Khichdi Muthia

Muthia are popular dumplings from the Gujarat region that are enjoyed both as a snack and as an addition to side dishes such as  undhiyu. The word 'muthia' is a reference to the way the snack is made, where the dough is shaped into oval dumplings, molding the dough in one's fist. The dough is also fashioned into cylindrical rolls, which are then steamed and sliced. They can either eaten as it is or pan fried with a tempering of mustard seeds and white sesame seeds using a little oil which leave the outer side of muthias slightly brown and crispy. These healthy bites make a fine accompaniment to your evening tea / coffee or can be eaten as a light meal too. They go well with a spicy or sweet chutney.

Muthia fall under 'healthy' recipe category since little or no oil is used to make them. There are variations in the muthia recipe, depending upon the vegetables and the flour base used. Today's version is a recipe that uses any left over khichdi which makes it a perfect recycle recipe. Extra khichdi from the lunch is transformed into a enjoyable, guilt free evening snack. I had used some left over pongal for these crispy, delicious muthia. Khichdi which is not too  watery is preferable or the quantity of the flours need to be adjusted accordingly to form a firm dough. 

Below are the links for some of the muthias I have posted.

Doodhi muthia / Lauki muthia

Methi muthia

Methi muthia (Baked version)

Ingredients for muthia:
1.5 cup khichdi
1.5 cup chick pea flour / besan
3/4 cup semolina / sooji
1/4 cup wheat flour / atta
Salt to taste
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
2 pinches of asafoetida powder
1 cup chopped spinach (I used frozen spinach after thawing.)
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. oil
Ingredients for tempering:
2 - 3 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. sesame seeds

1 sprig of curry leaves
Ingredients to garnish:
Minced cilantro 

 Directions:
* Add all the ingredients mentioned under 'muthia' to a bowl.

* Knead the mixture to a firm dough. If the mixture appears loose, add extra flour. 

* Add water to a steamer or a cooker base and let it come to a boil.  

* Grease a steamer tray or a high rimmed plate. Grease your palms and divide the mixture to 2 or 3 equal portions. Shape each portion into a cylindrical roll of one diameter. Place them on the greased steamer plate / plate. 

* Or they can be shaped into small, oval dumplings with a fist. 

* Close the lid and if using cooker base, don't use the whistle for the lid. Steam them until a tooth pick inserted at the center comes out clean, about 20 - 22 minutes. Below are the steamed muthia in log and dumpling forms.

 

*  Let them cool a bit and then transfer them onto a cutting board and cut into about 1/2 inch thick slices.

* Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add mustard seeds and sesame seeds. If you prefer, add one or two sliced green chilis as well. When mustard seeds start to splutter, add curry leaves and muthia pieces. (I add the tadka later if sautéing the muthia pieces to golden brown.)

* One can just toss them for a couple of minutes and turn off the stove. Or the muthia can be sautéed until they turn slightly brown and crisp on the edges, by flipping them gently. Turn off the stove and garnish with cilantro if preferred. 

* Serve them hot with chutney or ketchup. 

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Green Peas Dhokla / Matar aur Besan Ka Dhokla

We are moving towards the western state of Gujarat for today's breakfast. After yesterday's fried affair, here is a healthier breakfast option from this breakfast platter I posted earlier. A steamed, protein rich and nutritious breakfast where green peas play the star role. It is a filling treat that can be served as a breakfast, snack or as any meal.

There is an unmistakable but not overpowering green pea flavor in this dhokla. My family could not guess they were made with peas though they thought it tasted different than the regular version. I also found these to be not very light / airy as the regular chickpea flour / besan version. They are lightly on the denser side though it is not an issue while eating them. It may be because of the addition of green pea puree. To make it more fluffier, I am guessing adding some semolina and increasing the quantity of chickpea flour or reducing the peas quantity by half might help.

