Crisp outside and perfectly soft inside, Dudhi Muthiya is a popular Gujarati snack or appetizer.
Twice cooked dumplings; these are made using wheat flour, grated bottle gourd and a handful of Indian spices.
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My fondest memories of muthiya is from my childhood. My grandma used to make a super big lot of steamed muthiyas and then temper them and crisp them up in a traditional cast iron pan.
Tea time snacks are a BIG part of our family. When everyone is together for the weekend or for an event or occasion, the 4 p.m. tea is accompanied with something delicious.
It can be something like pakoras, muthiya, fried masala puris, upma or poha. It is enjoyed with piping hot Masala Chai. So till date my favorite way to enjoy these muthiyas is with tea.
What is Muthiya?
An easy to make Indian snack, Muthiya can be of various kinds based on the ingredients used.
They can be steamed and then tempered with spices in hot oil or can be fried and eaten as is.
The word Muthiya is derived from the gujarati word Muthi; which means fist. These are generally shaped in thick log form using the fist. They can be shaped differently when using them for a different purpose.
A mix of flours, shredded bottle gourd and spices make this recipe. It is slightly sweet from the added sugar, spicy with all the masalas and salty.
Once the muthiya are steamed and pan fried, they become deliciously crisp on the outside while remaining soft within. This is a characteristic of the recipe and makes them a great non-fried option for snacks or as an appetizer.
Video Recipe
Ingredients
Flours: I have used a majority of wheat flour with some semolina and chickpea flour. The same recipe can be made with just wheat flour too.
Semolina helps crisp them well. This can be substituted with rice flour. Using a mix of flours works too. It will only change the amount of water required.
Bottle Gourd: An essential ingredient to make the recipe, bottle gourd/ ghia/lauki helps in adding a lot of moisture to the recipe.
While this is the ideal vegetable for the recipe, zucchini, grated cabbage, pumpkin or any other gourd can be used too.
Ginger Chili and Garlic: A great way to flavor the muthiya dough is by adding these aromatics. Ginger is great for health and adds a zing to the recipe.
Garlic can be added or skipped based on preference.
I also like to add some cilantro to the recipe. It gives the muthiya a lot of flavor and is healthy too.
Spices and seasonings: A mix of spices namely red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, sugar, cumin seeds, sesame seeds is used here.
The spices are for flavor and the seeds for some crunch. Try not to skip any of these.
The mix of salt and sugar makes the recipe unique. It has a slight sweet taste without overpowering the actual flavors. Adding that tiny bit of sugar is highly recommended!
Baking Soda: Muthiya can be rock solid if no made correctly. Adding a little baking soda helps keep them soft on the inside.
If you totally avoid soda, add some more oil and massage it in the flours. This helps but is not fail proof to get soft muthiya.
Oil: Oil is used in the dough to get some moistness and also in the tempering. Oil helps crisp up muthiya really well when they are tempered and left to crisp up on the outside.
Ghee or other fats will not work here. Any neutral oil is great for the recipe.
Tempering: Muthiya is tempered with some mustard seeds, asafetida, cumin seeds, curry leaves, green chili and sesame seeds.
This is the last step of the recipe and should not be skipped. It gives the muthiya a great flavor.
Tips and Notes
- The dough for muthiya is best made by hand. It helps bring out the moisture from the gourd and massages the flours well. Avoid using a stand mixer for this.
- Leave the grated dudhi with a pinch of salt for a few minutes. It should then be squeezed and used. Use the water that was extracted to make the dough.
- Do not add excess water or the dough will not come together properly. Add it in small parts as required.
- Dudhi or bottle gourd can be substituted with grated carrot, pumpkin, zucchini or a mix of vegetables.
- Do not add to much turmeric or baking soda. They would react in excess and result in red colored muthiyas.
Method
1- Grate the bottle gourd and add a pinch of salt. Mix and set aside. After 10 minutes squeeze out the water and set it aside.
2- In a bowl add wheat flour, semolina and chickpea flour.
3- Add in grated bottle gourd and cilantro.
