Kothambiriche Mutkule

              

Kothambiriche Mutkule is a very healthy and flavorful delicacy from the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is one of the forgotten recipes where small oval shaped dumplings prepared with fresh coriander leaves (kothimbir) , multigrain flour and spices are cooked in a thin spicy soup. A vegan, one-pot meal , Kothimbiriche Mutkule serves as a soulful meal during chilly winter nights. I have many fond memories of my childhood associated with this dish.

              

What is Mutkule ?

Mutkule is any oval dumpling that is either steamed or cooked in a dal or soup. Wheat balls that are cooked in lentil soup are called waranatle faal in Marathi. Then there is one more Maharashtrian delicacy, Kulthiche Mutkule, prepared with (kulith)- horse gram. 

Kothambiriche Mutkule : Here fresh coriander is mixed with pearl millet flour, chickpea flour along with spices and a dough is made with it. Small oval shaped dumplings (mutkule) are made and boiled in a thin flavorful soup. There is a dry version also of Kothimbir mutkule , where the dumplings are first steamed and then cut into bite size pieces and finally tempered like Kothimbir vadi.

Is there any difference between Kothambir Vadi and Kothimbiriche Mutkule ? 

Both Kothambir Vadi and Kothimbiriche mutkule are Maharashtrian delicacy and the key ingredient in both the dishes is fresh coriander leaves. Kothambir Vadi is a snack in which a dough log made with chickpea flour, fresh coriander and spices is steamed, cut into bite size pieces and then deep fried or shallow fried. Kothimbirche mutkule (dry version) on the other hand uses millet flour along with chickpea flour to make long oval dumplings which are steamed and then cut and stir fried.

              

What goes in to my version of Kothimbiriche Mutkule ?

I have used a mix of pearl millet flour (bajra), sorghum flour( jawar) and chickpea flour (besan) with fresh coriander leaves, green chilies, garlic, sesame seeds and cumin seeds to make the mutkule dough. A flavorful thin soup is made with tempered green chili garlic paste, water and roasted peanut powder. Prepared dumplings are added to boiling soup and cooked until tender. 

In my family, i love to have mutluke with soup but Kiran and Chinmay like only mutkule, so what i do is remove the cooked mutkule from the soup and chop them into bite size pieces. These pieces are then tossed with caramelized onions and served with chapati. Either ways it is a healthy and delicious dish.

Let's have  a look at the ingredients one by one.

• Pearl Millet Flour / Bajra Atta : Pearl millet provides warmth to the body apart from the multiple health benefits it offers, hence making an ideal choice during winters. Use freshly milled flour for best results. If using store bough flour, always store the packet in refrigerator as pearl millet flour becomes bitter if kept for a long time at room temperature. 
• Sorghum Flour/ Jawar Atta: Many recipes call for use of only bajra atta and besan. But i add jawar atta also to make it all the more nutritious. You may skip it if you do not have it handy.
• Chickpea flour / Besan : Serves as a healthy, delicious and gluten-free binder for the mutkule.
• Coriander: Use fresh,green, blemish free coriander for best results. Avoid using yellow, withered or stale coriander. You may use tender stems that are very thin and juicy along with leaves for this recipe.
• Sesame Seeds: I love sesame seeds and really do not need any reason to use them in my daily diet. From parathas, to puris,  thalipeeth to bhakri, or baked crackers, i add a generous amount of toasted calcium-rich sesame seeds.
• Turmeric powder and Salt: A fat pinch of turmeric powder and salt to taste added both in the soup and the mutkule dough.
• Green chili garlic and cumin seeds crush: for the spice element. This crush adds lots of flavor and is added both in the mutkule dough and also in the tempering of the soup.
• Oil: This dish requires just 1-2 teaspoon of oil for the tempering part.
• Peanut Powder: Roasted peanut powder gives little body to the other wise thin watery soup and adds a lovely nutty flavor to the dish.
• Asafoetida: A pinch of Asafoetida/ Hing is added to the soup tempering. Skip it for a gluten-free version. 

