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Muthia (Steamed Dumpling)

Muthia (Steamed Dumpling) Recipe by Manjula

Muthia (Steamed Dumpling)

Muthias are steamed spiced dumplings, made with gram flour (besan), cabbage, and spices. They make a tasty appetizer or snack.
Serves 4.
5 from 1 vote
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

For Muthia

  • ½ tsp sugar
  • tsp citric acid
  • 4 cup cabbage very fine shredded
  • 1 cup gram flour basen (available in Indian grocery stores)
  • 2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
  • 2 Tbsp 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 tsp cumin seed jeera
  • ½ tsp turmeric haldi
  • 1 tsp salt adjust to taste
  • 2 Tbsp oil

For Seasoning and Garnish

  • 2 Tbsp oil
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 Tbsp sesame seeds til
  • 4 whole red chili
  • 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro hara dhania

Instructions
 

  • 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 to make soft dough. Add water if needed .
  • Grease your fingers and divide the mixture into 14 pieces. Drop slowly onto the steamer and steam, covered, 18 to 20 minutes. Test by inserting a knife; blade should come out clean.
  • Let the muthias cool. Cut each one into two pieces off and then slice them in two pieces.

Making Seasoning

  • Heat the oil in the frying pan over medium high heat. Add the mustard seeds. Once they crack, add the sesame seeds and red chili and stir-fry the mixture a 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

Additional Notes
  • Steam immediately after preparing the mixture. If you allow it to sit, it will be too soft. If you have more than one batch, hold the salt and add it one batch at a time or it will be too soft.
  • 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
You can substitute zucchini or bottled gourd (also known as doodhi, loki or ghia) for the cabbage. Because theses vegetables have more water content, after shredding lightly squeeze them between your palms to remove the excess water 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.
Keyword Cabbage, Cabbage Dumpling, Healthy, Muthia, Muthiya, Steamed, Vegan
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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88 thoughts on “Muthia (Steamed Dumpling)

  1. Hello Aunty,

    I like your recipe. I tried it the way you have made yours. but My Muthiyas did not harden with Steaming. even after leaving it for 30 mins on the steamer. can you help. Do you think my Mithiyas were little too soft form the beginning? can I add some basan or Wheat Flour to same mixture and try again?

    thanks for your help.
    Payal

  2. Dear Manjula,
    I am a vegetarian and a big fan of your recipies. I have been making Mutias using cabbage, they are delicious. You did mention that they can be made with zuccini. I’m guessing you first grate them like in zuccini bread, but do you need to salt it and squeeze out the liquid or just use as is?
    Julie

  3. Hello Aunty,

    Have been looking to your website for quite long and cook several dishes of yours…Everything turned out very yummy…Saturday I’m gonna try Muthias of two types (Palak and Cabbage).

    Thanks a lot for your ideas.
    Regards,
    Saumya

  4. Hi Manjula aunty,
    I tried to make muthia, but something went wrong and it was not cooking at all…then I finally gave up…
    I am a big fan of your cooking…this is first time that I made something and didn’t came out good 🙁
    Please get some new Paneer recipe.

    Reagrds
    Sarika

  5. Hello Aunty,

    I love your dishes and it has helped a novice like me to learn a few tricks of cooking. Is there a replacement for citric acid? Can I use lemon juice instead? Please reply. I plan to make this for some guests visiting us next week.

    Regards,
    Swati

  6. Dear Manjula Tai, I am so thankful to you for this recipe.
    Everytime I make this I remember you a lot. My husband
    is on a Heart healthy diet,so he can have it anytime a day.
    Here in Canada we get such a huge cabbage,I really could
    not understand before,what to do with this other than our
    regular 4/6 dishes. Now I am happy to know this recipe.
    Thanks.

  7. Hello Aunty,

    I do not have steamer, what are the alternatives ? can I just steam like the way I steam dhoklas and then cut them into diagonal squares and add the tempering?
    Thanks

  8. Dear Manjula aunty,

    Thank you for this great recipe! I tried it today and came out very well. I added a little grated coconut at the end, as I didn’t have enough cilantro.

  9. Dear Manjuka Aunty,

    I am keep a regular watch at ur upcoming new innovative recipes. They are always excellent. The upper recipe of muthia is verygood, i just watched it and will surely try it, once i get all the ingridients.
    Thanks u very much for your kind effort in posting such nice recipes esp. without oil, for all of us viewers. May God bless u. Have a happy cooking now and always.
    One query Manjula aunty:)
    I saw the vegetable steamer u have used while making the muthias. From where i can get it? Iam currently living in Dubai. Can i get it here and with what name?

  10. Hi Mrs. Manjula,

    I saw this recipe just recently and immediately decided to make it since I had all the ingredients. I love the fact that this is a protein rich snack food without much oil at all. My toddler loved it with some ketchup, and the adults enjoyed it with some hot sauce. Really good recipe, and I’ll be making it more often. I hope you keep posting recipes like this that does not require deep frying.

