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    Home » Indian

    Dudhi Muthiya | Vegan Steamed Dumplings

    Published: May 24, 2018 · Modified: Sep 13, 2021 by Archana · This post may contain affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases · 19 Comments

    7872 shares
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    Dudhi Muthiya is a Gujarati delicacy made with grated bottle gourd, fresh fenugreek leaves spiced with green chilies, ginger, and turmeric. These irresistible savory bites have a perfect balance of spicy, tangy, and sweet flavors with golden pan-fried crunchy textures. Served with a hot cup of chai, Muthiya makes a delicious snack, breakfast, or side dish.

    Muthiya served with condiments and tea

    Muthia

    The name "Muthia or Muthiya" comes from the way this dish is made, which is by gripping the dough in your hand and molding it to make small oval dumplings. Sometimes the dough is also shaped into bigger cylindrical croquettes which are steamed and then sliced.

    There are many variations of Muthiya that use an assortment of veggies and flours. My favorite is with fresh dudhi (also known as Lauki, bottle gourd, or calabash). It is a delicately flavored, low-calorie vegetable that is a good source of vitamin C. With its mild taste it is also used to make delicious desserts like Dudhi Halwa or Dudhi Basundi.

    I like to add fresh(or frozen) methi/fenugreek leaves to this easy dudhi muthiya recipe. It adds complimenting flavors and aroma to make this vegan dish even more nutritious.

    tempering for dudhi muthia

    Ingredients

    In addition to the veggies, muthia uses a mix of flours - whole wheat, gram flour, and sooji. Fresh ginger and green chilies add a perfect spice, while turmeric adds a light golden color to the dish. To make the muthia light, mix in baking soda just before pouring the mixture into the bowl to be steamed.

    dudhi muthiya ingredients

    Instant Pot Recipe

    Traditionally steamed in a stovetop steamer or pressure cooker, muthia is a perfect recipe for Instant Pot. The traditional recipe does not use water. It instead uses the water from the vegetables by massaging it gently to form the dough and the rolls/dumplings.

    Instead of making the rolls by hand, I have an easy shortcut to this recipe. I add a little bit of water to the dough to make the cake-like batter and then pour it into greased bowls to steam. Once cooked, cut them into smaller squares and pan-fry.

    dudhi muthia in a wok with spices on the side

    Similar to my rava dhokla and kothimbir vadi, I use Instant Pot to steam Muthiya. Simply remember to keep the Pressure release knob to venting instead of sealing.  I divide the dough into 2 bowls, to make thinner 1-inch muthiya. You can also steam in one deep 4 to 5-inch stainless steel bowl for thicker muthiya. If steaming in one bowl, increase the cooking time to 15 minutes.

    Muthiya in a nonstick pan

    Variations

    • Substitute Dudhi with grated cabbage or zucchini
    • Fresh/frozen fenugreek leaves can be substituted with spinach
    • Sooji can be substituted with rice flour
    Muthiya served with chutneys and tea

    Tips

    • Depending on the exact ingredients used, you may need more or less water to make this dough. Make sure that the  consistency of the batter is similar to thick cake batter 
    • You can also steam the whole dough in one stainless steel bowl for thicker muthiya. If steaming in one bowl, increase the cooking time to 15 minutes 
    • Steamed muthiyas can be sliced and frozen. To defrost simply keep them in the refrigerator for few hours. After thawing temper them according to the recipe
    • Steamed and sliced muthiyas are also added to the traditional Gujarati Undhiyu which is a delicious vegetable casserole dish
    dudhi muthiya with chai

    Served with a hot cup of ginger chai or sweet and tangy raw mango drink these Muthiya are simply delish.

    Did you enjoy the flavors of this delicious muthia? Check out some more healthy breakfast and snack recipes:

    • rava dhokla
    • kothimbir vadi
    • handvo

    ★ Have you tried this delicious muthiya recipe? We love your feedback, Please click on the stars in the recipe card below to rate.

