Bathua Muthia or Gujarati Cheelia/Chilia also called Cheel Ni Bhaji Na Muthia. It is a most popular and healthy breakfast/snack during winter season in rural Gujarat specially in central and south Gujarat.  Bathua Muthia is made using assorted flours and chopped fresh green bathua leaves and spices, steamed and then stir fried.  This is a forgotten healthy breakfast dish, but if you are familiar with curries like Chokha Methi Nu shaak, Cheel Ni Bhaji/Bathua kadhi, then you obviously know about this dish.

Muthia is a traditional Indian Gujarati food. The name is derived from the way it is made, from the ‘gripping’ action of the hand. It resembles sausage. It is made up of various flours, green vegetables (Methi/Fenugreek leaves is most common and popular) salt, turmeric, chili powder, and an optional bonding agent/sweetener such as sugar and oil.

It is a staple snack of Gujaratis. This dish is supposed to be good for keeping bowel movement regular, because it includes healthy leafy greens. This dish can be eaten steamed or fried (after steaming); it is equally tasty either way.

Muthia is also known as ‘Vaataa’ in Charotar area located in Central Gujarat. Other varieties are made by using coarse flour of wheat or corn and leafy vegetables such as Bathua(Cheel), Amaranth, Spinach, Luni or Grated Bottle Gourd or peel of Bitter Gourd (Karela) After steaming, they are tempered with sesame seeds and mustard seed.

Ingredients:

For Muthia/Cheelia

• 1 Bunch Bathua/Cheel Leaves
• 1 cup Makki Flour/Yellow Corn Flour
• 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/4 cup Chickpeas Flour/Besan
• 1/4 cup Bajara Flour
• 2 tbsp Semolina/Suji
• 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Sesame Seeds
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Coriander Seeds Powder
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds Powder
• 2-3 tbsp Ginger-Garlic-Green Chili Pounded Coarse Paste
• 1/2 cup Yogurt/Dahi
• 2-3 tsp Sugar
• Salt
• 1-2 tbsp Oil

For Tempering

• 2-3 tbsp Oil
• 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tsp Sesame Seeds
• 1/4 tsp Hing
• 5-6 Curry Leaves
• 1-2 Whole Dry Red Chili

For Garnishing

• Chopped Coriander Leaves
• Grated Fresh Coconut

Method:

Muthia

1. Take a bathua bunch, remove the leaves from each stalk and collect it in colander, then wash it well with water and drain. Chop it and keep aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, add all the flours, samolila, soda, sugar and salt.
3. Now, add red chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, sesame seeds and mix all the dry ingredients.
4. Add chopped bathua, yogurt, ginger-garlic-green chili paste and oil. Mix the ingredients using fingers and make a soft, but slightly sticky dough, cover it and keep aside.
5. Now, add water for steaming in a steamer. Put the stand inside for a steaming pan and let the water boil.
6. Now, take the steaming pan or round baking tin/pan and apply/grease the oil inside. Apply little bit oil also on hand palm, take some portion of the prepared dough and shape it into a cylinder roll. It should be like a long sausage.
7. Place it into the greased pan, make more roll out of the remaining dough and arrange into the pan.
8. Now, put the pan into the steamer and steam it about 15-20 mins. If you are using a pressure cooker, then give 3-4 whistles.
9. Once cool down, remove the pan from the steamer and separate each roll gently.
10. Bathua Muthia rolls are ready. Cut each roll into the small round pieces and keep aside for tempering.

Tempering:

1. In a big pan, add oil and heat it, then add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and sesame seeds. Once start cracklings, add hing, curry leaves, whole dry chili, then add chopped muthia in tempering.
2. Stir fry the muthia on low to medium flame, till it becomes crispy and slightly golden.
3. Bathua muthia is ready, garnish with chopped coriander leaves, fresh grated coconut and served hot with tea and enjoy delicious Bathua Muthia.

Tips:

• If you want to make gluten free, then you can skip wheat flour and replace it by some rice flour.
• You can skip tempering and use an air fryer to make more crispy.
• If you need to make a soft dough, then add more yogurt and you can also add water.
• If you make a dough without water, then Muthia can stay fresh longer. You can also keep Muthia in a refrigerator up to one week.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Bathua Muthia or Gujarati Cheelia

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Bathua Muthia or Gujarati Cheelia/Chilia also called Cheel Ni Bhaji Na Muthia. It is a most popular and healthy breakfast/snack during winter season in rural Gujarat specially in central and south Gujarat.  Bathua Muthia is made using assorted flours and chopped fresh green bathua leaves and spices, steamed and then stir fried.  This is a forgotten healthy breakfast dish, but if you are familiar with curries like Chokha Methi Nu shaak, Cheel Ni Bhaji/Bathua kadhi, then you obviously know about this dish.

Author: Binjal Pandya

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: Indian

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

• 1 Bunch Bathua Leaves
• 1 cup Makki Flour
• ½ cup Whole Wheat Flour
• ¼ cup Chickpeas Flour
• ¼ cup Bajara Flour
• 2 tbsp Semolina
• ¼ tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Sesame Seeds
• ½ tsp Turmeric powder
• ½ tsp Red Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Coriander Seeds Powder
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds Powder
• 2 tbsp Ginger-Garlic-Green Chili Coarse Paste
• ½ cup Yogurt/Dahi
• 2-3 tsp Sugar
• Salt
• 1-2 tbsp Oil

For Tempering

• 2-3 tbsp Oil
• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tsp Sesame Seeds
• ¼ tsp Hing
• 5-6 Curry Leaves
• 1-2 Whole Dry Red Chili

For Garnishing

• Chopped Coriander Leaves
• Grated Fresh Coconut

Instructions

Muthia

1. Take a bathua bunch, remove the leaves from each stalk and collect it in colander, then wash it well with water and drain. Chop it and keep aside.
2. In mixing bowl add all the flours, samolila, soda, sugar and salt.
3. Now add red chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, sesame seeds and mix the all dry ingredients.
4. Add chopped bathua, yogurt, ginger-garlic-green chili paste and oil. Mix the ingredients using fingers and make a soft but slightly sticky dough, cover it and keep aside.
5. Now in steamer add water for steaming. Put the stand inside for steaming pan and let the water boil.
6. Now take a steaming pan or round baking tin/pan apply/grease the oil inside. Apply little bit oil to the hand palm, take some portion of prepared dough and shape it into the cylinder roll it should be like long sausage roll.
7. Place it into the greased pan, make more roll out of remaining dough and arrange into the pan.
8. Now put the pan into the steamer and steam it about 15-20 mins, if you are using pressure cooker, give 3-4 whistles.
9. Once cool down remove the pan from the steamer and separate each roll gently.
10. Bathua muthia rolls are ready. Cut each roll into the small round pieces and keep aside for tempering.

Tempering

1. In big ban add oil and heat it, then add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and sesame seeds, once start cracklings add hing, curry leaves, whole dry chili, then add chopped muthia in tempering.
2. Stir fry the muthia on low to medium flame, till it crispy and slightly golden.
3. Bathua muthia is ready, garnish with chopped coriander leaves, fresh grated coconut and served hot with tea and enjoy delicious Bathua Muthia.

Notes

• If you want to make gluten free, then you can skip wheat flour and replace it by some rice flour.
• You can skip tempering and use an air fryer to make more crispy.
• If you need to make a soft dough, then add more yogurt and you can also add water.
• If you make a dough without water, then Muthia can stay fresh longer. You can also keep Muthia in a refrigerator up to one week.

3.5.3251

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