Last Updated on December 14, 2020 by
This month, I took up the Blogger’s Challenge theme. All of the other participating BM bloggers issued a challenge and I had to pick three to do. For the first one, I am selecting Gujarati Muthia.
Gujarat is a state located on the northwestern coast of India and has a unique cuisine all its own. They have a variety of savory cakes that are often eaten for snacks or at tea time. I recently made handvo. Check out the photo. Doesn’t it look good? Sorry…but you are going to have to wait a bit for that recipe…until then, let’s try Muthia.
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| Handvo |
While Handvo is a baked cake, Muthia is steamed. The most traditional muthia is made with bottle gourd (aka lauki or doodhi), however other versions are made with cabbage or fenugreek (methi).
Serves 6-8
Dough Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cups bottle gourd, peeled and grated
- 1 cup chappati flour (or whole wheat flour)
- 3/4 cup semolina
- 3/4 cup chickpea flour (besan)
- 2 green chiles
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 3 tablespoons oil, separated
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin seed
- 1 teaspoon mustard seed
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 12 curry leaves
- 1/8 teaspoon asoefetida
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Squeeze out liquid from bottle gourd and reserve.
In a large bowl, combine flours, 1 tablespoon of the oil, 2 tablespoons of the cilantro and all other dough ingredients. Mix to combine. Add grated gourd and knead into a dough, adding reserved bottle gourd juice a little at a time, as needed. Use water if you run out of bottle gourd juice. (I used 5 tablespoons) Cover and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
With wet hands, form into oblong little cakes.
Place in a steamer and cook for 25-30 minutes. Test by inserting a fork into one. If it comes out clean, muthia are ready.
Let them cool and slice into thick pieces.
In a large non stick skillet or wok, heat remaining oil. Add cumin seed and mustard seed. As soon as the cumin starts to change color, Add curry leaves, asoefetida and sesame seeds. Fry for 1 minute.
Add slices of muthia, lemon juice, salt and remaining cilantro. Toss to combine and cook on low heat, tossing frequently, until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Serve with coriander or mint chutney.
Are these photos making you hungry? Don’t you want a bite?
Gujarati Muthia – Chickpea Dumpling Stir Fry
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cups bottle gourd peeled and grated
- 1 cup chappati flour or whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup semolina
- 3/4 cup chickpea flour besan
- 2 green chiles
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ginger grated
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 3 tablespoons oil separated
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons cilantro finely chopped
Stir Fry Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon cumin seed
- 1 teaspoon mustard seed
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 12 curry leaves
- 1/8 teaspoon asoefetida
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Squeeze out liquid from bottle gourd and reserve.
- In a large bowl, combine flours, 1 tablespoon of the oil, 2 tablespoons of the cilantro and all other dough ingredients. Mix to combine.
- Add grated gourd and knead into a dough, adding reserved bottle gourd juice a little at a time, as needed. Use water if you run out of bottle gourd juice. (I used 5 tablespoons)
- Cover and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
- With wet hands, form into oblong little cakes.
- Place in a steamer and cook for 25-30 minutes. Test by inserting a fork into one. If it comes out clean, muthia are ready.
- Let them cool and slice into thick pieces.
- In a large non stick skillet or wok, heat remaining oil.
- Add cumin seed and mustard seed. As soon as the cumin starts to change color, Add curry leaves, asoefetida and sesame seeds. Fry for 1 minute.
- Add slices of muthia, lemon juice, salt and remaining cilantro.
- Toss to combine and cook on low heat, tossing frequently, until heated through, about 5 minutes.
- Serve with coriander or mint chutney.
The pictures are making me hungry! Lovely recipe and awesome clicks.
wow fantastic muthia 🙂 looks very very tempting dear !! yummy recipe 🙂
Totally yum ! It's snack time here and that muthia wd be perfect !
Your pictures are making me crave for muthias. Tomorrow is market day. Will buy the ingredients and this week muthias will be served as dinner.
Such a healthy and guilt free snack,looks very very delicious..you made it so perfect Mir..
my husband's granny makes these for me whenever she visits us, i simply love this recipe the way she makes…you have delivered the challenge very well
simply superb…..yummy n delicious recipe.
Superbly made, Mir. Thanks for taking up the challenge.
Very nicely done. Nice pictures.
Lovely clicks Mir. I made lauki muthia too, but used a slightly different recipe.
Lobvely muthias Mir. Love the pics,
Thanks for the recipe. I was looking for a good recipe to make this for this weekend.
I’m glad I helped you out. You must let me know how it came out!
Interesting, slicing and cooking the steamed cakes! I don’t think I’ve seen that in the Indian restaurants around here – I’ll have to try it!
Indian food is very regionalized and most of the Indian restaurants in US are Punjabi unless some indicate as South Indian. Unless you are near a large Indian community (like Edison, NJ) you wont find Gujarati cuisine in restaurants. If you want to try it, you will have to make it at home yourself 🙂
Some of these ingredients are (no pun intended) foreign to me! Is there something I could use instead of asoefetida or something similar to it? I’ve never heard of it..and bottle gourd do you have suggestions as to where I can pick this up? I’m up for a challenge..just point me in the right direction! 🙂
bottle gourd you can get at Indian or good Asian markets. If you can’t find it, substitute zucchini. Asoefetida is used because many strict Hindus dont use members of the lily family (onion, garlic) because they believe it has aphrodisiac properties. It is ground sassafras powder. If you cant find it, just add a little onion and garlic powder.