Muthiya - methi at its best!

This is another winter delight which can be relished on those cold foggy evenings, and when breakfast is methi paratha and lunch is aaloo methi ki sabji! There are lots of variations of muthiya, different veggies can go into it, but this is the only way my mom makes it, and so do I.

Ingredeints -
250 gms methi leaves cleaned and chopped
50 gms coriander leaves cleaned and chopped
2 green chillis - chopped into small pieces
2 cups wheat flour
half cup besan or makke ka aata
1 tspn each of saunf, ajwain
1 tbspn garam masala
salt - as per taste
1 tspn mustard seeds,1 tspn til, 1 tbspn oil, 1 lemon


Method -
1. Mix all ingredients (except oil, mustard seeds, til and lemon) and knead into a soft dough using water. The dough should not be too soft, it should be like the one you knead to roll out methi parathas.
2. Apply some oil in your hands, roll out the dough into cylinders, thickness indicated in the snap.
3. Heat water in a vessel as indicated in the snap, keep a steamer basket on it and carefully place the dough cylinders on the steamer.
5. As the water gets heated up and you can see steam coming up from the holes of the steamer, cover it with a plate, obviously wide enough to cover the steamer basket.
6. We want the cylinders to be cooked in steam and it should take about 20 minutes, after which remove the cover plate, insert a knife into one of the cylinders and if it comes out clean, they are cooked. If not, let them cook for another 10 minutes.
7. Once done, switch off the heat and remove the cylinders from the steamer basket. If you don't do so, the condensed steam persisting in the steamer basket arrangement will leave them all wet and soggy.
8. Once the cylinders a cooled, cut them with a knife into bite sized pieces.
9. Heat oil in a kadhai/frying pan. Once hot, add the til, mustard seeds and let them sizzle for a minute. 10. Add the muthiya pieces and let them cook, uncovered. Keep turning them over, so that they get golden brown from all sides.
11. Once done, squeeze in the lemon, serve hot with hot ginger tea - it's heaven!

Note - I am not aware of any kitchen instrument called a 'steamer basket'. I used my steel colander for it, after my mom suggested I use it instead of a pressure cooker :)