    Tried this recipe? We love your feedback.Please click on the stars in the recipe card below
    dudhi muthia
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    4.06 from 39 votes

    Dudhi Muthia {Steamed dumplings} - Instant Pot

    A Gujarati delicacy made with grated bottle gourd, fresh fenugreek leaves spiced with green chilies, ginger and turmeric makes a healthy snack or breakfast.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Resting Time10 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course: Breakfast, Snack
    Cuisine: Indian
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 275kcal
    Author: Archana Mundhe

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
    • Stainless steel pot

    Ingredients

    Main Ingredients

    • ¾ cup Wheat Flour
    • ¾ cup besan gram flour
    • ¼ cup sooji rava or semolina
    • 1 cup dudhi peeled and grated
    • 1 cup fenugreek leaves chopped, fresh or frozen
    • ½ cup cilantro chopped
    • 1 teaspoon ginger grated
    • 1 teaspoon hot green chili minced
    • 2 teaspoon sugar
    • 2 teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
    • 1 tablespoon oil
    • ½ cup water or as needed
    • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
    • ¼ teaspoon baking soda or ½ teaspoon fruit salt

    Tempering Ingredients

    • 3 tablespoon oil
    • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
    • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
    • 15 curry leaves chopped
    • 2 teaspoon brown sesame seeds
    • 2 green chilies sliced (optional)

    Optional Garnish

    • ½ cup cilantro chopped
    • 2 tablespoon coconut grated, fresh or frozen

    Instructions

    • Grease two 7-½ inch stainless steel bowls with cooking oil or spray.
    • Add 1 ½ cups water to the Instant Pot insert. Set on Sauté mode so the water starts to heat. Heating up the water before placing the batter in the Instant Pot will result in light muthia. Make sure to do this about 5 minutes before you are ready place the batter in the Instant Pot for steaming. Boiling it for too long may cause a lot if water to evaporate.
    • Mix all the main ingredients except baking soda in medium bowl. Once the water in the Instant Pot gets hot, add the baking soda to the batter and mix well. Quickly pour the batter in the two greased bowls. Place the Instant Pot trivet in the pot and stack the bowls on trivet. Note: It is important to start the steaming process within couple of minutes for the baking soda to work. Close Instant Pot lid with pressure valve to Venting.
    • Set Instant Pot to Steam mode, with an external timer for 12 mins. Note: Timer function does not work with Steam/Venting, so an external timer is needed.
    • Once the timer goes off, Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot after 5 minutes.
    • Carefuly take out the bowls. Run a knife around the edges so the muthia can be released on a plate. Allow the muthia to cool for another 5 minutes and the cut into small squares.
    • Muthia can be enjoyed steamed or enjoyed crispy by pan frying. To pan fry, Heat oil in a medium non-stick pan. Add mustard seeds and allow them to pop. Lower the heat and add cumin seeds, sesame seeds, curry leaves and green chilies. Cook for another minute as the curry leaves start to crisp up. Add the cut muthia pieces to the tempering and mixing gently to coat the tempering evenly on the muthia. Cook until the muthia turn golden on the sides. Garnish with grated coconut and cilantro.

    Notes

    To check if they are done insert a clean knife. If it comes out clean that means it is done. If they stick to the knife, simply put the bowls back in the Instant Pot and steam for another 2 minutes.
    Substitute 1 cup of Dudhi with 1 cup grated cabbage or zucchini
    Substitute 1 cup of fresh/frozen fenugreek leaves with spinach.
    Depending on the exact ingredients used, you may need more or less water to make this dough. Make sure that the consistency of the batter is similar to thick cake batter. 
    You can also steam the whole dough in one stainless steel bowl for thicker muthia. If steaming in one bowl, increase the cooking time to 15 minutes. 
    Steamed muthias can be sliced and frozen. To defrost simply keep them in the refrigerator for few hours. After thawing temper them according to the recipe. 
     