Ingredients for dhokla batter:
1/2 tsp. citric acid crystals + 1 tbsp. water
1.5 cups green peas (I used frozen peas.)
1 green chili
1 inch piece ginger
1 cup sieved chickpea flour / besan
Salt to taste 
2 tbsp. sugar ( I used two 1 oz. packets of stevia+ monk fruit blend sweetener.)
1/2 cup water
1 and 1/2 tsp. Enos fruit salt
2 tbsp. water
Oil to grease the dhokla plate

Ingredients for seasoning:
2 tsp. oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 - 2 green chillies, finely minced
2 pinches of asafoetida powder
1 tbsp. water

Ingredients for garnishing:
Chopped Cilantro 
Shredded coconut (Fresh/ Frozen coconut can be used. Just thaw the coconut if using frozen one.)

Directions:
1. Dissolve the citric acid crystals in the water. 

2. Puree peas, ginger and green chili together in a blender. 
3. Add the ground paste, chickpea flour, sugar, salt, citric acid water in a mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup water and mix well without any lumps. (I added the ingredients to the blender and pulsed to combine.)

4. Heat water in a steamer or the base of a pressure cooker. 
5. Brush a 7 inch thali with oil. (Use any plate / container with at lease one inch depth.) 
6. Add fruit salt to the prepared batter just before steaming.

 7. Sprinkle about 2 tbsp. water over fruit salt.

8. Gently combine the mixture.

9. Pour the mixture into the greased plate. Shake the plate gently to even the level of the batter.

10. Place the batter in the steamer / pressure cooker and close the lid. (There is no need to put the whistle on if using the pressure cooker.)
11. Steam until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. (It took me about 30 minutes on low flame though the original recipe mentions the steaming time as about 12 minutes.)

12. Remove the dhokla plate after about 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the plate and reverse the dhokla plate onto a wider plate and unmould the dhokla. 

13. Heat oil in a small pan for seasoning. Add mustard seeds and when they start to sizzle and sputter add green chilies and asafoetida. Saute for about 10 seconds or so and add water. 

14. Turn off the stove and pour the seasoning over the dhokla.

15. Cut into squares and serve them warm with green chutney.

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Bafauri ~ A Steamed Lentil Based Snack

So far in the series,

First week - Sweets
Malaadu / Hurigadale Unde
Dry Gulab Jamun
Coconut Burfi / Kobbari Mithai
Almond Halwa / Badam Halwa
Elaneer Payasam
Godhuma Sojjappalu

Second week - Snacks from Gujarat
Damni Dhokla
Doodhi Muthia / Lauki Muthia
Dal Pandoli

Sev Khamani

Methi Khakhra

Pressure Cooker Khandvi

Now I am into third week of blogging marathon with the theme of Indian sweets and snacks. This week is going to be about some snack recipes of my choice and I am in central India for my dish today. There seems to be at least one locally popular steamed snack in every state, I realized while exploring for steamed Indian snacks. Today's recipe is one such regional dish called bafouri,  from the states of Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh. A coarsely ground batter of split chick peas / chana dal is used to make bafauri making it a very healthy and guilt free snack. Pronounced as buff-ou-ri, this snack is vegan, gluten free, grain-free and a great option for diabetics too. It can be served along with green or sweet chutneys or even some ketchup. Add some vegetables if you prefer to make it more nutritious though the traditional version doesn't use any. Bafauri pieces are also used in a local curry preparation called bafauri ki subzi. Masoor dal (Red lentils) or moong dal seem to be the alternatives for chana dal in this recipe but I am wondering if masoor dal can hold the shape.

Bafauri preparation needs some planning since chana dal needs to be soaked for 2 to 3 hours. It is then ground with other ingredients  into a thick batter. Then small portions of batter are scooped onto the steamer plate using fingers or a spoon, without trying to shape them, somewhat similar to wadi making. They are then steamed until they are cooked through. The pieces can be eaten as it is which makes it a oil-free dish. Or lightly sauteed in some tempering. It is not needed to fry them until golden brown or slightly crisp like fried muthias. I enjoyed both the versions but my husband fried his portion until crisp.

