Cabbage and Spinach Muthiya

Memories

Mum and Nunu’s Muthiya Recipe

My mum mostly made muthiya using fresh methi (fenugreek) and lauki (doodhi, bottle gourd). My mother in law on the other hand made them often with cabbage and methi. When it comes to me, I make them with ingredients available. For example, in Canada I don’t fresh fenugreek where I live so I add spinach. Sometimes I add cabbage or zucchini as sourcing bottle gourd here is difficult. If I find chayote in the market, then that is what I will add. So it all depends on availability  of the vegetables.  Whichever way, this snack is healthy, full of veggies and flavours and best part is that it is steamed.

Visit To Niagara Falls

Last weekend was my second visit to Niagara Falls and I thought I will not be as impressed with this natural wonder as I was the first time. However, I was so wrong. It was as though I was watching the mighty falls for the first time. I guess that the feeling of awe will never cease no matter how many times I may get an opportunity to visit the Niagara Falls. It is one of my favourite places on this Earth. 

My Dad & Niece Visiting Us

We took my dad who is visiting Canada for the first time, to Niagara Falls. We booked him into a falls view room and boy was it spectacular. My niece from Atlanta paid us a surprise visit(my son knew) and she too joined us for the weekend trip. It was her first time too to see the falls. Come evening and we all would gather in my dad’s room to watch the different colours lighting the falls. It is such a pretty sight.

Niagara Falls

Three falls make up the Niagara Falls, the largest being the Horseshoe Falls that borders between USA and Canada, the American Falls which is on the USA side and the small Bridal Veil Falls on the USA side separated from the American Falls by the small island Luna. About 6 million cubic feet of water falls over the crest line every minute in high flow which is 169901079.6 litres !!!!!! So every time hubby and I walked past the falls, we would say ‘if only, if only Mombasa could get that 1 minute of supply we would be fine, no more water shortages. Or can you imagine if Kaveri had about 5 minute supply, it probably would solve water issues between the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. But that’s all wishful thinking. 

Second Visit

This time round hubby and I didn’t do the Maiden of the Mist trip but we enjoyed walking through the immaculately maintained gardens, walked along the pathway near the falls, enjoying the shower from the falls as it was very hot. This time we were able to do a mini trail walk further off the horseshoe falls and coming down to the falls. Canada takes preserving its nature very seriously. I wish countries like India and Kenya would learn some valuable lessons from Canada in preserving our heritage and Mother Nature. Both countries have so many beautiful scenic places but are getting lost to development. 

 

 

Sharing Cabbage And Spinach Muthiya Recipe With FoodieMonday/ Bloghop Group

This week for Foodie Monday/ Bloghop group, Priya Iyer blogger at The Girl Next Door suggested #Steamed as our 103rd theme. This theme is pretty challenging if you don’t want to just serve steamed veggies. Many dishes require you to cook the food for a bit on the stove and then steam the end product like papdi no lot (khichu) or like kozhukattai where the flour is first cooked in water and then shaped and steamed. Non vegetarians can prepare steamed fish, chicken etc. Having said that many of the Gujarati snacks are steamed like dhokla, arvi na paan, muthais, Maharastrian vadi, South Indian idlis and kinnathappam. As my dad loves muthiya I opted for another version of the muthia recipe.

 

Sharing This Post With Foodies_Redoing Old Posts

As mentioned above I had shared this recipe with FoodieMonday / Bloghop group on 31/07/2017. Redoing the post with better write up and photos on 12/02/2026.

 

More About Muthiya | Muthia

• Can use a variety of flours right from pearl millet, jowar, sorghum to even ragi flour.
• Can use a variety of vegetables – spinach, kale, fresh fenugreek, amaranth leaves, zucchini, bottle gourd, pumpkin, chayote, etc.
• Can enjoy hot steamed muthiya. As soon as they are steamed, serve with a drizzle of oil. Peanut oil, olive oil.
• Alternately, allow the steamed muthiya to cool down completely. Cut them into pieces and them stir fry with some tempering spices and garlic.
• Muthiyas are best enjoyed with a drizzle of lemon juice and with some masala tea.
• Can deep fry the steamed muthiya, but we generally don’t.
• Most muthiya recipes will suggest that you roll the stiff batter or dough into logs and steam. But sometimes for much softer muthiya we tend to make the batter a little more runny and steam it in a plate or tray. That way the muthiya are not hard. Choose whichever method suits your needs best.

