Gujarati Lauki Muthiya (Doodhi Muthia)

Blogging Marathon# 37: Week 4/ Day2
Theme: Member's Choice
Dish: Gujarati Muthiya with Lauki (Bottle gourd)

For the second day of BM# 37 under member's choice theme I picked Gujarati Muthiya. This healthy & filling snack from Gujarat has been on my to-make list for quite some time. So when I saw it on the members choice list, I knew I had to try it for this week.
I wanted to make Palak (spinach) muthiya and mentioned it to my blogging friends. Vaishali came back saying that the traditional muthiyas are made with methi leaves (fenugreek) or lauki (bottle gourd) and all the other versions are not very authentic. So I changed my mind and made the lauki muthiyas.

'Muthi' means fist in Gujarati and the dish is named 'muthiya' because they are made into a cylindrical shape using the fist. They are first steamed and then pan fried until crisp. They are great when served hot as tea time snack.

Bottle gourd has a ton of water in it, so it is not necessary to add any more water when making the dough. As I mentioned above, methi can also be used to flavor muthiyas.

Recipe from Tarla Dalal's site:
Ingredients:
Lauki/ Doodhi/ Bottle gourd - 2 cups, grated
Onion - 1 small, grated
Besan/ Chickpea flour - ½cup
Atta (whole wheat flour) - ½cup
Sooji (semolina) - 1cup
Ginger -2tsp, grated
Green chilies - 2, very finely chopped
Turmeric - ½tsp
Cumin seeds - ½tsp
Fennel seeds - ½tsp
Lemon Juice - 2tsp
Sugar - 1tsp
Baking Soda - ½tsp
Hing (asafoetida) - ½tsp
Salt - to taste

For Tempering:
Mustard seeds - ½tsp
Hing (asafoetida) - ½tsp
Sesame seeds - 1tsp
Cilantro - 2tbsp, finely chopped

Method:

• Add a pinch of salt to grated lauki and set it aside in a colander placed in a bowl. After 10~15 minutes, squeeze out all the water from the lauki and take it in a mixing bowl. Reserve the drained water.
• To the drained lauki and all the ingredients for the muthiyas and knead into a smooth dough. Add the reserved lauki water, only if needed.
• Lightly grease hands and divide the dough into equal portions -- roll each portion into a cylinder that is 6" long and 1" thick.
• Place them in a lightly greased container and steam for 20~25 minutes. 
• Let them cool slightly and cut the muthiyas into ½" pieces.
• Heat 2~3tbsp oil for tempering, add mustard seeds, asafoetida and sesame seeds. Once the seeds start to splutter, add the muthiyas and saute on medium flame until golden brown and crisp on all sides. Don't overcrowd the pan, cook in batches to evenly cook the muthiyas.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve immediately.

Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 38.