Traditional vs Tandoori Undhiyu

For the traditional undhiyu, wash all the vegetables. Slit the baby eggplants, potatoes, sweet potatoes and purple yam halfway without cutting the stems of the eggplant.

Place the all these vegetables over the wet muslin cloth or any clean kitchen cloth. (I used clean and washed pillowcase). Mix together the salt and carom (ajwain) seeds and stuff them in to the slit vegetables.

Place the surti papdi lilva, surti papdi in pods and tuver lilva (pigeon) over another cloth and sprinkle a fair amount of salt and carom seeds.

Bring together edges of the cloth and tie into a potli. Make two separate ones.

Take a big and wide steam pot with water. Turn on the stove and put the steamer basket into the pot. Arrange both cloth potlis on it. (one potli with potatoes and one with lilvas).

Cover the lid on the pot and let it steam for about 45-60 mins.

Check the water level frequently while cooking. Once the potatoes are cooked well, take out all the vegetables from the steam pot and transfer them to a serving plate. Serve them individually with drizzling oil, salt and some green coriander-green garlic chutney and wood apple (kothu) chutney.

Mix and mash all the veggies and chutneys with hand. Garnish with some thin sev .

For the tandoori undhyu, take a mixing bowl. Add oil, tandoori masala, ginger-green chili paste, black pepper powder, lemon juice, carom (ajwain) and salt.

Add all the chopped vegetables and surti papdi in pods.(don't add lilvas ). Mix it all with tandoori masala very well and let it marinate for about 45-60 minutes. After its fully marinated, place all the vegetables in the foil.

Cover the foil properly and place it in the preheated oven. (350 degrees Celsius). Take another foil and add all the lilvas (surti papdi & tuver lilva) on it. Sprinkle some carom(ajwain) seeds and salt on it.

Cover the foil all around and place it in the oven with marinated vegetables. Let them bake for 45-50 or until all the vegetables are baked very well.

Once all vegetables are done, place it all together and serve with coriander(cilantro) green garlic and wood apple chutney.

Mix and mash all the chutneys and tandoori vegetables well. Garnish it with thin sev.