You get a variety of choices for a single dish. A reinvented version sometimes with a new ingredient, new form or sometimes even fusion. But you still stick on to that special one. Don,t you?
The choices in pulaos, dosas, sandwiches, biryanis, pickles and all other countless dishes in the world have their so called different versions but among each, you have your favourite.
But its really hard to have a choice for certain vegetables. Let your mother make it however you are not going to eat it. Just a hint that there’s tinda hidden somewhere in that sindhi kadhi , or the aloo ki sabji has baingan or there’s dudhi in your dal. you arent going to eat it. They all belong to an unnamed club which no one wants to be invited too. But then try cooking them differently-bharta? a majority winner. karela fry — crisp and yumm. ash gourd petha- lets make an agra visit for that. lauki ka halwa- who is going to stop me.
So on and so forth and we are going to explore lauki today. yes not much of a majority favourite we already established that. But lets cook it a way thats fun.
Ask a gujrati for one of their most home made snacks and the reply would be muthiya.. and dudhi na muthiya more than anything else. Even though there are multiple options here too.
The perfectly crisp yet melt in mouth steam god is the best way for mothers to feed their kids dudhi. And the steaming process actually makes it a healthier snack option. Muthiya in gujrati means dumplings that which you shape in your fist.
Dont get me wrong, not sidelining my main hero but the best part is the chutney. Please do extra mehnat for that . muthiya and lehsun ni chutney. and you wont be able to stop yourself
but what if you don’t do ??? just simply temper and stir fry them and they are good to snack with tea.
Or you steam them the first day and temper the leftovers for next day breakfast too. Well that’s the sweet morning memory of my home
Bottle gourd is high in water content promoting weight loss, light on the stomach boosting immunity due to sufficient amount of vitamin c and one among the many water containing vegetables to be eaten during summers.
So I am preparing my favourite lauki dish.
What is your favourite way to eat lauki or are you yet to make that jump?
Dudhi na muthiya (Bottle gourd dumplings)
Ingredients
- 500 gram Bottlegourd
- 250 gram Wheat flour
- 100 gram Gramflour
- 3 tbsp Chili garlic paste
- 5 tbsp Oil
- 1/4 cup Coriander leaves
- 2 nos Lime juice
- 1 tsp Sugar
- to taste Salt
- 1/2 tsp Carom seeds
- 2 tbsp Sesame seeds
- 1/2 tbsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 2 tsp Chilli powder
- 2 tsp Cumin coriander powder
Instructions
- Wash, peel and grate the bottle gourd. Add the grated dudhi and make dough. Apply oil and cover and rest for 30 minutes. Apply oil on hand roll muthiya with palm and steam for 15-20 minutes till knife inserted comes clean and firm to touch. Remove and let cool. Repeat process in batches.
- Now cut the muthiyas. In a pan heat oil add mustard seeds, sesame seeds, curry leaves (optional). Add muthiyas toss and fry for a few minutes. Adjust taste with salt, sugar and lime juice. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.
- In a mixing plate add both the flours, turmeric, chili powder, cumin coriander powder, salt ,sugar, carom seeds, half of the fresh coriander, garlic chili paste, oil and lime juice.
- To the above mix add in the grated bottle gourd and make a dough without adding excess water. Only add water if needed.
- Apply oil and allow the dough to rest for about half an hour . Meanwhile prepare your steamer .
- Make dumplings in your fist and place multiple dumplings in the steamer. (As many as your steamer can hold)
- Allow them to steam for 15-20 mins or till a knife inserted comes clean and the dumplings are firm to touch.
- After the dumplings cool down cut them in small yet thick roundels. In a pan heat up oil, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, sesame seeds and toss the cut dumplings in it. Saute for a few minutes till crispy and slightly brown at the edges. Garnish with coriander leaves and a touch of lime juice.
- Serve hot with lehsun ni chutney or godkeri or any accompaniment of your choice. Enjoy!