 

Some More Steamed Food You May Like

WHITE DHOKLA | IDADA |IDRA

White Dhokla also known as Idra, Idada, Idla or Khatta Dhokla is a traditional Gujarati steamed snack made from a batter of rice and lentils or dals. Enjoyed usually as a snack or as a part of a thali, it is commonly served with mango ras and puri. It is different from idli in the ratio of rice to urad dal. Also my mum would add a bit of chana and moong dal. Some add flattened rice or poha too. Khatta means sour, so the batter is allowed to ferment overnight so that it becomes a bit sour.

Check out this recipe

QUINOA DHOKLA

Quinoa Dhokla is a gluten free, protein rich, healthy snack or breakfast option. Easy to make, these spongy, melt in the mouth dhokla are a good way to include protein rich quinoa in your family's diet. And the best part is that they taste good whether they are hot or cold. This makes them ideal as lunch box snack option also.

Check out this recipe

FARALI DHOKLA

Farali Dhokla is made from samo or moriyo and sabudana. It is a healthy, gluten free steamed snack enjoyed on fasting days.

Check out this recipe

MOONG DAL DHOKLA

Dhokla is a very famous Gujarati snack whereby a batter of rice and lentils is allowed to ferment before it is steamed. Its served as a snack on its own with chutneys or as a part of a full or thali meal. I've replaced the chana dal with moong dal.

Check out this recipe

INSTANT DHOKLA 

Instant Dhokla is a quick and easy variation of the traditional Gujarati steamed snack.Healthy, delicious and super soft, this dish comes together within 25 minutes.

Check out this recipe

BAJRA METHI MUTHIYA/ BAJRE METHI KE MUTHIYA

Bajri Methi Na Muthiya is a healthy and steamed Gujarati snack. Easy to make and delicious. Especially when stir fried with garlic and served with a drizzle of lemon juice.  

Check out this recipe

GUJARATI STEAMED MUTHIYA

Gujarati Steamed Muthiya is a delicious, easy to make and versatile snack. Usually, muthiya or muthia is steamed, cut into pieces and then stir fried with tempering ingredients.

Check out this recipe

BUCKWHEAT IDLIS

Buckwheat Idli is a soft, fluffy, nutritious ,steamed and  healthy breakfast or snack to enjoy. Enjoy it with some sambar and chutney, or on its own with some chutney and ghee drizzled over it. Or, you can stir fry them with some podi masala or spice powder.

Check out this recipe

INSTANT SEMOLINA IDLI/RAVA IDLI

Instant Semolina Idli/ Rava Idli is a soft, fluffy and moist steamed breakfast or snack option. Healthy, filling and nutritious, it is so easy to make semolina, rava or sooji idli. 

Check out this recipe

IDLI SAMBAR

Idli Sambar is a fluffy soft, melt in the mouth fermented and steamed breakfast, served with a delicious, piping hot lentil stew and topped with fresh coconut chutney.

Check out this recipe

BAFAURI

Bafauri is a healthy, steamed snack from the state of Chhattisgarh in India. This delicious snack is made from chana dal and simple spices. Usually it is enjoyed as a breakfast or evening snack with some chutney.

Check out this recipe

Handvo Flour

Handvo flour is a mixture of rice and chana dal with a bit of urad dal. All three are ground together to make a slightly coarse flour. It is easily available in all Indian stores. My family recipe for Handvo flour is 1 cup rice, ¾ cup chana dal, ¼ cup tuvar dal and 2 tbsp urad dal. The rice is ground separately to a coarse texture almost like semolina. The dals are ground together to a powder. Then mix all together.

Other Flour

I like adding other flours like bajra, jowar, amaranth, ragi,. This is optional. You can replace the amount with handvo flour or wheat flour. Don’t use wheat flour for  gluten muthiya.

Semolina

Whenever I use ready made handvo flour, sometimes it lacks the coarse texture. That is when I add a bit of semolina. However, for gluten free version don’t add semolina. Omit it altogether.  Can add handvo flour instead or coarsely ground rice flour.

Fresh Spinach

I prefer using fresh spinach. Can be the normal one or baby spinach. Wash and dry the leaves on a kitchen towel. Chop the spinach finely. We will be using 2 cups of chopped spinach, packed down in the cup.

Cabbage

I prefer to shred the cabbage using a box grater. We need 2 cups of grated cabbage. If you opt to chop the cabbage, make sure it it chopped finely.

Plain Yogurt

Plain yogurt that is not watery. If the yogurt is watery then you have to be careful how much water you add to the batter. Yogurt not only makes the muthiya soft but also adds a subtle tanginess flavour.

