methi muthia: steamed | fried version

another favorite snack from the gujarati cuisine is methi muthia.

methi muthia are steamed or fried dumplings made from chickpea flour and fenugreek leaves/methi.. there are various ways of making muthia… i always make these with chickpea flour. but you can also make them with whole wheat flour, bajra (pearl millet) or jowar (sorghum) flour.

i made these a few day later after making the the methi thepla. i made both the versions, steamed and fried. i was partial to the steamed version. i just loved it plain.

the fried methi muthia has to be eaten when they are hot or warm. they go well with any sweet or spicy chutney… even tomato sauce.

the steamed muthias can be made in advance and then added to any veggie dish you make. in gujarat they add it to one of my fav dish undhiyu… where winter vegetables are cooked to perfection with spices and muthia… sweet, mildly spiced and a perfect accompaniment to some rotlas… thick bajra flour (pearl millet) flour rotis made in gujarat.

you can also temper the muthias and then have these with any chutney or sauce. these serve as a great snack…

now you might ask me how i know so much about gujarati cuisine… i have been born and brought up in bombay… the hub of gujarati and maharashtrian food… i have always feasted on these regional goodies, till i left mumbai.. at home mom would make them or we could easily get to buy them in the food shops.

when i moved to delhi, it was a different food experience for me. i am not so fond of punjabi food with all the ghee and butter…. irony is that my blog is full of punjabi recipes… reason – 90% of the times i cook punjabi food and hence the blog gets updated with the food i cook at home. though i cut down drastically on the fat usage.

i have had gujarati thalis, been to gujarati weddings, been to gujarati buffets…. i can go on and on… all i can say is that i just love the simplicity and deliciousness of this cuisine.

i have presented both the steamed and fried versions of methi muthia. take your pic…..

step by step recipe for making both steamed as well fried methi muthia at home:

1: making the dough:

1: take all the besan, chopped methi leaves, salt, sugar, semolina, sesame seeds, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, in a bowl.

2: mix well.

3: add ginger-green chili paste, baking soda and lemon juice. mix the ingredients and keep aside for 15-20 minutes. the methi will release water in the mean time and then you know how much water you can add later.

4: now add water or yogurt and knead to a smooth dough… when adding water, the cup fell from my hands and extra water went into the dough. so the dough became a little sticky as you see in the pics. i let the dough stand for some time and it was alright later… there was no stickiness afterwards…

2: making the steamed methi muthia:

1: half of the dough… shape them into sausage type rolls and place them on a greased tray.

2: heat water and when the water becomes hot. place the greased tray in the pan. cover and let the muthia steam for 10-12 minutes.

3: the muthia is steamed and cooked. check with a tooth pick to see for doneness.

4: slice the muthia as shown in the pic below.

5: heat a pan or kadai and temper the ingredients for the steamed muthia. remember the mustard seed should pop…

6: add the sliced steamed muthia to the tempering and fry these for 2-3 minutes on a medium flame.

3: making the fried methi muthia

1: make small cylindical or rectangular shaped rolls with the remaining half of the dough.

2: heat oil in a kadai or pan and shallow or deep fry the steamed muthia till golden brown and crisp.

3: drain on kitchen tissues.

serving the muthias:

garnish the steamed muthias with some coriander and grated coconut. serve warm. serve both the muthias with some spicy or sweet chutney.

methi muthia recipe details below:

4.5 from 2 reviews

methi muthia: steamed & fried

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Author: dassana

Recipe type: snacks

Cuisine: indian, gujarati

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

for making the muthia dough:

• 2 cups besan/chickpea flour
• 1 tbsp water or yogurt – add more if required
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 2.5 cups chopped methi leaves
• 2 tsp sugar or as required
• 1 tsp salt or as required
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp semolina
• 2 tsp white sesame seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp coriander/dhania powder
• 1 tsp cumin/jeera powder
• ½ tsp red chili powder/cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp ginger green chili paste
• water for steaming the muthia
• oil for frying the muthia

for tempering the steamed muthia:

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp white sesame seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• a pinch of asafoetida
• 1 sprig of curry leaves

for garnishing the steamed muthia:

• few chopped coriander leaves
• some freshly grated coconut

Instructions

preparing the dough:

1. mix all the ingredients except water/yogurt.
2. keep aside for 15-20 minutes.
3. add water and make a smooth dough.

making the steamed muthia:

1. from half of the dough, make sausage shaped long rolls and place them in a greased container.
2. steam these rolls for 17-20 minutes or till done.
3. once warm and cooled, slice the steamed rolls.
4. temper the ingredients mentioned in the tempering list above.
5. add the sliced muthia and fry for 2-3 minutes.
6. serve hot or warm garnished with some chopped coriander leaves and grated coconut

making the fried muthia:

1. make small elongated cylindrical rolls from the remaining half of the dough:
2. heat oil.
3. shallow or deep fry the muthia till golden brown and crisp.
4. drain on kitchen paper towels.
5. serve hot with some chutney or tomato sauce.

Notes

if the dough become sticky add some chickpea flour. don’t over steam the muthia. they become dry. in india we don’t get very bitter fenugreek/methi leaves. if the methi or fenugreek are bitter, than just rub some salt on the leaves and keep aside for 15-20 minutes. later squeeze the methi leaves with your hands. this removes the bitterness. add these to the flour. in this case you may have to use some extra water or yogurt.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 4-5

3.2.1652