Undhiyu — India

Undhiyu is a mixed-vegetable dish from Gujarat, closely tied to the city of Surat, built from a wide range of winter vegetables cooked slowly together with small dumplings. Its name comes from the Gujarati word undhu, meaning "upside-down", because the dish was cooked buried underground in earthen pots called matlu, fired from above rather than from below; when cooked this way it is sometimes called umbadiyu. Purple yam, sweet potato, eggplant, flat green beans and green banana are combined with muthiya, small dumplings of chickpea flour and fenugreek leaves, and cooked slowly with mustard seeds, turmeric and chile until every vegetable is tender and the flavours have merged. Today the dish is generally cooked in a heavy pot over a stove rather than underground, since the earthen-pot method is slow and requires specific conditions, but the combination of vegetables and dumplings, and the slow, covered cooking, remain its clear identifying traits. It is closely associated with the winter season in Gujarat, when the vegetables it calls for are in season, and it is often prepared in large quantities to share with neighbours and family.