This dish has its origins in the state of Gujarat in India and is a popular tea time snack. Gujarati cuisine is unique where most recipes call for spice, tanginess and sweetness all in one dish, yet manage to strike a perfect balance in flavors. My friend, Kavi who is an amazing cook, first introduced me to this dish many years ago. She served it to me freshly made, with a steaming mug of hot chai. It tasted wonderful, and even today, I carry that indelible memory.
Muthia gets its name from the way it’s made. “Muthi” means “fist”, and fistfuls of dough are steamed until cooked, and then pan fried with tempering until slightly crisp. Sometimes, the entire dough is shaped into a thin cylindrical log and steamed, then sliced and pan fried. Over the years, as my taste buds changed, I adapted this traditional recipe. Instead of making a dough, I make a thick batter and then steam it in trays. I also changed the flour blend – instead of the traditional whole wheat and chickpea flour blend, I use oat flour, chickpea flour and a little whole wheat and semolina. So this recipe is nothing like the way muthia is traditionally made, but I can guarantee you that you will enjoy the flavors nonetheless.
Muthia – Steamed Multigrain Dumplings
Course: SnacksCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Medium4
servings15
minutes15
minutesIngredients
- Batter
¾ cup oat flour (you can grind steel cut or rolled oats if you don’t have the flour)
¾ cup chickpea flour/besan
¼ cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp rava/sooji/semolina
2 cups grated mixed veggies (I used beet leaves and stalks but you can use bottle gourd, zucchini, carrots, cabbage etc.)
2 tbsp fenugreek leaves chopped, fresh or dried
½ cup cilantro chopped
1 teaspoon ginger paste (or grated)
1 teaspoon garlic paste (or minced)
1 teaspoon green chili paste (or minced)
2 teaspoons coconut sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon oil (for batter)
1 tablespoon oil (for greasing trays)
1 cup water or as needed
2 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon baking soda or Eno fruit salt
- For Tempering
Oil as required
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoon sesame seeds
Handful of curry leaves
- Garnish
½ cup cilantro chopped
2 tablespoon grated coconut, fresh or frozen
Directions
- Grease two 7 or 8 inch steel trays or cake pans with oil.
- Heat a large pot with 2 cups of water. You can do this in the Instant Pot too, by using the Sauté mode so the water starts heating.
- Mix all the ingredients for batter except the baking soda. The consistency should be similar to cake batter, so adjust the water as needed. Taste the batter to ensure salt is fine and add more if needed.
- Once the water gets to boiling point, add the baking soda to the batter and mix well. Quickly pour the batter in the greased trays. Insert the trays in a stacked manner into the pot. Close the pot with a lid and steam on high for 10-12 minutes. If using the Instant Pot, switch to Steam mode and close the lid with the pressure valve set to Venting.
- Do the fork/toothpick test by inserting it into the batter and check to see if it comes out non-sticky. If not, steam for a couple more minutes. If using the Instant Pot, press Cancel and wait for 5 minutes before opening. Remove the trays and let it cool for a few minutes before cutting into squares.
- Do the tempering in a shallow pan. Heat oil for a minute, then add mustard seeds. Once it starts to crackle, add the cumin seeds, sesame seeds and curry leaves.
- Add the muthia squares to the pan and mix gently. Cook until lightly crispy on both sides. Add the garnish and enjoy with green chutney.
Notes
- You can also steam the batter in one tray 4 to 5 inches deep, in which case you would need to steam it for an additional 3-4 minutes.
