Baafela Dudhi/Lauki Na Mutiya | Steamed Bottlegourd dumplings

Muthiya is a famous tea time snack from the land of food lovers..yes you guessed it right !! GUJARAT  !! 

Muthiya is a traditional snack made using vegetables like doodhi/lauki/bottle gourd,cabbage, methi/fenugreek leaves ,palak/spinach .Muthiyas are either steamed or deep fried. The deep fried ones are very tasty while the steamed ones are a healthy option and will be a guilt free indulgence. 

The deep fried muthiyas have a longer shelf life and can be used in various gravies like undhiya or tamatar muthiya nu saak etc. The steamed ones are a good choice for starters or tea time snack with green chutney and sauce.

There is not much complexity involved in making these yummy snacks and can be put together in less than 30 mins. You can easily prepare a huge batch ahead of any get togethers and just warm them up before serving.

Pro Tip
While making Dudhi muthiyas we have to remember that Bottlegourd/dudhi is a water vegetable and has high water content,hence we donot need to add extra water while kneading the dough .

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 25 min ( Steaming - 20 mins | Shallow frying - 5 mins )
Serves : 3-4 people (Makes about 20-30 muthiyas)
Complexity : Medium

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Doodhi ka halwa / Lauki halwa

Doodhi ka halwa is another favorite at home with us after Gajar ka halwa. Always use fresh and tender bottle gourds so that there will not be many seeds and the bottle gourd will have a mild sweetness adding to the taste of the halwa.  I also add some home made fresh badam powder while making the halwa,it gives so much creaminess and beautiful color due to saffron and turmeric. That is why you see it is on the greener side .No added colors used to get the green color ,it is purely  natural. 

At times ,bottle gourd may turn bitter,so remember to taste a small bit of the doodhi before making halwa.If it feels bitter,then discard it immediately. 

After grating the bottle gourd ,don't leave it for a long time as it will turn brown due to oxidation and the halwa may not look very appealing.

Sharing an easy way to grate the veggies without making the working area messy. Hope you all like this tip . Ofcourse, the food choppers and food processors makes life easy, but this tip is ,if we are using the traditional hand grater for grating .

 The best way to celebrate the come back of my blog is to share a sweet recipe with all of you.

After a long break of almost 4 years due to some personal set backs, I am restarting in 2017 with support of my hubby and dad and lot of nudging and coaxing from my cousin too . So this sweet is for you all for making me move out of my inertia.

With the mild chillnes still lingering in the atmosphere,fresh winter vegetables are a feast to the eyes in the market and make me want to cook something interesting  .

I picked up the bottle gourds which were very inviting and prepared this Halwa instantly.

Every year I unfailingly make Doodhi ka halwa ,but it is only in Nov 2024 I made some changes to the write up and added a few new pictures but leaving the below picture unchanged as it is my fond memory of come back into the world of blogging . The recipe remains unchanged as it is very close to my heart being my mom's recipe .

Cooking time : 45 mins

Cooking level : Medium

Serves : 2-3 people

Ingredients

2 medium sized bottle gourd

100 gms khoa (unsweetened)

1 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 -3 tsp ghee/clarified butter

2-3 cardamoms/elaichi powdered

8-10 Cashews finely chopped

10-12 raisins/kishmish

Chopped pistas and badam 

Method

• Wash and peel the bottle gourds and remove the seeds if there any
• Grate them well using a grater or food processor.
• Grate or crumble the khoa as well and set aside.
• Heat a thick bottomed kadai with 1tsp ghee and fry the grated bottle gourd in it for about a minute.
• Add the cup of milk and mix well and allow the bottle gourd to cook nicely. The doodhi will become soft and loose its crunch.
• Keep stirring in between to avoid sticking and burning.
• This takes about 10 to 15 mins on medium flame.
• Add the khoa,sugar and elaichi powder and stir well and keep the flame low now.
• Allow the mixture to cook well until you see all the milk,khoa and sugar being incorporated well into the bottle gourd and feel and amazing aroma wafting in your kitchen.
• Turn off at this stage and add the chopped cashews to it and mix well.
• You can roast the cashews in ghee or add it just like that.
• You can also add lots of chopped dryfruits too before serving. 
• Transfer in a bowl and keep it refrigerated for an hour or serve it warm .

