Dudhi Muthiya

Dudhi Muthiya are a delicious tea-time snack from Gujarati cuisine and are made with grated bottle gourd and whole wheat flour. Perfect served with masala chai.

Dudhi na muthiya (lauki muthiya) is a traditional Gujarati dish made from bottle gourd (also known as dudhi or lauki), flour and various spices. It's a steamed snack or side dish that's nutritious and flavorful. 

Muthiya are called so because "muthi" means fist in Gujarati, and the dumplings are traditionally shaped by hand, resembling small fistfuls.

To make dudhi na muthiya, grated bottle gourd is mixed with flour (usually wheat flour or gram flour), spices like turmeric, coriander, cumin, and sometimes chili powder, along with other ingredients like ginger, garlic, and sesame seeds.

The mixture is then shaped into cylindrical or oval dumplings and steamed until cooked through. 

After steaming, the dumplings are often tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and sesame seeds in oil for added flavor.

Dudhi na muthiya can be served as a snack or as part of a meal, often accompanied by a cup of tea. 

Steaming hot muthiya can be eaten without any vaghar with some lemon juice drizzled over. You can dip the muthiya into peanut oil with some red chilli powder.

Other Gujarati snacks we love are:

• khichu (papdi no lot)
• bajra methi dhebra
• sabudana ni khichdi

Variations of muthiya

There are many variations of the popular Gujarati snack as you can use different vegetables, flours and grains. 

You can swap in veggies such as:

• grated carrots
• grated courgette (zucchini)
• sliced cabbage
• leafy greens such as spinach, kale, fenugreek (methi)
• crushed peas,
• sweetcorn

You can also swap out different flours or grains:

• Oats, Quinoa Methi na Muthiya - these quinoa muthiya are made with fresh methi. 
• Dudhi na Farali Muthiya are made with mixed farali flour, rajgira (amaranth flour), buckwheat flour (kuttu ka aata), shingoda flour (water chestnut flour)
• ragi flour (finger millet)
• pearl millet flour (bajri)
• jowar flour (sorghum flour)
• Jau (barley flour)
• makki ka atta (cornmeal flour)
• Dhokla or handvo Flour

Deep-fried muthiya are mostly made with fresh fenugreek leaves. These methi muthiya are added to shaak such as surti undiyu. Simply tempering uses less oil than deep frying making them a healthy snack with nutrients from the vegetables and flours. 

Dudhi Muthia Ingredients

Full ingredients with measurements are available in the recipe card below at the end of this post

Dudhi - use a fresh and firm bottle gourd.

Whole wheat flour or chapatti atta - use coarse wheat flour if you can find it

Dhokla flour - or an equal mix of rice flour and gram flour (chickpea flour). Note that if you have leftover rice, you do not need rice flour. 

Semolina or sooji - use coarse semolina

Oil - use mild flavored oil such as sunflower oil or vegetable oil.

Green chilies and ginger paste - optionally add finely sliced green chillies.

Yogurt - I have used plain yogurt, full fat and low fat both work

Carom seeds - known as ajwain seeds or ajmo in Gujarati.

Spice powders: Red chilli powder, Ground turmeric powder, Ground cumin and coriander powder, Garam masala

Dry mango powder also known as amchoor powder. Alternatively use lemon juice.

Kasoori methi

Achaar masala - optional but so good. Achaar masala is a blend of spices used in pickles. Adjust the quantity based on your preference for tanginess and spiciness.

Bicarbonate of soda -  the baking soda helps the dumplings to rise during steaming.

Sugar - sugar gives this recipe that special Gujarati flavouring. 

Salt

You will need for tempering

Oil

Mustard seeds

Cumin seeds

Hing

Sesame seeds - provides a nutty taste and crunch.

Curry leaves - They are commonly used in South Indian and Gujarati food for their fragrance and taste.

Desiccated coconut

Fresh Cilantro/Coriander leaves for garnish.

How to make Doodhi Muthiya

Prepare the doodhi muthia dough

Peel and grate the doodhi. 

In a wide plate or large bowl, mix together the grated doodhi, all the spices, yogurt, green chilli ginger paste, salt, sugar. Mix together well.

Add in the flours and baking soda and knead to make a soft dough that is slightly sticky. Add water as required. You may only need little water as dudhi releases excess water. 

Apply a few drops of oil on your hands and divide the muthiya dough into smaller parts. Then press the dough in your fists to form a cylindrical roll.

Steam the muthiya

Place muthiya in a greased plate that has holes. Leave a small gap between the rolls to allow for expansion.

Prepare your steamer by adding water to the base and bring to a boil.

Steam them on medium-high for 15 minutes or until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Tempering

Let the steamed muthia cool in the tray for 5-10 minutes before removing.

Slice each roll into thin oval-shaped pieces.

Heat oil in a frying pan for tempering and the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and hing. When they start spluttering, add the curry leaves.

Tip in the steamed muthiyas and sauté them for few minutes or until they become golden brown and crispy at the edges.

Sprinkle over sesame seeds, desiccated coconut and coriander leaves.

Pro Tips

Mixing the dudhi with the spices and salt first allows water to be released from the dudhi before adding the flour. You can better control how much water you need to add. You may need to adjust this based on the water content of the dudhi.

Either add sugar into the dough or sprinkle it after the vaghar. 

For soft muthiyas, make a soft but sticky dough that can easily be shaped. Hard dough will lead to hard muthiya.

Ensure you are steaming on high heat the whole time.

Let the muthiya sit for a couple of minutes before slicing as they will fall apart if cut when they are still hot.

Serving Suggestion

Muthiya are always eaten in our house with a cup of masala tea or karak chai.

You can also serve them with green chutney - this green coriander chuntey or raw green mango chutney both work. 

A traditional way that my Mum taught me is to dip them in a bowl of peanut oil (groundnut oil) and pickle masala or red chilli powder. 

Kids might like them with tomato ketchup. 

For a light dinner, make Rasiya Muthia. 

Storage

Refrigerator:

Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days. To reheat, either add them back into a pan with a spoon of water to create steam or microwave in a plate and sprinkle a little water on top.

Freezer:

• Lay out the sliced muthia on a tray in a single layer and flash freeze for about an hour until they're solid.
• Then, pop them into a freezer-safe ziplock bag where they can be stored for 3 months.
• When you're ready to eat them, heat up the tempering just before serving, give the muthia a quick stir-fry, and serve them piping hot!

FAQs

Other Dudhi Recipes

Pressure Cooker Dudhi Khichdi

Dudhi Halwa (Lauki ka Halwa)

Dudhi Basundi

Lauki Dudhi Thepla

Aloo Lauki Sabzi

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Note – This recipe was first published in June 2012. This post has since been updated with helpful content and new images. The recipe remains the same.