New Delhi, Jan. 12 -- There's a nice ring to "season's first". Mangoes for sure. Ilish, of course. But living in Mumbai for many years now, I have started liking the season's first undhiyo. I am not a big fan of Gujarati food, but come winter (relax, we don't have one here), I enjoy a well-made undhiyo-a medley of seasonal vegetables-purple yam, sweet potato, papdi or flat beans, small brinjals and fresh green pigeon peas or tuver, to name a few. Cooked with a spicy, oily masala, which includes coconut, chillies and fresh green garlic, I think the hint of sweetness is what feels familiar to my Bengali palate. So when the family sent an invite for a special winter lunch recently, I gave in to the season's first undhiyo.

-Rituparna Roy

On...