Notes

1. Squeeze the grated bottle gourd well with both your hands before frying them in ghee. This step ensures that there is no extra water content and prevents the halwa from getting soggy.
2. If using sweet khoa instead of unsweetened adjust the sugar level accordingly.

Lauki (Bottlegourd) Curry | लौकी (घीये) की सब्जी

Lauki/Ghiya (Hindi/Urdu) , Sorakkai (Tamil) , Dudhi / Doodhi (Marathi)  is believed to have come from Africa , has procured a very high position in  the Indian kitchens but  has not made a very remarkable place in the western household.

Bottle gourds as they are called in the Western world is not liked by many people especially children due to a very different and bland taste .

Packed with a lot of nutrition and various health benefits ,bottle gourd is gaining popularity.

Some of the health benefits of Bottle gourd that I have read in various health books are summarised below.

• It helps fight constipation, as it is fiber rich. Because of its fiber and low fat content, Ayurveda highly recommends this food for diabetic patients and young children.
• Ayurveda also recommends the juice of this gourd in the treatment of acidity, indigestion and ulcers .
• Bottle gourd is also considered one of the best weight loss foods since it is 96 percent water and has a very low calorie content.
• It is rich in, thiamin, vitamin C, zinc, iron and magnesium  which helps improving overall health.

 Lauki sabji is perfect for weight watchers and those looking for a wholesome and healthy meal because there is just a tsp of oil used and usual basic spices of red chilli powder ,dhaniya jeera powder and turmeric. 

Doodhi is easy to digest and very comfortable on the stomach too making it the perfect choice for someone who is recovering from any sort of illness .  Bottlegourd doesn't has very low calorie content and 96% water content because of which it gets cooked easily . You can simply steam the bottle gourd cubes and enjoy it with pepper and salt as a salad.

I love to have lauki sabji with hot fulkas and some salad . If you are a rice eater you can even mix this with rice and enjoy .

This time ,I ensured I click some eye pleasing clicks of my favorite lauki sabji and this recipe got to see the light of the day after hibernation of 12 years 😀.  Indeed, a very long time isnt it ?? 2013 to 2025  !!! 

When Lauki is available in season ,I make the maximum use of it in my recipes ..of course lauki ka halwa is also made but the most frequent and healthy recipes which I make are 

• Lauki ka paratha 

• Doodhi Channa nu Shaak (Gujarati special)

• Baafela Doodhi Muthiya (Gujarati special)

Preparation Time : 10 mins

Cooking Time : 20-30 mins

Serves : 2-3

Ingredients

1 medium sized bottle gourd / dudhi - chopped into small cubes

2 tomatoes chopped

1 medium sized onion chopped (optional)

1/4 cup green peas

1 tsp cumin /jeera

2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp dhania/coriander powder

1tsp cumin/jeera powder

1 tsp ginger grated / finely chopped

pinch of turmeric

salt as required 

freshly chopped coriander /cilantro

Method

• In a skillet /kadai ,heat a tsp of oil and splutter the jeera/cumin.
• Add the onions and ginger and saute well until the onion turns pink.
• Put in the tomatoes,saute until tender and to it add the chopped dhudhi and the green peas.
• Throw in the chilli powder,salt,turmeric,dhania powder and mix well.
• Add about 11/4 cups of water and cook well until the dudhi is cooked well.
• Adjust the salt and spice level and garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot.

Vegetable Kofta Curry / Veggie Dumplings in a tangy gravy

Hey friends..sorry for the long silence.Was out on a small vacation and then again tied up with certain things that did not let me devote time for posting. I know its a lame excuse..but still.. !!
Hope all of you had a lovely summer break and most of you must be back to routine with kids getting back to school in India and well for the other friends living in the western countries..summer is just on and  all awaiting to enjoy the summer break :-)
Without further delay,I would like to jump on to the recipe of the day..

Preparation Time : 30 mins
Cooking Time : 30 mins
Frying Time : 20 mins
Serves : 3-4

Vegetable Kofta Curry