Catch Tripo Jungle’s food walkers enjoying a special winter delicacy. The nature around may have started enjoying the pink cherry blossom of the Spring. But the Tripo Jungle’s food walkers are still living in a chill winter dream. 

“What was so special about winters for them?”  We were thinking the same and hence, we decided to uncover the secret. 

Urvi Zamnjmera led a food walk with 20 food lovers on 31st January to Bodhan, a small village near Kamrej. They all went to experience the green wonder amid the green lush of the outskirts- Ubadiyu. 

Ubadiyu is a special winter delicacy found only in South Gujarat (In between Surat and Vapi, to be precise). As the dish comes from Surat, eating Ubadiyu is not just a one-time experience, it is a winter festivity. It celebrates the green goodness that nature showers mankind with. 

“We had the best Ubadiyu in entire Gujarat and the smoky, spicy taste still lingers on our tongue.”- Urvi Zanjmera, Food Walk Mentor, Trip Jungle.

Foodwalker Testimonial

During winters, you must stay or visit South Gujarat and experience the feast of Umbadiyu at least once. Unlike many, my family and I have been lucky to relish this winter ritual. And I am happy that we experienced this wintersential foodventure with Tripo Jungle.

It was a small, yet memorable trip on the outskirts of Gujarat. We not only had fun while eating umbadiyu but also while preparing it with other food enthusiasts.

Mrs Urvi Zanjmera, our food mentor, informed us about the history and importance of of the dish. Moreover, she also explained the used ingredients and their health benefits.

The traditional dish includes a variety of fresh vegetables like wild green beans, purple yam (kand), pigeon pea (tuver papdi), sweet potato and potato. The spices include salt, pepper, green chilly, ajowan seeds (ajwain) and green garlic.

The ingredients look exciting- But how is it made? 

All the above mentioned seasonal vegetables are marinated with the green chutney and some oil. Then, they are filled in an earthen pot and covered with sugarcane grass and green hay. 

The pot is carefully turned upside down, covered with cow dung and set on fire. Some people even bury the pot underground before setting it on fire to barbeque .It is served with green coconut chutney and chilled buttermilk.

It has a rich, smoky aroma and has a spicy barbequed taste of all the vegetables included.

“So, Is Umbadiyu the same as Undhiyu?” many people ask this. It is natural to get confused but no, Undhiyu is very different from Ubadiyu. 

Undhiyu is a mixed vegetable stew that is cooked in a stainless steel pot. And even though the main ingredients are same, the way of cooking the dish is completely different.

Undhiyu has three mixed tastes- Sweet, spicy and tangy. Whereas the taste of Ubadiyu is constantly spicy.

The texture and aroma of Umbadiyu are barbequed and smoky.Tthe texture and aroma of Undhiyu are stewy and oily. 

Undhiyu is widely cooked in the vicinity of home, on the stove. On the other hand, Ubadiyu is traditionally cooked outdoors and enjoyed in the lap of the nature.

Origin of Ubadiyu

When the Parsis came to India, they brought their culture with them, which includes many delicious dishes. One such dish was Oobanriyo. It was made with the same method-  the only difference- It was filled with eggs, chicken and meat.

The vegetarian Indians wanted to have a similar experience. So, they deducted the meat and kept the greens. Hence, was born the legacy of the Umbadiyo experience.

Food meteors special tip: Notice the green beans (papdi) in the Ubadiyu. It is not the small bean beaned papdi that you generally find in Surat’s  Undiyu. These beans are longer than that, with slightly bigger beans. These are wild green beans that are found only from late November to late February.

Food Trivia

The tribals in the Maharastra has the culture of a similar dish called Popti. 

Instead of wild green beans, it includes flat green beans. Moreover, it also includes meat, chicken and eggs.

It is covered with the regional green leaves, found only in Maharastra.

Initially, the treasure of Ubadiyu was only limited to the tribal areas. But as time passed, it reached out to Suratis. Now, let us remind you- No one in the world admires and enjoys food as a Surati. Many people eat to live. While Suratis live to eat. There is no food culture here because food is culture. When you come to Surat, eat and admire food like a Surati. 

Curious to live the culture of food in Surat. Join us on Trip Jungle food walk with fellow Suratis next time and experience the Food Drive yourself.

About Urvi Zanjmera

Urvi is a food walk mentor with Tripo Jungle. 

Her mission is to bring the traditional, authentic and lost recipes to light and inspire people to embrace their roots through food. Since the beginning of her career, she has shared space with many world-renowned chefs to explore, experience and share the magic of the varied food culture across the world. You can follow and see her work at @my_food_my_way on Instagram