                   

Dietary Tips:

• Vegetarian dumpling soup
• Healthy Millet based meal
• Vegan (egg and dairy free)
• Diabetic friendly
• Figure- friendly
• Traditional Maharashtrian dish
• Can be made gluten-free just by skipping Asafoetida
• Nutritious one-pot meal
• Under 30 minutes from scratch

Health Benefits of Coriander: Before moving ahead with the recipe, let's have a look at the health benefits of coriander. Coriander or cilantro is a flavorful herb used extensively in Indian cooking, in soups, salads, rasam, curries, dals etc. It not only lends an eye-appealing vibrant green color and a pleasant aroma to the dish but also has many health benefits. Coriander is a wonderful source of dietary fiber, manganese, iron and magnesium. It's leaves are rich in Vitamin c, Vitamin K and protein. They also contain small amounts of calcium, phosphorous, potassium, thiamine, niacin and carotene. Coriander helps in regulating blood sugar levels, it protects the liver and kidney and provide useful anti-oxidant properties. 

                          

Related Event:

One-Pot wonder is the 277th theme on Foodie Monday Bloghop, aFacebook gourmet group where a group of passionate bloggers share their food creations every Monday depending upon a pre-determined theme. Archana di who blog's @MadScientist'sKitchen was our hostess for the week and among the two themes she proposed, one-pot wonder won with maximum votes. Archana di suggested that we can share any dish for the theme be it appetizer or main-course or dessert, but the entire-cooking should be done in a single pot or pan. This healthy and nutritious, Kothambiriche mutkule is my contribution towards the theme. Meanwhile,docheckout Archana di's space for fuss-free dishes from around the globe. I have tried many of her dishes and all of them were a hit at my place. Her Easy Little Millet khichdi is next on my to-do list.

Preparation Time: 15 minute

Cooking Time: 15 minute

Serves: 4

Ingredients: Measurements used 1 cup = 240 ml

• 2 cups washed, finely chopped fresh coriander
• 1/4 cup Pearl Millet flour/ Bajra atta
• 1/4 cup Sorghum flour / Jowar atta
• 1/3 cup Chickpea pea flour / Besan
• 1 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoon roasted peanut powder
• 2 teaspoon oil
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• Pinch of Asafoetida
• Salt to taste
• 3-4 green chilies
• 5-7 garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

Method:

1. In a chutney jar of grinder, pulse the green chilies, garlic cloves and cumin seeds and keep aside. In a mixing bowl take washed and finely chopped fresh coriander. Add pearl millet flour. sorghum flour, chickpea flour, 3/4 of the green chili garlic crush, sesame seeds, salt and turmeric powder.  

                     

2. Mix all the ingredients well. Now, add very little water at a time and make a soft dough . Pinch a gooseberry size portion from the dough and shape it into an elongated oval shaped dumpling using greased hands. Make all the mutkule (dumplings) similarly.

                     

                       

3. In a pan heat oil and add the asafoetida followed by turmeric powder and the remaining 1/4th green chili-garlic crush and give a good stir. Add around 3 cups of water to it. Add little salt and peanut powder to the water and allow it to come to a rolling boil.

                     

                     

                     

4. Add the prepared dumplings to the boiling soup and cook for 8-10 minutes on medium flame. On cooking the mutkule should be tender but should hold their shape. the soup will become a bit thick and flavorful.

                        

                      

5. Serve the Kothambiriche Mutkule piping hot with soup and enjoy a soulful and nutritious meal on a chilly winter evening !

             

Recipe Notes:

• Use fresh blemish free coriander that is green in color for a flavorful treat.
• Use freshly millet pearl millet flour as it may turn bitter if stored for long at room temperature. Better to refrigerate the flour if using store bought.
• Adjust the green chilies and garlic as per your spice tolerance.
• Skip using asafoetida / Hing if looking for a gluten-free diet option.
• For a dry version of Kohambiriche mutkule, steam the dumplings in a steamer for 10-12 minutes. Chop them to bite size, pieces upon cooling and then deep or shallow fry.
• The left over dumplings from this soup can be chopped and tossed with caramelized onions and served as a delicious side-dish with chapati.

Would love to hear from you !

I hope you would love trying out this healthy and delicious Kothambiriche Mutkule. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with use in the form of likes and comments in the section below this post.

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See you soon with yet another healthy and delicious creation from my Kitchen. Until then stay safe and eat right !

Happy Cooking !

Happy Eating!

Regards

Poonam Bachhav

For more Coriander dishes and other healthy one-pot meals, check out the following recipes from this blog. Click on the highlighted names of the dishes for the link to the recipe.

• Kothambir Vadi

                                      

• Coriander Rice

• Bajra Khichdi

• Quinoa Vegetable Khichdi

• Peruvian Green Rice

• Tomato Rasam