Quick Rice Dumplings

This is a very simple recipe for a very tasty starter or snack. It is often said that the Gujerathi community never waste anything and that is why they make good business people, and the same goes for the Gujerathi woman when she is in the kitchen-nothing ever goes to waste—the left over rice is used to make this delicious dumpling or as we call it a “mootia”. There is no hard & fast recipe for making this dish, you just go along and as much or as little of the vegetables that you have at home. Besides being easy, delicious and budget friendly it is also very nutritious. My daughter in law enjoys having it with some yogurt as a snack or you can serve it with some chilli sauce as a starter.

Quick Rice Dumplings

250ml cooked basmati rice

75ml chopped coriander leaves

125ml chopped fenugreek herbs or watercress or spinach

100ml chick pea flour

100ml soya flour

50ml self raising flour

7ml crushed fennel seeds

10ml ground chillies

10ml salt

10ml grated ginger

25ml oil

20ml lemon juice

 Vagaar / Tempering Spices

30ml cooking oil

15ml sesame seeds

10ml mustard seeds

3-4 curry leaves

Method

1. Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly

3. If you have any baby marrow or a piece of carrot, you can grate it and add to the mixture

4. In a large flat pan heat the 30ml cooking oil and when it is hot add the curry leaves and seed spices & allow to pop-remove pan from           heat

5. Lower heat and place pan back on the stove and dampen your hands and take little golf ball size bits of the rice mixture form into                 dumplings and place in pan-carry on till all your mixture is finished

6. Cover pan and allow to cook for about 5minutes and then using a fork and spoon turn each dumpling over and cook for a further 5minutes

7. This can be served as a starter with some sweet & sour sauce, a chilli sauce or some plain yogurt.