chop if you don’t have a blender). Stir in remaining ingredients, taste and season.
Heat oil in a large non-stick pan. Add asafoetida and fry for 20 seconds. Add mustard seeds and, once they splutter, add paste. Give a stir and cook for 5 minutes over a medium flame. Stir in all vegetables except beans. Add 200ml water, bring to the boil, cover and cook over a gentle flame, giving occasional stirs. Once vegetables are just soft (18-20 minutes), stir in chickpeas. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with fresh coconut and coriander.
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