"Sweet and Spicy Bottle Gourd Muddo (Dumplings) with Rava" … All of you are aware of the health benefits of bottle gourd/ Garduddhe/ Lauki/ Doodhi/ Dudhi/ Sorekai ... here is a healthy dish to relish prepared both spiced and sweet as per individual preference … this time I prepared it using rava, though you can prepare them with rice as shared in earlier posts … I have used banana leaves for steaming, you can use any mold of your choice … tastes awesome served topped with melted ghee/ homemade butter or everybody's favorite coconut chutney … we had them for lunch as our Upvas meal … Yummilicious …
** I love muddos, for those unaware as to what they are they are steamed dumplings prepared either in jackfruit leaves prepared molds, banana leaves or badam leaves or can also be prepared using any molds as per individual convenience or availability. Again, you can prepare them with rava or rice or use millets too and can be prepared either or both sweet and spicy. I always prepare both, that’s more spiced ones and a few sweeter once for pleasing the tooth. There are many types of veggies that can be added on for softer and tastier muddos and they are taste yummy served hot with butter/ ghee/ chutney.
** I have already shared the same recipe where in I prepared them using Idly rice rava which was prepared on badam leaves. This time I have used banana leaves and wheat rava ie simple Bombay rava while rest of the recipe remains same. Both rice and rava when used taste equally good with hardly any difference, but as it was fasting day I prepared these for lunch and used rava as it was NO Onion- Garlic- Rice day for us at home. I am sharing a few links at the bottom of this recipe wherein you will find step by step methods and other combinations of the same and you may try out any one though they all taste great.
** Here is the Recipe for "Sweet and Spicy Bottle Gourd Muddo (Dumplings) with Rava" … do try it out and enjoy with family .....
** Wash and wipe clean a small sized tender Bottle gourd/ Garduddhe/ Lauki/ Doodhi/ Dudhi/ Sorekai. Slice off edges and cut them into four pieces lengthwise. Now with the help of a medium size holed grater, grate the inner white fleshy portion of dudhi until you reach the outer green skin. Discard the skin, though you can grate and add them too if they are tender. Keep this aside ready while we prepare the masala.
** Add in two cups of freshly grated coconut (soyi/ nariyal) in a mixer grinder and grind to a smooth paste with enough water. Remove and this to about 4-5 cups of the grated garduddhe in the bowl and mix well. Now start adding Bombay rava/ Rulavu say about 4 cups little by little and keep mixing until you get a soft bhakri textured mixture. Cover and keep it aside for the rava to soak in the moisture and get softened, say about 20 minutes.
** Add 1 inch ginger (alle’/ adrak) finely chopped and 5-6 green chillies (tarni mirsanga/ hari mirchi, a few curry leaves (kadipatta/ karbevu) into a mixer grinder and grind to a coarse paste with little bit of water. The ground paste need not be very fine. Remove and keep this ready aside in a separate bowl. Also grate about 100 gms of jaggery (goda/ bella) and keep it also separately aside for the sweet muddo.
** Check out prepared mixture, if you find it has soaked up all water, turned dry, you can sprinkle some water. However, we are using leaves for steaming which will leave out water from sides if in excess, so preferably keep it thicker in texture. Remove about 2-3 cups of the mixture and keep it aside for sweeter ones. Add the ground ginger chilly paste to the remaining along with salt (namak/ meeta) to taste and mix well.
** Add the grated jaggery and ½ tsp of cardamom (ellu/ ellaichi) powder, pinch of salt (namak/ meeta) to the mixture kept aside to prepare sweet ones and mix well. Keep both the prepared mixtures in separate bowl aside till we prepare the banana leaves for steaming. Meanwhile keep the Pedavana/ Idly steamer/ steaming vessel on high heat with required amount of water in it and bring to a full steam.
** Note : The mixture on resting soaks well and absorbs moisture, if too dry you can add some water later after checking if necessary while preparing. We need the texture to be such that, there should be absolutely no trace of water leaving through the sides as we are going to use banana leaves here for steaming and not vati/ molds. Molds hold in water intact while steaming while the banana leaves will not and the masala water while steaming should not leak out through the openings which will not only turn into a mess but may remain uncooked within the center of the muddo too.
