Recipe: Bajra Methi Muthiya/ Bajri Methi Na Muthiya
Bajra Methi Muthiya is a healthy and steamed Gujarati snack. More popularly known as Bajri Methi Na Muthiya, they are easy to make and delicious. Especially when stir fried with garlic and served with a drizzle of lemon juice.
What is Muthiya?
The name actually comes from the word muthi which in Gujarati means fist. The dough is shaped by making a fist before the muthiya or muthia are steamed or fried. Usually fried muthiya are shaped into small ovals or balls and added to a vegetable or shaak. Like for example when you make undhiyu or you can to a valor shaak. I love making methi muthia tuvar nu shaak.
Steamed, Deep Fried or Stir Fried?
It can be quite confusing especially when you’ve not grown up enjoying this delicious snack. As far as I remember my mum and aunts would always make steamed muthiya. On cooling they are sliced or chopped and then stir fried with a bit of garlic and fenugreek, cumin and mustard seeds. These were usually served with a wedge of lemon and a glass of milk for the kids and masala tea for the adults.
The fried ones as I mentioned were usually added to a sabji or shaak.
But go ahead and enjoy them the way you like, deep fried or stir fried.
Which Flour To Use For Muthiya?
The choice is yours. Most popular ones especially the deep fried ones are made from besan (chickpea flour, chana flour). The ones we steam and then stir fry, are made with either millet, jowar, multigrain flours or handvo flour. Handvo flour usually contains rice and chana dal. Handvo flour is readily available in most Indian Stores.
Which Vegetables Can You Add To The Mixture?
Most popular is methi or fresh fenugreek. However, we also make muthiya with grated bottle gourd (doodhi), grated cabbage, spinach, fresh amaranth leaves, luni bhaji(kulfa), zucchini, carrot, etc.
Some Muthiya/ Muthia Recipes You May Want To Check Out:
A bit about the group
After completing ingredients A-Z with English names, we’ve entered season 2 with the theme still being A-Z ingredients but this time round the ingredient should be in Hindi.. confused?? Well, take this recipe, my star ingredient is BAJRE. BAJRE is the Hindi word for pearl millet. I’ve used pearl millet flour or bajri as its called in Gujarati to make Bajre Methi Ke Muthiya.
Anyway, let’s see how far this challenge takes me. As for the English version I’m proud to say I didn’t miss any, only missed letters like X as there weren’t suitable ingredients beginning with that letter.
Ingredients Required For Bajra Methi Muthiya:
- Pearl Millet Flour – Bajre/ Bajri ka atta. Bajri no lot.
- Fresh Fenugreek – fresh methi, finely chopped, washed and patted dry on a kitchen towel.
- Garlic – optional, need both the paste to add to the muthiya dough and some finely sliced for the tempering.
- Fresh Green Chilli Paste – add according to your taste.
- Fresh Ginger Paste – for the dough
- Salt – add according to your taste
- Sugar – don’t skip it as it balances the flavours. Can add grated jaggery instead of sugar.
- Lemon – need the juice and lemon wedges to serve
- Turmeric Powder – haldi
- Sour Plain Yogurt – ready made or home made, but must be plain.
- Water – may need 1-2 tbsp, depending on the flour and how well you’ve dried the fenugreek.
- Oil – need some to add in the dough, some for tempering and some to rub on the steaming device and your palms when shaping the muthiya.
- Ajmo – carom seeds, ajwain
- Baking Soda – soda bicarbonate, a little is required to make the muthiya soft. Otherwise they can be hard if you don’t add any.
- Asafoetida – hing (optional). If you want gluten free muthiya don’t add asafoetida or buy pure one without any wheat flour.
- Sesame Seeds – til, tal for tempering
- Mustard Seeds – rai for tempering
- Fenugreek Seeds – methi dana for tempering.
Check Out The Video:
BAJRA METHI MUTHIYA/ BAJRE METHI KE MUTHIYA
Ingredients
FOR THE MUTHIYA DOUGH:
- 2 cups bajra flour pearl millet flour
- 1 cup chopped fresh fenugreek methi
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 1 tsp green chilli paste
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1-1¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ cup sour plain yogurt
- 1-2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp oil
- ¼ tsp ajmo carom seeds
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp asafoetida optional
FOR THE TEMPERING/VAGHAR:
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
- 2-3 cloves of garlic peeled and sliced
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients except chopped fenugreek in a big bowl.
- Add water and the chopped fenugreek.
- Mix well till you get a dough that is not too soft or too hard.
- Allow the dough to rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Take some extra oil in a small bowl.
- I use a perforated steel plate or colander.
- Smear your plate or steaming device with some oil.
- Smear oil over your palms.
- Shape the muthiya. Here I have made small long oval shapes using about a tablespoon of the dough.
- Arrange them in the plate or colander.
- Get your steaming device ready.
- Put some water in your steaming device and bring it to a boil over medium heat.
- I use an old pan with a stand.
- I place the steel basket or colander over the stand.
- Cover the pan with a lid.
- Allow the muthiya to steam for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, remove the plate from the steaming device.
- Allow the muthiya to cool down completely.
- Can deep fry or stir fry them. I chose to stir fry them.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide pan over medium heat.
- Add the seeds and garlic. Mix well.
- Immediately add the steamed muthiya.
- Stir fry them for 5-7 minutes till they become light golden in colour.
- Serve immediately with a wedge of lemon.
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