4- Next add the grated ginger, garlic and chili. Mix well.
5- Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, asafetida, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, salt and sugar. Mix.
6- Then add oil and ¼ cup water that was reserved from the bottle gourd. Mix it in.
7- Add baking soda and bring the dough together. Add more water as required.
8- Grease your palms and divide the dough into 3-4 inch rounds. Roll these to logs and set aside.
9- Add water to a pan and heat it. Grease a steamer plate with oil and keep it ready.
10- Place the muthiyas on the plate, leaving some space for them to expand on steaming.
11- Cover and steam for 12-15 minutes; till a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
12- Cool them for at least 15 minutes and slice them into thin rounds.
13- Heat oil in a pan and add the tempering ingredients. Let the seeds pop.
14- Arrange the muthiya rounds in a single layer and let them crips up. Once they are crisp, turn them over and continue crisping them.
15- Remove from the pan and serve topped with chopped cilantro and shredded coconut (optional).
This post has been updated in July 2021 from the recipe archives, first posted in 2014.
Dudhi Muthiya- Bottle Gourd Dumplings
Ingredients
Instructions
Yield: 5
Dudhi Muthiya- Bottle Gourd Dumplings
Crisp outside and perfectly soft inside, Dudhi Muthiya is a popular Gujarati snack or appetizer. Twice cooked dumplings; these are made using wheat flour, grated bottle gourd and a handful of Indian spices.
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 35 Min
Ingredients
- Wheat Flour 2 cups
- Semolina ¼ cup
- Chickpea Flour ¼ cup
- Dudhi/Bottle Gourd 1 cup, peeled and grated
- Cilantro ¼ cup chopped
- Garlic 1-2 cloves, grated
- Ginger 1 inch piece, grated
- Green chili 2, grated
- Turmeric Powder ¼ tsp
- Asafetida a pinch
- Red Chili Powder ½ tsp
- Sesame seeds 1 tsp
- Cumin seeds ¾ tsp
- Baking Soda ¼ tsp
- Sugar 1 tsp
- Salt 1 ½ tsp
- Oil ¼ cup
For the tempering
- Oil 3 tbsp
- Mustard Seeds ½ tsp
- Cumin Seeds ½ tsp
- Asafetida a pinch
- Curry leaves 3-4
- Green Chili 3-4 slit lengthwise
- Sesame seeds 1 tsp
Instructions
- Grate the bottle gourd and add a pinch of salt. Mix and set aside. After 10 minutes squeeze out the water and set it aside.
- In a bowl add wheat flour, semolina and chickpea flour.
- Add in grated bottle gourd and cilantro.
- Next add the grated ginger, garlic and chili. Mix well.
- Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, asafetida, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, salt and sugar. Mix.
- Then add oil and ¼ cup water that was reserved from the bottle gourd. Mix it in.
- Add baking soda and bring the dough together. Add more water as required.
- Grease your palms and divide the dough into 3-4 inch rounds. Roll these to logs and set aside.
- Add water to a pan and heat it. Grease a steamer plate with oil and keep it ready.
- Place the muthiyas on the plate, leaving some space for them to expand on steaming.
- Cover and steam for 12-15 minutes; till a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Cool them for at least 15 minutes and slice them into thin rounds.
- Heat oil in a pan and add the tempering ingredients. Let the seeds pop.
- Arrange the muthiya rounds in a single layer and let them crips up. Once they are crisp, turn them over and continue crisping them.
- Remove from the pan and serve topped with chopped cilantro and shredded coconut (optional).
Notes:
- The dough for muthiya is best made by hand. It helps bring out the moisture from the gourd and massages the flours well. Avoid using a stand mixer for this.
- Leave the grated dudhi with a pinch of salt for a few minutes. It should then be squeezed and used. Use the water that was extracted to make the dough.
- Do not add excess water or the dough will not come together properly. Add it in small parts as required.
- Dudhi or bottle gourd can be substituted with grated carrot, pumpkin, zucchini or a mix of vegetables.
- Do not add to much turmeric or baking soda. They would react in excess and result in red colored muthiyas.
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