Muthiya Recipe | Methi Muthiya (Steamed and Fried)
Muthiya or muthia is a fist-shaped dumpling snack from Gujarat state in Western India. This Muthiya recipe is made with fresh fenugreek leaves and gram flour. I share two ways to make methi muthia - steamed and fried.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
For making muthiya dough
- 2 cups gram flour (besan)
- 1 tablespoon water add more if required
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2.5 cups chopped fenugreek leaves (methi leaves)
- 2 teaspoon sugar or as required
- 1 teaspoon salt or as required
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons rava or sooji, finer variety (cream of wheat or semolina)
- 2 teaspoon white sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder (ground coriander)
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder (ground cumin)
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons ginger-green chili paste
For tempering steamed muthia
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 1 sprig curry leaves or 10 to 12 curry leaves
Other ingredients
- oil - for shallow or deep frying, as required
- water - as required, for steaming methi muthiya
For garnishing muthia
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh grated coconut
Instructions
Preparing muthiya dough
- Thoroughly mix all the ingredients listed for the dough except for water.
- Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add water and make a smooth dough. Do note that the addition of water will depend on the water content in the fenugreek leaves. So keep this in mind and if needed add more water.
Steaming muthiya
- From half of the dough, make sausage shaped rolls and place them in a greased tray or container.
- Steam these rolls for 17 to 20 minutes or till done.
- Once lukewarm or cooled, slice the steamed rolls.
Making tempering
- For the tempering, heat oil in a frying pan or kadai (wok). Add the mustard seeds, white sesame seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida.
- Stir and fry until the mustard crackles.
- Add the sliced steamed muthia. Mix and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Switch off heat and serve warm garnished with chopped coriander leaves and grated coconut
Making fried muthia
- Make small elongated cylindrical rolls from the remaining half of the dough.
- Heat oil for shallow or deep frying in a kadai or frying pan.
- Shallow or deep fry the muthia rolls till golden brown and crisp.
- Drain them on kitchen tissues to remove excess oil.
- Serve hot with some spicy or sweet chutney of your choice.
Notes
- If the dough become sticky, add some gram flour (chickpea flour).
- Don't over steam the muthia. They may become dry.
- While shaping, spread some oil on your palms. This helps to shape the dough easily.
- For a variation you can add replace 1 cup of gram flour with 1 cup of whole wheat flour (atta). If using whole wheat flour, you will need to add more water while making the dough.
- In India, we don't get very bitter fenugreek (methi leaves). If the fenugreek leaves are bitter, just rub some salt on the leaves and keep aside for 15 to 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 while forming the dough.