How many calories does one serving of Oondhiya have?

One serving of Oondhiya gives 645 calories. Out of which carbohydrates comprise 249 calories, proteins account for 46 calories and remaining calories come from fat which is 349 calories.  One serving of Oondhiya provides about 32 percent of the total daily calorie requirement of a standard adult diet of 2,000 calories.

Click here to view. Oondhiya Recipe. Oondhiya is a classic Gujarati vegetable from the city of Surat and hence also called Surti undhiyu. Oondhiya is a preparation of vegetables and fenugreek muthias cooked in an aromatic blend of spices. A traditional undhiyu recipe requires hours on end to make. Here, we have presented a faster version using a pressure cooker that also uses less oil.

Undhiyu is a one pot vegetable dish that is the hallmark of Gujarati vegetarian cuisine. Generally preparing undhiyu takes a lot of time and needs patience. Traditionally the veggies are cooked or fried in batches. There are usually three versions of Undhiyu, matla undhiyu, Kathiyawadi undhiyu and the version we have made which is surti undhiyu.

Undhiyu is specially made in winter as some veggies used for making are only available in winter. My mother would make undhiyu for special occasions and also family get-togethers along with poori’s and aamras. Being a Gujarati I grew up with Undhiyu as special dish for which we has to wait all year long until the winters started and we would still just get to enjoy this vegetable for 2-3 months, but now-a-days everything is easily available. Every Gujarati household makes Undhiyu for Sunday lunch or festival like Uttarayan when the vegetables are in season.

The dish is a seasonal one, comprising the vegetables that are available during the winter, including green beans or new peas, small eggplants, muthia (dumplings/fritters made with fenugreek leaves, potatoes, and purple yam, yam. You can also add green peas if you wish to.

Ingredients of undhiyu are now available all year but are very expensive in the off season and the quality of the vegetables are not very good.

Is Oondhiya healthy?

No, but with some chnages you can have it. Oondhiya is made of 3 parts. Muthia + Other Ingredients + Coriander coconut masala. The main ingredients of muthia  are meth , whole wheat flour, besan, sugar. Other ingredietnts are baby potatoes, raw bananas, brinjal, surti papdi, kand, toovar dal. The masala has coriander, coconut, green garlic and other spices.

Let's understand the ingredients.

What's good.

1. Methi (fenugreek leaves) : Methi leaves are low in calorie, powerful antioxidant and cures mouth ulcers. Fenugreek leaves help in improving glucose and insulin responses, hence good for diabetics. The levels of cholesterol also reduced with intakes of fenugreek leaves. Rich in Vitamin K which is good for bone metabolism. See all benefits of methi leaves here. Beetroot : Beetroot is low in calorie, storehouse of antioxidants which help fight free radicals. It also aids in detoxification, and helps lower bad cholesterol (LDL) levels.

2. Coriander (kothmir, dhania) : The antioxidants vitamin A, vitamin C and the quercetin present in coriander works towards strengthening our immune system. Coriander is a fairly good source of iron and folate – the 2 nutrient which help in the production and maintenance of red blood cells in our blood. Good for reducing cholesterol and for diabetics. Read 9 benefits of coriander to understand details. 

3. Coconut : The fresh coconut has saturated fats but most of it is MCT (Medium Chain Triglycerides) which promote weight loss. The high fibre content 13.6 gm (45.3% of RDA) along with high lauric acid content of coconut improves cholesterol levels in the body. Improving the action of insulin secretion and lowering the raised blood sugar levels is yet another benefit of coconut for Diabetics. See here for 10 amazing benefits of coconut.  

4. Whole Wheat flour : Whole wheat flour is excellent for diabetics as they will not shoot up your blood sugar levels as they are a low GI food.  Whole wheat flour is rich in Phosphorus which is a major mineral which works closely with calcium to build our bones. Vitamin B9 helps your body to produce and maintain new cells, especially increase red blood cells. See detailed benefits of whole wheat flour and why it's good for you.

5. Besan : Besan has more good fat than whole wheat flour and also higher protein content. Rich in complex carbohydrates and with a low glycemic index, besan is good for diabetics too. Besan is high in Folate or folic acid, which is important for rapid growth and multiplication of red blood cells and WBC’s in the bone marrow. See detailed benefits of besan and why it's good for you. 

What's the problem?

1. Kand (Purple Yam) : The antioxidant anthocyanin is the key element which will help fight the free radicals produced due to stress and pollution. Again it’s the anthocyanin which is identified as an anti-cancer agent. It helps in the prevention of cancerous cells.  Purple yam is  fairly good source of carb, almost equal to potatoes, it would be best for diabetics to restrict its use. Fiber will bind cholesterol, while potassium will balance the effect of sodium and ease the nerves. However, kand also lends some carbs with it. So if you are overweight or diabetic along with exhibiting heart trouble, try and restrict its consumption. Read details is kand healthy?

