Dudhi Muthiya: Bottle Gourd Dumplings

Crisp outside and perfectly soft inside, Dudhi Muthiya is a popular Gujarati snack.

Twice cooked dumplings; these are made using wheat flour, grated bottle gourd and a handful of Indian spices. 

Indian cuisine is rich in flavors, textures, colors and shapes. And when it come to appetizers and snacks, we have a lot of options. From steamed to baked and fried to raw, the options are endless.

Gujarat, a Western state of India has a ton of delicious options. From Handvo and Khandvi to Dhokla and Dabeli; we love them all. They all come in different forms and yet are so easy to put together with a handful of ingredients.

Another popular snack from Gujarat is Muthiya. A delicious snack that uses flour and bottle gourd; these logs are great to steam and stir-fry to make a super amazing recipe.

Jump to:

• What is Muthiya
• Why this recipe works
• Ingredients and Substitutions
• How to make this recipe
• Expert Tips and Notes
• Storage
• Recipe FAQs
• Serving Suggestions
• More Gujarati Recipes
• Dudhi Muthiya- Bottle Gourd Dumplings

What is Muthiya

Muthiya is a snack or appetizer made with flours, vegetables and spices.

The word Muthiya or Muthia is derived from the Gujarati word Muthi; which means fist. This name is because muthiya is generally given the shape of thick logs using the fist. They can be shaped differently when using them for a different purpose. 

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. 

Why this recipe works

• These make a great breakfast recipe.
• This is a healthy-ish recipe with just a little oil.
• It is a very easy to make recipe.
• Full of bottle gourd; it is a great way to consume a lot of vegetables in one go.
• The recipe is naturally Vegan.
• Moreover, muthiya is easy to make gluten-free too.
• An amazing snack recipe; it doubles as an appetizer too.
• It qualifies as a perfect steamed recipe.
• It is also easy to make in the instant pot.
• A great make-ahead recipe; this is amazing for meal prep too.
• Steamed muthiya are easy to freeze to use later.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Flours: I like to use wheat flour with some semolina and chickpea flour. Just wheat flour works too. Semolina helps crisp them. However rice flour works too. Using a mix of flours is an option too.
• Bottle Gourd: Bottle gourd helps in adding a lot of moisture to the recipe. Moreover; zucchini, cabbage, pumpkin or mixed vegetables work too.
• Aromatics: Ginger is great for health and adds a zing to the recipe. Add or skip garlic based on preference. Plus, green chili adds so much spice. I also like to add some cilantro to the recipe. It gives the muthiya a lot of flavor and is healthy too.
• Spices: A mix of spices; red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, sugar, cumin seeds, sesame seeds is great to use. 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. I would recommend not skipping it.
• Baking Soda: 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 add moisture to the dough and helps bring it together. Plus, it helps crisp up muthiya after tempering. Ghee or any other neutral oil works too.
• Tempering: We temper muthiya with some mustard seeds, asafetida, cumin seeds, curry leaves, green chili and sesame seeds. This is the last step of the dudhi muthiya recipe and should not be skipped.

See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.

How to make this recipe

1- Grate the bottle gourd and add a pinch of salt. Mix and set aside. After 10 minutes squeeze out the water and reserve it to use later. In a bowl add wheat flour, semolina and chickpea flour. 

2- Add in grated bottle gourd and cilantro.

3- Next add the grated ginger, garlic and chili. Mix well.

4- Then add turmeric powder, red chili powder, asafetida, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, salt and sugar and mix everything well. 

5- Then add oil and ¼ cup water that was reserved from the bottle gourd and mix it in.

6- Add baking soda and bring the dough together (add more water as required). 

7- Grease your palms and divide the dough into 3-4 inch rounds. Roll these to logs and set aside.

8- Add water to a pan and heat it. Plus, grease a steamer plate with oil and keep it ready. Then place the dudhi muthiya on the plate, leaving some space for them to expand on steaming.

9- 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. 

10- Heat oil in a wide pan and add the tempering ingredients and let the seeds pop. 

11- Arrange the muthiya rounds in a single layer and let them crisp up. Once they are crisp, turn them over and continue crisping them.

12- Then remove from the pan and serve the dudhi muthiya topped with chopped cilantro and shredded coconut (optional). 

Expert Tips and Notes

• Dudhi Muthiya great with wheat flour with some semolina and chickpea flour. However, adding some oats flour, ragi flour or even using multigrain flour is an option.
• The dough for muthiya is best to make 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. We then squeeze and use the dudhi. Moreover, we use the water to make the dough.
• Avoid adding 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. 
• Dudhi Muthiya need to at least cool down for a few minutes before slicing. Else they crumble into bits. However, if in a rush, cool by removing from the stand and placing in a large plate. Then slice once they are cool to touch (about 20-30 minutes).
• Do not add to much turmeric or baking soda. They would react in excess and result in red colored muthiyas. 

Storage

Dudhi Muthiya can be enjoyed hot straight after tempering.

However, the rolls can be steamed and refrigerated in air tight containers for up to 3 days. They are also great to freeze for up to a couple of weeks too.

Even the tempered muthiya are great to refrigerate or freeze. However, I like to temper them just before serving for freshness.

Recipe FAQs

Serving Suggestions

Dudhi Muthiya are best to serve with chutneys, chai and likewise. Here are some of our favorite pairings for muthiya.

More Gujarati Recipes