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Muthia (Steamed Dumpling)
April 6th, 2009 filed under Appetizers, Vegan
Muthias are steamed spiced dumplings, made with gram flour (besan), cabbage and spices. I have selected to make them with cabbage, but you can make muthias using zucchini (Italian squash) or Bottle gourd also known as doodhi or louki. Muthia makes a great appetizer or snack.
Recipe serves 4.
Ingredients:
Muthia:
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon citric acid
- 4 cups very fine shredded cabbage
- 1 cup gram flour (basen)
- 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons chopped fenugreek leaves (can be substitute with 2 tablespoons of dry fenugreek leaves or kastoori mathi) fenugreek can also be replaced with chopped cilantro (hara dhania)
- 2 chopped green chili (adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seed (jeera)
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- 2 tablespoons oil
For Seasoning and Garnish:
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (til)
- 4 whole red chili
- 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro (hara dhania)
Method:
- Combine gram flour, whole-wheat flour, fenugreek, cumin seed, turmeric, green chili, sugar, citric acid, oil, and salt in a bowl.
- Add the cabbage to the flour mixture and mix well. Mixture should be like a very soft dough.
- Divide the mixture with greased fingers into about 14 pieces and drop them on steamer slowly and steam them covered for 18 to 20 minutes. Check them if muthias are ready put a knife through and it should come out clean.
- Let the muthias cool off and then slice them in two pieces.
- For seasoning heat the oil in frying pan on medium high. Add mustard seeds after they crack add sesame seeds and red chili and stir-fry for few seconds.
- Add muthias and stir-fry them for three to four minutes until they are light brown.Garnish them with chopped cilantro.
- Serve them hot or at room temperature.
Notes:
- Make the mixture just before you are ready to stem them. Otherwise mixture leaves the water and will become very soft. If you have more then one batch hold the salt and add the salt for one batch at a time.
- Muthias can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days.
- Muthias can be frozen before seasoning. When ready to serve, thaw the frozen muthias and season them.
Variation:
Cabbage can be substituted with zucchini or bottled gourd also known as doodhi, loki or ghia. Because theses vegetables have more water content, after shredding lightly squeeze them between your palms to get the excess water out before making the mixture.
- Serving suggestions:
Muthias are great with cilantro chutney.
Muthias can be served just after steaming, but before seasoning, with cilantro chutney.
Hello Aunty,
I want to make these for a party, can I steam these and refrigerate ahead of time, like a week before. And then season it same day.
Thank you so much!
Mahi
Hello Mahi,
you can refrigerate mithias for few days, if you are making week or more in advance I will freeze them and thaugh before seasoning.
Hello Manjula,
Can you use eno fruit salt in place of citric acid? I love your recipes and you have helped me cook some amazing dishes. Thank you for being vegetarian friendly.
Regards,
Judy
Dear Mam,
it is a good and easy to make dish. I always learn dishes from your web site and want to know more about urad daal i know there are three types of this urad daal, But dont know how to make it. Please mention more lentils in your options. I suggested your web site to my friend who is newly married.
Thanks,
Poornima
hii majula aunty,
Your recipes are excellent.I like to watch your cooking videos weather i try them or not.I made muthias n it came out very gud.I wanna to kw if i can use lemon juice instead of citric acid.
thanks
Hello Manjula,
I would love to hear your reply of my last query. Could the bitterness of the mithias be lessened if I put them in the fridger and fry them another day and can we have it with tamrind chutney instead of cilantro chutney?
Thanking you.
Regards…
Hello Manjula,
I tried this recipe today and it turned out great except, that it tasted a bit bitter. I wonder if it was the besan but I don’t feel like throwing it away also! Eventhou it tastes little bit bitter, it still tastes great. Please advice how I could feed the guests, ie, by maybe serving with tamrind chutney or……
And it took me a bit longer to steam also. How high should the heat be?
Thanks.
Hello Manjula,
Yours website is great! I wanted to know if we can use all purpose flour instead of wheat flour? Would love to make it today but don’t have the wheat flour!
Would appreciate if you could reply as soon as possible because I am planning to make this for a function.
Thanks.
Hi Angel,
Replace the whole wheat with samolina flour or corn flour otherwise do without.
Thanks a lot for your quick reply Manjula! I was waiting for it eagerly. I think I will just go without it. Hope it turns out well and tasty still.
Regards…
Dear Manjulaji,
I don not understand by steamer…..do you mean we have to steam them under boiling water? is there any other way to steam if i dont have a steamer?
also can i use soda bi carbonate instead of citric acid?
Hello Vanita,
If you do not have a steamer, you can do any of the following:
1) Use a idli/dhokla maker and cook like you would cook idli/dhokla OR
2) If you don’t have idli maker stand then use your pressure cooker, add some water and let it come to a boil. Meanwhile, put the dough in a 1 and 1/2 inch thick layer in a greased steel plate or cooker dibba (whatever vessel you have that fits into and is safe in the cooker) and reduce the heat. Close the cooker but Do Not put the weight (whistle) ON. Cook as described in the video by Aunty for about 17-18 minutes and check OR
3) If you don’t have pressure cooker, just use any steel dibba or plate instead of the steamer used by Aunty and it should work well.
Hope this helps
Sweetie
Hello Manjula aunty,
I tried this recipe today and it turned out to be great! I was looking for good muthia recipe since long, and today I found it on your website. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Regards,
Alpa
This is the 3rd time I find your cooking videos and I so love how vegitarian friendly and amazingly flavorful your foods are..SO happy to have found you~! thanks I love learning new things .
Respectfully yours ,
Misty