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COME DECEMBER, and Mumbai's Bhavna Doshi gets busy. She knows that soon she will be inundated with orders for undhiyu and ponkh wada. And that is just the tip of the iceberg during the winters, pun unintended.
She recalls growing up watching her mother make bajra nu rotla for breakfast once there was a nip in the air. “It is also when the jowar stalks (are) bursting with pearls of the millet. As kids, we would romp around the farms in Surat, plucking the green seeds and chomp on them while playing around,” she recalls.
Now, living in the suburbs of India's most bustling metropolis, these memories are what keep her warm during the limited winter days in the city. Along with preparing an array of Gujarati winter dishes like Surti undhiyu, ponkh chaat and vada and makki na dhokla, she is reliving a bit of a generation gone by.
Vadodara-based Shweta Parikh notes that winter has a special place in the Gujarati culinary landscape. This is the time when the ladies of the house use various warmth-inducing ingredients like barley, millets, jaggery, fresh garlic and turmeric to come up with dishes that can either demand a mainstay on the meal thali or something that their families can enjoy through the year. The fresh haldh nu achaar or a pickle of fresh turmeric shoots, for instance, is the perfect accompaniment for a better part of the year, making meals healthy and scrumptious.
Most people don't know that winter delicacies prepared in Gujarat have their own regional specialties. Kathiawadi and Kutchi food use red chilli powder to give the cuisine a spicy turn, while people in Surat use fresh green chilli for spice.
This is also when local markets look brighter, courtesy of freshly plucked vegetables. And trust the Gujarati community to come up with ingenious ways to use these for their winter delicacies, like the ones below:
Undhiyu
Most people presume that this dish can be traced to Surat since it is often called Surti undhiyu. Made with winter vegetables like brinjal, potato, raw banana, fresh tuvar beans (green pigeon peas or lilva as the locals call it) along with ground coconut and peanut paste, undhiyu has many variants.
The difference between the preparation in Surti and Kathiawadi undhiyu is very fine—it has to do with the levels of spiciness. In the Matla undhiyu, which is very popular in South Gujarat, the vegetables and chickpea flour dumplings are traditionally steam cooked in an upside-down clay pot to give it a smoky flavour.
Ponkh
Simply put, ponkh is fresh jowar that is yet to ripen. While many eat it raw, it can be roasted slightly over smouldering ashes and then added to dishes, including ponkh patties or vadas. It can also make an appearance in the midday meal, where it can be relished as a salad or bhel after being tossed with lime juice, salt and pepper.
Umbadiyo
If you're ever cruising down the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway during the winter months, keep an eye out for a special treat called umbadiyu. This vibrant dish is packed with all sorts of veggies like yam, potatoes, brinjal and sweet potatoes along with some fancy-sounding greens like Indian nettle and black honey shrub.
But here's the catch: making umbadiyu is no joke. It takes a ton of prep work and patience, with the right sprinkling of black salt, green chillies, ginger and garlic, layering the vegetables in a clay pot and then cooking it over cow dung cakes and sugarcane waste as fuel. Parikh recalls how this rustic dish was served as the go-to accompaniment with dal khichdi, since it had the perfect balance of spicy, dry and smoky flavour.
Makki Na Dhokla
Corn or makai is the hero of all winter vegetables one can find in Gujarat. So, it is unsurprising to find it in every breakfast, lunch or dinner tableau. A famous breakfast or evening snack variant is the makai na dhokla, a light and healthy snack that's a breeze to whip up. All one needs is the easily available corn kernels and corn dalia, which add a delightful taste and texture.
The best part? No need for any fancy prep — it's instant! Just grab some everyday ingredients, and you're good to go. Can't find corn dalia? No worries, regular wheat dalia or semolina works like a charm. Your snack game’s strong with this easy and delicious treat!
Bajra Rotla
Bajra, or pearl millet, isn't just tasty — it's a nutrient powerhouse that can ward off chronic diseases. In a world where unhealthy carb-loaded, sugary, and fatty foods are on the rise, folks struggle to get quality protein, fibre, and essential nutrients in their diet.
Don't let the 'poor people's food' tag fool you — during the winter months, bajra winds its way into rotis, khichdi and fried puris. While bajran a rotla straight from the stove, especially with butter and jaggery, is a winter delight in Gujarat, especially when served with green chilli pickle, lasoon nu chutney or tomato-onion-cucumber raita, many households also make Bajra Chamchamiya and Debdi. Yum alert!
Hara Garlic
Green garlic is the cool kid in Gujarat's winter food scene! It is basically young garlic shoots picked before they get all grown-up. What's cool is you eat the whole shebang — green stalks and the not-so-mature bulbs.
Unlike the tart-flavoured regular garlic, this one is like the subtle cousin. Every Gujarat kitchen's BFF, the fresh green garlic jazzes up rotlas, veggies and even the mighty undhiyu. Oh, and they even pickle it! Chopped green garlic and its buds join the party in a spice fest. Year-round awesomeness in a jar. Spice up your dishes with this winter rockstar!
Lilva Kachori
It is easy to confuse this dish with a samosa. However, lilva kachori or fresh green pigeon peas give the deep-fried dumplings an unusual twist. "This is because while one can have samosas with potato filling all year through, one can enjoy lilva kachori with the green tuvar filling only during the winters," Parikh explained. "In any Gujarati household, this snack is served at least once during the winter season."
