DUDHI MUTHIA / BOTTLE GOURD MUTHIYA

Dudhi / Bottle Gourd Muthiya

Muthiya is a popular and healthy tea time snack from Gujarat - which lies in western part of India. The name origins from "muthi" means "fist" in Gujarati and while making this snack you need to hold the dough in the palm of your hand and press it making a fist. Now muthiya can be prepared not only with bottle gourd / dudhi / lauki but with methi (fenugreek leaves), cabbage, cooked rice, spinach / palak etc. I have tried all these versions and taste equally good. The reason behind dudhi muthiya is as you know dudhi is a low calorie vegetable and highly nutritious but I have seen generally people don't like to eat dudhi in form of a curry and when made in this form, it tastes amazing hence dudhi muthiya ! They come out softer than other muthiya because dudhi has a lot of water content, also as I told you this is the best way to feed dudhi to your children and BIG children who don't like dudhi :) So let's look at the recipe. 

Dudhi / Bottle Gourd

Ingredients :-

3 cups dudhi / bottle gourd grated

5 large cloves garlic

1 inch piece of ginger

8 small green chilies (or acc. to taste)

2 tbsp plain yogurt

1/2 tsp white sesame seeds 

Salt to taste

1 1/2 cup fine whole wheat flour

1 cup coarse whole wheat flour / rava (cream of wheat)

handful of coriander chopped (for garnish)

For tempering :

2 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp black mustard seeds

1/2 tsp white sesame seeds

a pinch of asafoetida

1/8 tsp turmeric pwd.

Process :-

1.  Crush ginger, garlic and green chilies together to form a fine paste.

2.  In a large bowl mix all of the above ingredients leaving out the "tempering" part. You can add half of the coriander to the mixture also if you like and leave the rest for garnish.

3.  For this preparation we will need a steamer on medium heat with a plate inside it. Oil the plate so muthiya doesn't stick to it. If you don't have a steamer, take a big pot, a small flat bottom strainer / vessel and find a plate which fits inside it. You can fill the pot less than halfway with water. Then put the strainer/vessel upside down and place the oiled plate on it. Our motto is to steam muthiya such that water doesn't touch the plate. 

4.  Now take the mixture in the palm of your hands and form it like a fist, arrange one by one into the plate.

Muthiya - ready to steam

5.  Let it steam for 35-40 mins.  Best way to find out is insert a knife into the muthiya, if it comes out almost clean, muthiya are done or else steam for 5 more mins.

6.  There are 2 ways of eating muthiya - one way is steaming hot with a drizzle of oil on it. Other is with tempering. 

7.  For tempering, let the muthiya cool completely and cut them into bite sized pieces. Put a large pan on medium heat, add oil - after about 30-40 secs. add mustard seeds. They will splutter (here you will want to stay away from the pan - you can cover the pan if you want), then add asafoetida, turmeric pwd. and sesame seeds (here you definitely want to cover the pan else you will end up cleaning your messy stove top, don't worry it's not that bad :)). Now add muthiya and saute for 4-5 mins. Garnish with coriander and serve hot. It is a great tea time snack but works for dinner as well. Muthiya can be accompanied with hot ginger tea or sweet milk !!