Steamed Lauki Muthia

About this recipe

Lauki muthia are the steamed dumplings that prove bottle gourd doesn't have to be boring—grated lauki, squeezed of its water, mixed with whole wheat flour and besan into a soft dough, shaped into logs and steamed until just set. Unlike their fried cousins, these are light and delicate, the kind of teatime snack you can eat without feeling weighed down. The bottle gourd's mild sweetness comes through once you've tempered them with mustard and sesame seeds. The dough is deceptively simple but needs a delicate touch. You want it soft and only just holding together; too dry and the muthia turn dense and grainy, too wet and they fall apart when you slice them. The ginger-chilli paste adds warmth, the turmeric gives colour, and the whole thing comes together in maybe ten minutes of mixing. The fact that you're steaming rather than deep-frying means these are genuinely high-fibre and light. Once they're steamed and cooled slightly, you slice them into neat rounds and quickly toss them with a mustard-and-sesame tempering. The oil and seeds catch the edges of the slices, making them taste richer and more complex than you'd expect from something so simple. It's a Gujarati teatime staple that travels well in a lunchbox and tastes just as good cold as it does hot. Serve them with green chutney or tamarind chutney, or eat them standalone as a snack. They keep in the fridge for two days and can be reheated gently in a pan with a tiny bit of oil. It's the kind of dish that proves you don't need deep-frying to make something delicious.