Dudhi Muthiya: Bottle Gourd Dumplings

Just like Dhokla, Muthiya is another dish that relates directly to Gujaratis!! Dudhi is the Gujarati word for Bottle Gourd and Muthiya means shaped with the palm. This is simple dumpling dish made from wheat flour mixed with vegetables like Bottle Gourd, Fenugreek leaves or a mixture of all vegetables and tempered with sesame seeds and mustard seeds.

Muthiya is steamed and then either just tempered or sometimes fried to serve with a cup of piping hot Masala Chai. This dish makes a tasty yet healthy breakfast. Muthiya can be steamed and refrigerated. Temper it fresh and serrve with cilantro chutney.

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour 2 cups

Chickpea flour 2 tbsp

Bottle Gourd 1 medium

Ginger Chilli Garlic Paste 2 tbsp

Spices: Red Chilli powder, Turmeric Powder, Asafoetida, Carrom seeds

Salt, Sugar, Lime Juice

Soda bi-carbonate

Oil and water to knead the dough

For the tempering

Oil

Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds, sesame seeds

Green Chilli

Curry leaves

Cilantro

Method

In a large mixing bowl, grate bottle gourd. Sprinkle salt and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Squeeze out all the water from he gourd after ten minutes and reserve it aside. Add the ginger garlic and chilli paste to the grated bottle gourd and mix well. Add sugar, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida, carrom seeds, lime juice, soda bi-carbonate, oil and mix well. Next, mix in the flours and make a firm dough. If water is required, add it from the amount kept reserved from the squeezed gourd. Adjust the salt as required.

Line a steamer dish with oil and place it in the steamer with water below it. Heat the steamer till the water just start boiling. Divide the dough into 6 equal parts and roll it into a cylindrical shape with your palms. Apply oil on the palms if the dough sticks. Place these muthiyas in the steamer leaving some space between them to allow expansion on steaming. In case you do not have a steamer, heat water in a large vessel like a pressure cooker and place a sieve on it.

Steam the muthiya for 20-22 minutes, on medium flame. Ensure the whistle is not used to steam them, incase you are using a pressure cooker. Open the steamer and check with an inserted toothpick if the muthiya is cooked. Remove from flame and let them cool. It is very important for them to cool completely before cutting it into pieces.

Once cool, divide each piece into smaller sections and set aside. In a large wok, heat oil. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Next add the green chilli, curry leaves and sesame seeds. Once it all splutters, add the muthiya pieces and mix well. Let the muthiya brown a little bit before turning down the flame. Top with cilantro and serve with chutney and Masala Chai.