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 275kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 891mg | Potassium: 216mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 275IU | Vitamin C: 55.6mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 2.4mg
    Tried this recipe?Share your photo and tag @ministry_of_curry or tag #ministryofcurry

    ♥ We LOVE to hear from you! Did you try this muthiya recipe? Please share your food photo with hashtag #ministryofcurry on Facebook or Instagram, so we can see it and our followers can enjoy it too! Thank you and Happy Cooking

    ♥ Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for tasty and easy video recipes. Looking for more Instant Pot recipes? Check out our delicious Instant Pot Recipe board on Pinterest.

    Author: Archana

    Hey there! I am a techie turned recipe developer, cooking instructor, and food blogger. I love food and enjoy developing easy and healthy recipes for busy lifestyles. I live in New Jersey with my husband and two sons.
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    1. 4waystoyummy says

      May 24, 2018 at 3:41 pm

      This looks delicious! At first I saw the long list of ingredients and thought it may be too complex but your video really showed how quickly it comes together in an unfussy way. Nice job and I hope to try it! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Archana says

        May 24, 2018 at 7:17 pm

        Thank you! Yes the recipe calls for basic ingredients and it may look longer with some of the optional tempering ingredients. Hope you like the dish.

        Reply
    2. simplyvegetarian777 says

      May 24, 2018 at 4:03 pm

      Absolutely loved it

      Reply
      • Archana says

        May 24, 2018 at 7:18 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    3. Radha Bage says

      June 26, 2018 at 5:09 pm

      I made it yesterday night and gave a tadka today morning before lunch . My husband loved it .Salt was on lighter side but we ate it with green chutney so worked out well. thank you for a great recipe which is guilt free.

      Reply
      • Archana says

        June 26, 2018 at 5:44 pm

        Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it. If you have some leftovers, you can also try the Undhiyu recipe with muthia.

        Reply
    4. Neha Suchdeve says

      July 22, 2018 at 3:20 pm

      My daughter is allergic to chickpeas. Can you use something else ti replace the chickpea flour? TIA

      Reply
      • Archana says

        July 22, 2018 at 7:50 pm

        Hi Neha, I have not tried with other flours bit you can try with soybean flour or buckwheat flour.

        Reply
    5. Roma says

      November 26, 2018 at 12:53 am

      I make it today and it was delicious. I have the instant pot duo (smaller one) and had to do it 2 batches and it came out fine. I only had tried methi (1/4) cup and used 3/4 cup fresh spinach.
      Thank you!!4 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        November 26, 2018 at 11:25 pm

        awesome! Thanks for the feedback.

        Reply
    6. Sital Mody says

      June 21, 2019 at 3:04 pm

      Do you thaw the frozen spinach or fenugreek first

      Reply
      • Archana says

        June 21, 2019 at 4:03 pm

        Yes! Just microwave for 30 seconds

        Reply
    7. radhika s kumar says

      December 06, 2019 at 10:00 pm

      Why there is lime juice listed twice and two different measurements?

      Reply
      • Archana says

        December 07, 2019 at 12:31 am

        Thank you for pointing it out. I have corrected it.

        Reply
    8. CK1990 says

      May 23, 2020 at 8:43 am

      Hi Archana, is it possible to replace the wheat flour with farrari or bajra flour? Thanks

      Reply
      • Archana says

        May 23, 2020 at 8:35 pm

        yes!

        Reply
    9. Karyn Erb says

      August 27, 2020 at 8:42 pm

      Absolutely delicious!!5 stars

      Reply
    10. Nilima says

      August 28, 2020 at 11:07 am

      Can I use anything else instead of wheat due to allergy? Thank you5 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        August 28, 2020 at 10:26 pm

        I have not tested but may be gluten-free flour will work

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Archana: a former software engineer, now a full-time blogger. I am a mother of two boys who share my love for food and cooking. Words I love to hear are, “Mom, what’s for dinner?” The same words I say to my mom every time we speak. I live in the greater New York City Area with my husband and sons.

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