Water

Add little at a time, For a more runny batter we need more. For a stiff dough you need less water.

Turmeric Powder

Hardar or haldi. We will be adding some to the batter.

Carom Seeds

Ajwain or ajmo. We add some to the batter. Aids digestion and prevents bloating.

Fresh Ginger

Peel and grate or mince the ginger. We need about 1 tablespoon minced ginger.

Green Chillis

We need about 1 tablespoon of minced green chillis.

Garlic

Peel and mince garlic for the batter. We need about 1 tablespoon. For the tempering or vaghar we need peeled and sliced garlic, about 1-2 cloves.

Salt

Add according to your taste.

Sugar

Or jaggery powder or grated. Add a little to balance the flavours.

Lemon Juice

To add a bit of tanginess. Best to use fresh lemon juice.

Eno – Fruit Salt

Or baking soda. Optional. It makes the muthiya a bit more soft.

Asafoetida

Known as hing. Add some for umami flavour. Optional ingredient. Omit for gluten free muthiya.

Oil

We need some oil to add in the batter, for greasing the steaming basket or plate and also some for the tempering or vaghar. Can use any oil of your choice. I prefer using sunflower oil.

Mustard Seeds

Rai or sarson ke dane. Need some for the tempering.

Fenugreek Seeds

Known as methi ke dane, we need a little for the tempering.

Sesame Seeds

To add some to the tempering.

Cumin Seeds

Jeera, jiru. We add a little to the tempering.

CABBAGE AND SPINACH MUTHIA

mayurisjikoni

Cabbage And Spinach Muthiya is a healthy  Gujarati steamed and stir fried snack. Enjoy it as a snack with some masala tea or for breakfast.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

RESTING TIME 10 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine Gujarati

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

FOR THE BATTER

• 2 cups handvo flour
• ½ cup bajri flour
• ¼ cup semolina
• 2 cups spinach finely chopped packed
• 2 cups cabbage finely grated
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• ½ cup water
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp ajwain
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ tsp asafoetida
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 1 tbsp green chilli paste
• 1½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp Eno fruit salt optional
• extra oil for greasing

FOR TEMPERING |VAGHAR

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 tbsp garlic slices
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds

TO SERVE

• Lemon wedges

Instructions

 

• Add flours and semolina to a big bowl. Mix it well.
• Add oil and rub the oil into the flour mixture.
• Add spinach, cabbage, oil, turmeric powder, ginger, garlic, chilli pastes, ajwain, salt, sugar, lemon juice, yogurt, asafoetida.
• Mix well.
• Add at first 2 tbsp water and mix. Add more if required little at a time. We want a stiff dough.
• Add Eno or baking soda if you are using any. Mix the batter well.
• For a more softer dough can add all the water. Then you will need to steam the muthiya in a plate.
• Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes.
• Get your steaming device ready. To the steaming pan add water quarter full. The bottom plate should not touch the water.
• Grease the plate on which you will put the rolls with some oil.
• Divide the batter roughly  into 4 parts.
• Rub a little oil on both your hands.
• Roll each part into a log. Depends on how thick or thin you want to roll them into.
• Place the logs in the greased plate which is in the steaming device.
• Close the lid tightly and steam the muthiya for 30 minutes.
• Check to see if it is done. Insert a toothpick in the steamed muthiya and it should come out relatively clean. If batter sticks to the toothpick then add a bit more water to the steamer and steam for further 5 minutes.
• If the muthiya are cooked remove them from the steamer.
• Cool them completely if you are going to stir fry them with some tempering or vaghar.
• If you want to enjoy them steamed only, then serve hot with some oil and lemon juice drizzled on top.
• Slice the muthiya.

TEMPERING | VAGHAR

• Heat oil in a wide pan over medium heat.
• When it is hot add first the fenugreek seeds.
• Then add the mustard and cumin seeds.
• Add garlic and saute for a few secs. You don't want the garlic to burn.
• Add sesame seeds and immediately add the sliced muthiya,
• Stir gently frequently till they are hot.
• Lower the heat and allow the slices to brown a little. Gently keep flip the slices and mix so that other slices too get brown.
• Serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy muthiya with a hot cup of masala tea

Notes

If the batter becomes too watery, add more semolina or handvo flour.
Adjust spices according to your taste.
Handvo flour is gluten free as its a mixture of dal and rice. 

If you have steamed the muthiya batter without rolling them into logs, then after cooling the steamed muthiya cut them into square pieces.

Keyword cabbage and spinach muthiya, Muthia Recipe, steamed muthiya

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