Traditional bafauri have quite rustic look and doesn't look like mine do but I have stuck to the original recipe differing only in the way of shaping them. Bafauris are not shaped as rolls but I did it so to handle them easily and mine are similar to muthias in looks. They can also be prepared in an idli stand if one prefers but I had to add about 1/2 cup water for the batter while shaping them into idlis. Grind adding without water or only as much as needed if scooping them as tiny portions. We enjoyed them shaped into rolls compared to the idli shaped ones. The rolls were even good to eat without any tempering. These can be served as a snack or even as a light meal. Turmeric seems an optional ingredient since some of the bafauris I saw online were not vibrantly yellow hued. I did not add any turmeric to the bafauri I made in the idli stand. I got about 10 bafouri when I used an idli stand and about a dozen oblong shaped rolls. There will be more bafauri if just scooping out small portions.

Source: Here
Ingredients for bafauri:
1 cup chana dal (Masoor / moong dal can be used.)
2 - 3 green chillies (The variety I used were spicy.)
1 inch piece of ginger (optional)
1 tsp. carom / cumin seeds
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1 onion, finely minced (I added fried ones.)
3 to 4 garlic cloves (I didn't add any.)
Ingredients for tempering:
2 - 3 tsp. oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
2 dried red chillies, broken into bits
1 sprig of curry leaves

Directions:
* Rinse and soak chana dal for 2 to 3 hours. 
* Drain the water completely. Add chana dal, chillies, ginger and grind the mixture to a blender or food processor, Grind them together adding as little water as needed. (I used a food processor, ground the batter coarse and did not add any water. If the batter is ground without water then shaping them into rolls would be easier.  However traditionally the bafauri batter is dropped by spoonfuls into the steamer plate rather than making as rolls.)

* Add carom or cumin seeds, salt, turmeric, cilantro, onion and garlic if using to the ground batter and mix well to combine.

 * Bring water to a boil in either a steamer or a pressure cooker base. Make oblong shaped bafauris out of the batter. If going the traditional route, drop spoonfuls of batter onto the steamer plate or a container that you are going to use to place in the cooker or even an idli stand. (1/4 cup of water may be used to grind the batter if dropping by spoon.)

* Steam them until a tooth pick / knife inserted at the center comes out clean.

* These were good to eat just like this after steaming, making them an oil-free snack. These reminded me nuchinnunde of Karnataka.

* Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds. When they start to crackle, add curry leaves and chillies. Saute for few seconds.

* Add steamed bafauri and gently saute them for a couple of minutes. There is no need to brown them but one can always do do if preferring that way.

* Here is the final dish ready to serve. Steamed, tempered and slightly sauteed bafauri. They look greasy in the images but they were not.

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Sev Khamani

So far in the series,

First week - Sweets
Malaadu / Hurigadale Unde
Dry Gulab Jamun
Coconut Burfi / Kobbari Mithai
Almond Halwa / Badam Halwa
Elaneer Payasam
Godhuma Sojjappalu

Second week - Snacks from Gujarat
Damni Dhokla
Doodhi Muthia / Lauki Muthia
Dal Pandoli

Today's snack is another steamed delicacy from Gujarat called sev khamani. This dish uses either freshly made or left over khaman, which are savory, steamed cakes that can be eaten either as a snack or a light meal. This dish is eggless, vegan and gluten free if semolina and asafoetida are left out. These khaman can be made using freshly ground chana dal (split chick peas) batter or besan aka chickpea flour. If using chana dal, it is soaked ahead for about 3 hours, ground adding green chillies, ginger, garlic, etc and then the batter steamed. The steamed block is then crumbled and passed through a sieve to get a mixture with a consistency resembling semolina. It is then tempered, slightly moistened adding water and topped with ingredients like sev, cilantro and other stuff.

