Muthiya or muthia literally translates into a fist. We make the dough as a cylinder or circle by pressing it between the palms and then steaming it. I love Gujarati food and have a great affinity towards various snacks that they make. No one can say no to Dhokla and we are no exception. My boys can literally eat dhokla anytime I make it. If you are looking to make an Instant dhokla, then take a look at this Instant sooji / rava dhokla as well. I have a lot of Gujarati friends and they know that I am a foodie. I would always be greeted with tons of food and I have had an opportunity to learn traditional recipes like these from them. I make dudhi na muthiya very often during summer with our homegrown fresh bottle gourd. The whole summer, we are blessed with a big bounty of bottle gourds and I make several recipes with it.
Why make this recipe?
Dudhi muthiya is a very easy-to-make and filling snack. It is a great snack to serve in the evenings with a cup of hot tea. Lauki Muthiya is very healthy as it is steamed and then pan-fried. It is a vegan recipe and is made with basic Indian ingredients found in the pantry. It takes less than an hour to make the dudhi na muthiya recipe and it feeds a crowd. If you have an Instant Pot, use it to steam the muthiyas.
Ingredients and substitutes
Check the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact measurements and printable detailed recipes. Lauki / Bottle gourd - Dudhi or lauki or bottle gourd is that star ingredient in this Muthiya recipe. We use grated and squeezed bottle gourd to make this recipe. Muthiya or also made with greens such as methi (fenugreek leaves) or spinach. We can also use grated zucchini or cabbage to make muthiya. Flours - I use wheat flour, semolina/sooji / rava, and gram flour/besan. Other vegetables - We will be using green chilies, ginger, and cilantro in our muthiya dough. Spices - I add turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, sugar, and some baking soda in the dough. Seasoning - We will season the muthiya and pan-fry them adding mustard seeds, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, curry leaves, asafetida and then add lemon juice and more cilantro in the end.
Step-by-step process
Peel the bottle gourd and grate it. Bottle gourd has a very high water content, so squeeze out as much as water you can from the vegetable and keep the vegetable in a large mixing bowl. Do not discard the squeezed-out water. Keep it aside as this will be the water we will use to knead the dough.
In the bowl with the vegetable, add all the ingredients mentioned above (except the seasoning ingredients). Mix well using your hands and form a soft dough. Use the squeezed bottle of gourd water to make the dough. Cover the dough and keep it to rest for about 20 minutes.
Heat water in the steamer. Using wet hands make cylindrical shaped muthias from the dough and layer them on a greased steamer plate. Repeat the same with the rest of the dough and then steam the muthias for about 18 - 20 minutes. Insert a fork in the muthias to see if it comes out clean. If the fork comes out clean, then the muthias are done.
I use Instant Pot to steam my muthiya. I steam it on steam mode with the vent open for about 18 minutes. Make sure to keep a timer externally as the timer will not count down when the vent is open.
Remove the steamed muthias and let it cool down a bit. Then slice them into ½-inch thick pieces.
Heat 2 tablespoon of oil in a wide pan and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, curry leaves, and asafetida.
Fry for a few minutes and then add the sliced muthias. Mix gently to coat and let it cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the lemon juice and cilantro and stir.
Serve the Dudhi Muthia with sweet tamarind chutney and green chutney!
Expert Tips
Make sure to remove as much as moisture you can from the grated bottle gourd. Otherwise, the dough will become very soft and will be hard to shape it. If at all your dough becomes too soft, place a ladle full of sough in idli plates and steam. We can then slice it into long logs. After steaming the dough, let it sit for a few minutes, and then insert a fork or knife into the steamed dough. If the fork or knife comes out clean, then we know that it is entirely cooked. Otherwise, steam it for a few more minutes. Make sure to pan-fry the dudhi na muthiyas until they become slightly crunchy on the outside. I love using a wide pan or a wok for this purpose.
Frequently asked question
More Bottle gourd recipes
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