Doodhi Muthia- steamed Gujarati snack

Gujarat is a state in Western Indian and Gujarati cuisine is known for its farsan (snacks).  Khaman dhokla is probably the most well-known gujarati snack but I love them all- khandvi, patra, patti samosa, lilva kachori and I can go on and on.  But the star of this post is the Doodhi muthia.  Dhokla and Doodhia Muthia are the two gujarati snacks that I prepare the most at home.  They both are steamed snacks and relatively healthy if you can control the amount of oil that goes in the tempering. 

What is Doodhi Muthia?

Doodhi is also called lauki, ghiya, opo squash or bottle guard.  It has a light green smooth skin and white inner flesh.  It has a high-water content and is very nutritious containing essential nutrients like various vitamins, Iron, Folate, Magnesium, and Potassium.

Muthias are steamed dumplings made of some vegetable and different flours and spices.  They are tempered in oil after steaming.  You can substitute doodhi for zucchini or cabbage in this recipe.  Methi (fenugreek) muthias are also very popular but the process to make that is slightly different and will save that for another post. 

Steam method of cooking:

Steaming food is a very healthy way of cooking.  Instead of direct heat, you are using steam from the boiling water to cook your food.  I feel that steaming is a healthier way of cooking as compared to boiling because all the nutrients from the ingredients remain in the food when you steam it. 

A lot of Indian households have a separate steamer contraption to steam food, but honestly it is not needed.  If you have a wide pan/pot with lid and a stainless-steel plate, it will do the job. Here is how you would assemble a homemade steamer. 

The technique is simple, fill a pot with 1/2 inch of water and place three or four golf ball–sized balls of aluminum foil on the bottom on the pot and bring it to a boil. Place the items you are steaming on a stainless steel plate and place it on top of the aluminum balls, cover with the lid and steam. 

Key Features of the Doodhi Muthia recipe:

This recipe is Vegan and can be made Gluten-free if you substitute gluten free flour for whole wheat. 

It is very nutritious with healthy vegetables and whole grain flours used to make it and steaming method used to cook it.  You can make it low calorie by reducing the amount of oil used in tempering. 

You can customize it to your liking. The doodhi (lauki) in the recipe can be substituted for shredded zucchini or cabbage.  Yes, use up all those summer squash from your garden!

The leftovers store really well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  You just need to slightly heat it up in the microwave before eating it. 

Doodhi muthia served with cilantro-mint chutney makes a great evening snack when you have company. Sometimes I will just eat a big bowl of it for lunch, all by itself!

If you would like to try other Indian snacks, give easy Chivda recipe a try.

Doodhi Muthia- steamed Gujarati snack

Steamed Gujarati snack perfect with evening tea

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Recipe by Divya Jhaveri

4 from 8 votes

Course: SnacksCuisine: Indian

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups peeled and grated doodhi (lauki/opo squash/bottle gourd)

• 3/4 cup Whole wheat flour

• 1/4 cup Fine sooji

• 2 tablespoons Besan

• 1 tablespoon grated ginger

• 2 Thai green chilies, finely chopped (or according to heat tolerance)

• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 3/4 teaspoon haldi (turmeric powder)

• 1 teaspoon jeera powder (cumin powder)

• 1 tablespoon dhaniya (coriander powder)

• 1/2 teaspoon hing (asafoetida)

• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala

• 1 tablepsoon cooking oi ( I use Avocado oil )

• 1/4 teaspoon Baking soda

• salt to taste

• Tempering

• 2 tablespoons Cooking oil

• 1/4 cup Curry leaves

• 1 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)

• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

• 1 teaspoon til (sesame seeds)

• Garnish

• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

• 2 tablespoon freshly grated or frozen (de-frosted) coconut (optional)

Method

• Squeeze the water out of the grated doodhi and keep the water aside in case you need it for the dough.
  

  • 

• In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the muthia and mix well. I generally do not need to use any of the reserved liquid but do add it if you need to make a soft dough.
  

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• Add 2 cups of water to your steamer container and put it to boil.
  Using oiled palms, take small portions of the dough and roll in about 2-inch cylinders. Place the cylinders on an oiled plate and place the plate in the steamer container. Cover and steam for 20 minutes on medium heat.
  
• Once steamed, open the steamer container and let the muthia cylinders cool for 15 minutes before cutting them into ¾ inch round pieces.
• Tempering
• Heat oil in a wide pan. When heated, add mustard and cumin seeds. When they crackle, add the curry leaves and sesame seeds and cook for 30 seconds.
• Add the sliced muthias and stir to heat and coat the tempering. Remove from heat and garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.
  
• Serve with green chutney and tomato ketchup.

Tips

• Can be served warm or at room temperature
• You can make it gluten-free by using gluten free flour in place of Whole wheat flour.