The chickpea flour version is an instant one which cuts down the time since it needs no soaking and grinding. I made the version in the microwave which further cuts down the cooking time and makes it a quick fix snack. Khaman could be done under 10 minutes including prep work for one cup of chickpea flour used in the recipe. I usually use this recipe and it can be used here and cooked in two batches instead of the recipe below. I make dhoklas regularly at home but this caught my husband's fancy and I have been been requested to repeat this recipe regularly. Of course he adds everything he finds in the box of spice powders and makes it his own dish at the end.

This recipe has been on my to do list for years but somehow never got made. This time I didn't even bother when I couldn't procure good colored pomegranate arils and went ahead. They ended up being sweet and juicy in spite of their dismal look and made a very delicious topping for this sev khamani. In fact, they were the star of this sev khamani. Use pomegranate and sev in generous portions. Garlic is another interesting addition to this sev khamani which can be added either as a paste to the batter or minced and fried in the tempering.  

I noticed online that the topping can be done in two ways and did both. The common toppings used are coconut, cilantro, sev and pomegranate arils. A street food video showed that the crumbled khaman is moistened with water to almost a lumpy consistency like a moist upma, and then topped with a fried green chili, sev, cilantro and minced onion. I liked this sev khamani without onion somehow,

Ingredients for khaman:
1 cup chick pea flour / besan
2 tbsp. semolina
1 tsp. sugar
Salt to taste
2 pinches of asafoetida
1 tbsp. green chili paste (Adjust as needed)
1.5 tsp. garlic paste
1 tsp. ginger paste
1 tsp. oil
1 tsp. lemon juice
3/4 cup water (1 or 2 tbsp. less)
1 tsp. Eno's fruit salt

Ingredients for tempering: (Version 1)
1.5 tbsp. oil
1/2 tbsp. mustard seeds
1 or 2 green chillies, finely chopped
2 pinches of asafoetida powder
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
2 tbsp. water
1/2 cup nylon sev
1/2 cup pomegranate arils
Minced cilantro to garnish
Fresh, grated coconut (optional)
Lemon juice

Ingredients for tempering: (Version 2)
1.5 tbsp. oil
3 /4 green chillies
1/2 tbsp. mustard seeds
2 pinches of asafoetida powder
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
2 tbsp. water or more
1/2 cup nylon sev
Minced cilantro to garnish
Minced onion to garnish


Directions:
* Grease a microwave safe bowl.
* Combine all the ingredients under 'khaman' list in a mixing bowl except water and fruit salt. Add 1/2 cup water initially and then in slow increments, add about 2 to 3 tbsp. water. Make a medium consistency batter and transfer to the microwave safe bowl.

* Add fruit salt and sprinkle a tsp. of water over it. 

* Mix the batter well and cover with a microwave safe lid. 

* Place it in the microwave and cook until a tooth pick / knife inserted at the center comes out clean, about 5 - 7 minutes depending upon the strength of microwave.

* Let the mixture cool down and then crumble it using fingers, breaking any tiny lumps present.

Tempering for version 1:
* Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they start to crackle, add green chillies and saute them for few seconds. Then add asafoetida, turmeric and mix. Immediately add the crumbled khaman and sprinkle about 2 tbsp. of water. Mix well and cook for a minute or two.

* Divide the mixture into 2 or 3 serving bowls. Top with sev, cilantro, coconut and pomegranate arils. Squeeze lemon juice over and serve immediately.

Tempering for version 2:
* Heat oil in a pan and add green chillies. Saute them, remove and keep aside. To the same oil, add mustard seeds. When they start to crackle, add asafoetida, turmeric and mix. Immediately add the crumbled khaman and sprinkle about 2 tbsp. of water. (More water can be added if preferred.) Mix well and cook for a minute or two.
* Divide the mixture into 2 or 3 serving bowls. Top with fried green chili, sev, cilantro, and onion. Sprinkle some lemon juice and serve immediately.

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