2. Deep fried foods : This muthai is deep fried. Any food that is deep fried is not suitable for healthy living. Your fat levels increase as deep frying increases oil absorption. Also when you use the same oil again for deep frying then smoking point decreases which leads to the development of blue smoke which is not good for health. It also increases inflammation in the body and shuts down the fat burning process.

Excess oil and sugar usage.

Can diabetics, heart patients and over weight individuals have Oondhiya ?

Yes, BUT with some changes. The muthias in this recipe are deep fried. But you can substitute it with baked methi muthai recipe. Then drop the potatoes and restrict the usage of purple yam in the recipe and maybe you can then enjoy in small amounts. 

Can healthy individuals have Oondhiya?

Yes, but in small amounts and avoid deep fried muthias and instead used baked muthia. 

8 Pointers to get healthy on a Indian diet

1. Eat healthy and say yes to good home cooked food. Prefer whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, buckwheat, barley and healthy flours like bajra flour, jowar flour, quinoa flour, wheat flour etc. rather than refined ones like maida. Have healthy Indian fats like ghee, coconut, coconut oil in your diet.

2. Opt out of junk food, packaged food, deep fried foods. Prefer steamed snacks and other non-fried snacks. Check out some Healthy Indian Snacks. Remember to eat small frequent meals through the day as that will keep you always full and prevent your blood sugar from dropping. By starving your body through some diet, will not help you one bit. In fact, dieting will make you binge on 2 to 3 meals which is not good. 

3. Have 4 to 5 servings of vegetables and 2 to 3 servings of fruit is a must. Follow the logic of a vegetable in each main meal of the day and a fruit in-between meals. Check out a few Healthy Indian Soups and Healthy Indian Salads  recipes using this food group.           

4. Cut down on sugar and salt in your diet and pick honey ( very small amounts) or dates to sweeten your food. Slowly cut the sugar habit as this is not going to happen over night. Sugar  is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat. This leads to diabetes and further onwards to heart attack, high blood pressure, strokes, impotence and kidney damage. 

Salt and blood pressure. Apart from stress and obesity, one of the main reasons for high blood pressure is excessive sodium and salt intake. Most people find it difficult to limit the amount of salt in their cooking, thinking it will affect the taste of their favourite dishes. 

This is not true. Bajra and jowar are rich in potassium and critical for those with High Blood Pressure as it lessens the impact of sodium. Eating more Potassium Rich Foods will remove more sodium from your body through urine. So include the basic bajra roti and jowar roti in your daily diet to have with Lower Blood Pressure Subzis Recipes. 

5. Befriend a few healthy seeds and nuts like chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts and almonds. 

6.  Sprouts are called ‘living food’. They are high is most nutrients and easy to digest as well. Let them feature in your meals at least thrice a week. Also Read : All Benefits about Sprouts. 

7.  Exercise 45 minutes every day. No excuse. You can walk fast, run, do weights, play your favourite sport or go to the gym.

8.  Sleep early and get up early. Get your body into rhythm and it will function best. Sleep helps your body to recover.

Oondhiya is high in

1. Protein : Protein is required for the managing the wear and tear of all cells of the body. 

2. Folic Acid : Folic acid is an essential vitamin required throughout pregnancy.

3. Vitamin C :  Vitamin C is a great defence against coughs and colds.

4. Calcium : Calcium  is a mineral that makes bones stay strong. Required from kids to adults.

5. Magnesium : Magnesium is required for formation of bones and teeth. helps in the metabolism of calcium and potassium.

6. Phosphorous : Phosphorous works closely with calcium to build bones. 

7. Vitamin B1 : Vitamin B1 protects nerves, helps in carbohydrate metabolism, prevents heart diseases and helps produce red blood cells. 

8. Vitamin A : Vitamin A is crucial for healthy vision, cell growth and healthy skin. 

9. Fiber : Dietary fiber reduce the risk of heart disease, prevent the spike in blood sugar levels and hence super for diabetics. Consume more fruits, vegetables, moong, oats, matki, whole grains.

10. Iron : Iron is essential in the chemical reactions that produce energy from foods. Eat more greens and garden cress seeds to prevent you from being anaemic. Here are the top 7 sources of iron rich foods. 

11. Vitamin B3 (niacin) : Vitamin B3 helps in brain functioning and mental health. Also healthy skin formation.  

Note : a recipe is deemed high in a Vitamin or mineral if it meets 20% and above the recommended daily allowance based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

How to burn 645 calories that come from Oondhiya?

Walking (6 kmph) = 3hr 14 mins

Running (11 kmph) = 1hr 5 mins

Cycling (30 kmph) = 1hr 26 mins       

Swimming (2 kmph) = 1hr 51 mins

Note: These values are approximate and calorie burning differs in each individual.