Muthiya or Muthia is a dish with its origin in India. Gujarat cuisine is known for its immense flavourful dishes which mostly uses chickpea flour as the base. Muthiya is one of the popular Gujarati street snack food which could also be served as a breakfast or as a side dish.

The list of ingredients when added in the right proportion makes it get the right taste and texture. So, it is very important to stick to the right amount of ingredients. Muthiya could either be steam cooked or fried. Though both would taste equally good, I prefer steam-cooking for health sake.

Muthiya, as a staple food of Gujaratis, comprises of Chickpea flour, red chilli powder, salt, sugar, fenugreek and any greens or grated veggies. Bottle gourd Muthiya uses grated bottle gourd (Lauki or Doodhi) along with the chickpea flour and spice powders to make it a healthy cum flavoursome recipe. Some people add baking soda while preparing the dough which I skip in this recipe.

Here wheat flour, semolina and a little besan flour are added as a base in which the grated bottle gourd and the other spices are added to make a Lauki Muthiya dough. The dough, after resting for about 30 minutes, would get steam-cooked and then tempered. The dough should be loose and sticky to make light and soft Muthiyas. Though the water content in the Bottle gourd is enough to bind the mixture, you could add some water if you feel like the dough is tight and firm.

Very Tight dough?

• Add a few tablespoons of water and knead if the dough is tight and firm. 

Very Sticky dough?

• If the dough turns too much sticky and soggy, add a few drops of oil and knead.

The shelf life of Muthiya is quite long and you can store the steam-cooked Muthiya in the refrigerator without tempering. The Muthiya can be tempered just before serving. The heat of the Muthiya can be adjusted by reducing or increasing the red chilli powder. So, the healthy and filling Muthiya would be loved by kids and adults.

⏲ Preparation Time: 10 to 15 minutes
⏲ Resting Time: 30 minutes
⏲ Steam-cooking Time: 20 minutes
⏲ Tempering Time: <5 minutes
⏲ Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
🍴 Servings: 5 to 6

Steam-cooked Snack | Bottle gourd Muthiya | Lauki Muthiya | Doodhi Muthiya

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A healthy Gujarati street-side snack made with wheat flour, semolina, chickpea flour, grated bottle gourd and other spices which is steam-cooked and tempered.

What to Use? [1 cup = 100 ml]

• Wheat flour - 1 cup
• Semolina/ Sooji/ Rava - 1/4 cup
• Chickpea / Besan flour - 3 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp (optional)
• Asafoetida/ Hing - a pinch
• Ajwain seeds powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
• Salt - as needed
• Grated Bottle Gourd - 2 cups (grated & tightly-packed)
• Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
• Green chilly - 1 (finely chopped)
• Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
• Curd- 2 tsp (optional)
• Lemon juice - 1/4 tsp (optional)

For Tempering:

• Sesame seeds - 1 tsp (white or black)
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp 
• Grated coconut - 2 tbsp (optional)
• Curry leaves - a sprig (optional)

Steps Involved: 

• Add wheat flour, semolina and chickpea flour to a large mixing bowl.
• Add all the dry ingredients which include turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander seeds powder, asafoetida, ajwain seeds powder, fennel seeds and salt.
• Mix the dry ingredients well with the flour mixture.
• Now, start adding the wet ingredients which include grated bottle gourd, ginger paste, green chilly, lemon juice and curd.
• Knead the mixture gently to form a soft and loose dough.
• Rest the Muthiya dough for about 30 minutes.
• Take small portions of the dough and make cylinders after greasing the hands with oil.
• Steam-cook them for about 20 minutes or until the toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Cut the Muthiya into small pieces.
• Temper the oil with sesame seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves and grated coconut.
• Add the Muthiya to the tempered ingredients, toss well and turn off the flame.
• Serve hot the Lauki Muthiya.

Visual Treat: 

 Video link for "Bottle Gourd Muthiya Recipe" post: 

https://youtu.be/9gfdnXjTLtM

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For comforting the easy understandability of the recipe, the step by step detailed procedure along with the picture is shown below:

Step-by-Step Procedure with Pictures

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How to Make?

Muthiya Dough Making:

• Add wheat flour to a large mixing bowl. Though wheat flour can be omitted and chickpea flour can be used as a base, wheat flour tastes great and hence I add it in this recipe.

• Add semolina/Sooji/Rava to the same bowl. Semolina gives a nice texture to the Muthiya.

• Add Chickpea/ Besan flour to the same mixing bowl. Chickpea flour could be used as a base. But adding more chickpea flour may deviate the Muthiya taste. So, always add a little besan flour in this Muthiya recipe.

• Add all the dry ingredients to the flour mixture. This include turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander seeds powder, asafoetida, ajwain seeds powder, fennel seeds and salt. Among these listed ingredients coriander powder and ajwain powder could be omitted as the authentic recipe doesn't call them. But, add them for an extra earthy flavour and proper digestion.

• Add all the wet ingredients to the mixture. This include Grated bottle gourd, ginger paste, green chilly, lemon juice and curd. Though lemon juice and curd could be skipped, I suggest adding them as we skip baking soda in this recipe. Curd adds softness to the Muthiya.

• Mix all the ingredients well and form a dough. When you knead, the bottle gourd releases enough water to form a soft dough.

• If you get a tight and firm dough, add 2 tablespoons of water to make it soft and sticky. The dough should be loose, soft and sticky to make a Perfect Muthiya.

• Rest the dough undisturbed for about 30 minutes after putting lid. Or you could cover the dough with a damp cloth to avoid dryness of the dough. The resting time is needed to make soft and spongy Muthiya. So, don't hurry!

Steam-Cooking Muthiya:

• Grease the hands with a little oil and start making a cylindrical shape with a portion of dough. Interesting Fact: The gripping action which we give with a fist to shape the dough was the reason to name this recipe as 'Muthiya'.

• Steam-cook the Muthiya in an idly pan for about 20 minutes. The inserted toothpick if comes out clean means that the Muthiya is well-cooked.

• Cool the Muthiya and cut them into thick pieces.

• Muthiya looks like this before tempering. Hmmm....tempting to eat right?

Tempering Muthiya:

• Temper the oil with Mustard seeds, sesame seeds, grated coconut and curry leaves.

• Add the sliced Muthiya to the tempered ingredients and toss well.

• Serve the Lauki Muthiya hot and enjoy the flavours on each bite!

Visual Treat "Video for Lauki Muthiya Recipe":

Tips:

• If you skip curd, add a pinch of baking soda.
• Rest the dough at least for 20 minutes. Resting time makes the Muthiya soft and spongy.
• The tempering ingredients are mustard seeds and sesame seeds in the actual recipe. Adding freshly grated coconut enhances the flavour and gives the touch of South-Indian cuisine. So, I love adding it and suggest you add it.
• You could add a little oil while kneading if the dough turns out too sticky.
• Adding a little sugar gives a sweet touch to the Muthiya. I skip it as my family loves the spicy version.

Steam-Cooked, Oil-free & Healthy Snack!