Gujarati Muthiya (Steamed flour dumplings)

Muthiya is a popular Gujarati snack. It is of two types, soft (muthiya) and hard (kadak muthiya). I like both but I recently made the soft variety and this is the recipe for that. Kadak muthiya is made with methi (fenugreek) leaves but the soft ones can be made with doodhi (lauki / gourd), methi or kothmari leaves (coriander). I opted for doodhi in this recipe. If you do not have bajra or do not like bajra, you can use wheat flour instead and add about 1 teaspoon of soda bicarb in the mix and additional 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.

Ingredients:

1 cup bajra flour (Pearl millet)

1 cup wheat flour

1/2 cup besan (gram flour)

1 cup grated doodhi

2 teaspoon dhania jeera powder (coriander cumin)

2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Pinch asafoetida

5 tablespoons oil

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

Salt

Mix dough with 2 tablespoons oil, all the spices and salt along with doodhi. Add water to form paratha-like dough consistency, it should be stiffer dough than roti dough. Divide dough into 4 or more parts and roll into 1 inch rolls. Arrange these rolls on any perforated plate. Steam these in a steamer or in a pressure cooker without the whistle. The rolls will rise when steamed and will cook in about 15 minutes. Once cooled cut the rolls into rounds of about 8 mm to 1 cm thickness. Heat oil in a wok and add mustard seeds. Add the cut muthiya rounds to season. Toss well so that all pieces are coated well. Serve with chunda, ketchup or chutney.