Wednesday, April 17, 2013

METHI ALOO

METHI ALOO

This dish combines two very common but much appreciated ingredients, fenugreek  (Methi in Hindi and Menthya in Kannada ) and Potato (Aloo in Hindi.) I make extensive use of methi ( both in leaf and seed form) in many of my dishes as we love the fragnance and flavour it adds.

I got this recipe from a Punjabi friend of mine long ago as we loved the tangy taste of the aloo which came from the amchoor used in the recipe. I have made some changes over time! She had used unpeeled potatoes in this dish. Perhaps because we are used to peeling the potatoes, I personally feel the dish tastes better this way. However, the choice is yours.

Secondly, haldi or tumeric was not part of the original recipe but I found adding some haldi gave it more  colour.  Lastly, though my friend suggested this dish is best cooked in mustard oil, I have stuck to the beaten path and used the regular oil as in our cuisine we are not used to mustard oil!



Ingredients:
  • Baby potatoes, 200 gms
  • Methi, large bunch, 1
  • Oil, 2-3 tbsp 
  • Garlic, 6-8 flakes, crushed
  • Garam Masala powder, 1/2 tsp
  • Amchoor (dry mango) powder, 1/4 tsp
  • Red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp
  • Haldi (turmeric) powder, 1/2 tsp
  • Salt, to taste
Method:

Pluck the methi leaves from the stems and wash them thoroughly
Repeat this till you are satisfied that they are completely clean
Chop the leaves finely
Wash and scrub baby potatoes
Pressure cook the baby potatoes and peel them 
Heat oil in a kadhai and when it smokes, add crushed garlic
When the garlic changes colour, add the cooked potatoes and salt
Stir fry for about 5 minutes
Add the chopped methi leaves and mix
Now add haldi, amchoor powder, garam masala powder, and red chilli powder and mix well
Cook over low/medium flame, covering the kadhai, stirring now and then for about 10-12 minutes
Remove the lid and stir fry for about 5-8 minutes
Serve hot with rotis or chappatis.

Hints:

*As a variation, adding finely chopped onions with the chopped methi leaves can enhance the taste and reduce the bitterness of the methi leaves. 






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