  11. Manjulaben – Can I use Handvo flour instead of the mixture of the two you suggest? Please keep the recipes coming –they are a true inspiration.

  12. Hi aunty,
    I like your muthiya recei..
    But can I add garlic and ginger paste?
    And can u tell me such easy and quick indian food recepi…
    Coz I am student and sometime I have no idea to easy cooking iteam
    Pls,suggest & help me….
    Thanx

  13. Hi Manjula aunty,

    Thanks for all the lovely recipes!!
    I had a question though…I do not have a steamer. Can you tell me where you got yours from please?
    Thankyou again!

  14. Pingback: Happy Diwali (Festival of Lights) | Manjula's Kitchen | Indian Vegetarian Recipes
  15. Manjula -ji, Pranam, thank you for always being such a blessed and valuable resource for traditional gujarati recipes. My husband is very happy at having found your muthia recipes (we just had some in a store-bought package) and now you have inspired me to make this easy and very healthy snack.
    May the Divine bless you with abundance of peace, joy and happiness.
    Om Shanti
    Rita

  16. I substituted zucchini in this I did squeeze it out but when the salt was added it did get very watery I added more basen. It was sort of like pancake batter. I also added ginger I ended up frying it like pancakes.
    Then I made the gravy from the cabbage koftas and added a small can of diced tomatoes to entend it.
    I hope you try this my family loved it. Its your recipes twisted up a little.Love all your vids Thanks!

  17. This is great receipe, I always look for receipes where all the ingredients and the procedure are explained in detail . This one tops its all .

    thank you,
    urvashi

  18. hello Manjula aunty,

    thanks you for the recipe of muthia but i forget to put citric acid (soda) in my mixture so does it make any diffrence?

    Thank you
    Bhumi

  19. 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

  20. 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

  21. 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

  22. 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

  23. 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…

  24. 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.

  25. 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.

      1. 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…

  26. 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?

    1. 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

  27. 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

  28. 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

  29. I love muthia and would love to make them, but I do not have a steamer like the one you used. Can you tell me where I can purchase one or what else I can use instead of the steamer?

    Thanks,
    Fan

  30. Thanks for this WONDERFUL recipe, Manjula! I’m eating one of these masterpieces right now and I’m in heaven!

    I do have one question. Although I did oil my fingers, I found that after forming a few dumplings my fingers were coated in the batter and I had to wash my hands and re-oil. Is there an easier way to do this? I would even be willing to cook this in another form that didn’t require them to be formed into dumplings. I’m picturing something like a steamed cake or something. What do you think?

    Thank you!
    Adam

  31. Hi, Manjula.
    I also am a fan…you have many! Would rice flour be a suitable substitute for the whole wheat? I have Celiac disease and must avoid glutenous grains. Thank you for your help.

  32. thanks a lot auntyji for such wonderful recipes, I want to try this recipe but I don’t have the steamer thing , could u plz tell from where can I purchase that thing.

  33. Hello manjula ji, like the way u present the receipe. please can u suggest, if we r not using citric acid for this and want to replace it with eno fruit salt what would be the measurement. thanks. want to try this receipe asap. thanks

  34. Hello Manjula ji,

    I am a big fan of yours. I like the fact that we can see you prepare as opposed to just reading a recipe. In this recipe you have mentioned that we can use doodhi/lauki too instead of cabbage. Could you please tell me how to use it? Would you grate the doodhi or just chop it or run it in the food pro? As it leaves water, I was wondering how it would work. Please let me know. tHank you.

  35. The muthias look wonderful! I want to try them but I would love to have the cilantro chutney recipe to go with them! Is that on your website? I couldn’t find it. Thanks for all your videos, I try everything and my family appreciates all the new and interesting foods!

  36. Namaste aunty…hope u r doing well iam a great fan of u and ur cooking… Aunty cud u please suggest a good food processor to me ..iam new in san diego, US..so i have no idea..which brand to buy …
    i’ll really appreciate ur suggestion…thank you in advance…
    plz take care

  37. Namaste Auntyji,
    Happy wishes to you on Mahaveer Jayanti (sorry, belated ones !).
    I had querry, in your previous posts you had written about Diet in Lactating women. Can you suggest remedy(home made) for pregnanacy related morning sickness and nausea ?
    Thanks and regards.
    Manasi

  38. Hi Manjula jee
    I made Muthia yesterday , my husband he like it very much. thankyou very much for great recipie.
    Do you Know how to make Handvi???? 🙂
    thanks
    PK

    1. Hi Manjula
      I emailed you before. i asked about Handave , but one one my gujrate friend said it’s name is Handva and one name is Khandvi. sorry for wrong name. is you know about this dishes please let us know. these are light dishes .
      thanks
      Parminder

  39. Dear aunty,
    I was just wondering where can we buy the kind of vegetable steamer that you use in the muthia video? Can it be bought from an american store? Also where will I find citric acid? Thanks for all the wonderful videos.
    Ahs

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