** Now arrange the banana leaves cut to squares of say about 6 inch x 6 inch on table/ platform. Do not make the squares two large or uneven sized for the equal steaming of the muddo. Take in a large handful of the mixture and put it in the center of each square of the leaves. Leave out about ½” on above and below side. Now flip over the left side on top of the mixture and then the right side too forming an envelope.
** Note : I have shared in a link below of muddo where in there are step by step pictures included, which will help you understand the procedure better if you are a newbie. Do check it out thoroughly before you begin with laying them.
** Keep steaming vessel/ pedavan with required amount of water and bring to a boil. When you see steam passing, keep a flat plate or the divider plate of the vessel and then place the prepared banana leaves packets/ muddo one by one neatly on a row slightly overlapping each other compactly. Take care and see that you handle the packets gently as the sides are open and the mixture should not come out of it.
** be careful of steam, as a cautionary measure lower the heat to minimum when you place the packets. When you place them see to it that the upper folds are placed as bottom side, as this will help the packets to be tightly covered and there are no chances of them opening up. Once a single row of banana leaves packets are placed cover steamer with lid, increase the heat to high and cook for 3-4 minutes.
** Now, lower the heat to medium and let cook for another 10 mins. Once again lower the heat to minimum and open the lid and place the remaining prepared packets in similar manner as a second layer this time placing them in slight titled 40 deg. angle to the first one. Cover the lid, raise the heat and cook on high for 3-4 minutes, then lower the heat to medium and cook all together for another 15-20 minutes.
** When done remove from fire, open the lid and let the steam pass away for a minute. Then gently with the help of long flat spatula or tongs lift each muddo gently and place them on a wide plate and let it cool down of a few minutes after which you can serve the same. Prepare rest of the muddo in similar manner if any. You can use the same banana leaves again if need be to, by removing the prepared once when cooled.
** Note : It is important not to place all the prepared muddo packets in one go in two layers as then all of them will not get steamed within properly. Always steam the single layer of muddo packets first for about 10 minutes, then place the rest and continue to steam. This method is used in case of all types of muddo where is leaves are used as mold packing. Also to not try 3 or 4 th layers unless you have a large steamer, it is better to prepare 2 layered in 2 sets in case you need more muddo to be prepared.
** For serving you just need to gently open up the banana leaves and then gently remove the muddo from it, which will have been well steam cooked as a single large piece dumpling. You can either cut them into 2” pieces or larger and serve it or as per your choice, we usually serve it as it is in single pieces. That is the very reason some people use smaller square cuts of the leaves to get appropriate sizes.
** "Sweet and Spicy Bottle Gourd Muddo (Dumplings) with Rava" is done and ready to be served. Serve sweet ones drizzled on top with loni (butter) or toop (ghee) and spiced ones with coconut chutney or butter for best taste. In GSB Konkani Saraswat homes we serve them either for breakfast or tiffin in the evening especially when children come home hungry from school, it tastes wonderful, is very healthy and filling too..
** These muddo contain all the required spices or sweetness within them and really do not need anything else to served along with them. However, it’s a matter of individual choice as many like to dunk them in chutney or with a dash of butter which enhances its taste. If not chutney it can be served with pickle or any mildly spiced curry too depending off course on it spice level, the choice is definitely yours.
** Do try these out and enjoy with your family and friends. You can carry them in your lunch box or on short travels too. In case of lack of time, you can either prepare and keep the mixture in fridge and steam whenever required as it stays good overnight too or you can steam it and put it in airtight container in fridge and microwave and serve them whenever needed,. Steamed ones remain good for 48 hours.
** Note : If you do not have banana leaves or they are not available in your vicinity, you can prepare the same in molds too. You can use, Idly vati, large flat vessel, Jackfruit leaves basket, paper cup with jackfruit leaves method or you can put it in a bowl which is covered on the base with jackfruit leaves. Choose any method you prefer. Adding in the links to the same below, do check in for the same.
** For some step by step procedure pictures which I have not repeated again in this post do check the link given below. I have given in detail the same in that post and repeating the same is always unnecessary burden to all in this hectic lifestyle day. Thanks to all of you for your co-operation always … Here is the link ….
** You can check out the following link of muddo, for step by step pictures …
** Do browse through the common link to muddo recipes shared below, there are plenty of them prepared with various combos and using different molds too …
** You can also check out on the same recipe prepared with rice rava previously blogged at the shared link below …
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