Monday, February 13, 2006

Alu methi sabji (Potatoes with fenugreek greens)

I love the combination of methi (fenugreek greens) with potatoes - there's something about the slightly bitter taste of the greens combined with the texture and flavour of lightly fried potatoes (first boiled and perhaps peeled) that really appeals to my taste buds. It's best if the greens are not fried to a crisp - just enough to wilt them, much like spinach.

So if you had the time and the patience to fry the greens separately and add them to the potatoes afterwards, when the spuds are beginning to acquire crispy bits, I would say that would be a pretty good thing to do. Alu methi is especially nice with chapaties and rotis, although I wouldnt object to it as a side with rice and sambar/any kuzhambu/rasam/curds.

Recipe for:
Alu methi (potatoes with fenugreek greens)




Ingredients:

5-6 medium potatoes, boiled (peeling is optional) and cubed
2 cups methi, washed and chopped
2 tsp oil
Salt to taste

For tempering:

2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp urad dal
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Heat 1 tsp oil in a small pan and add the chopped methi to it. Stir fry on high heat, until it is wilted, then remove from the heat. Reserve.



2. In a bigger pan, heat the remaining tsp of oil and add the tempering ingredients. Close the pan while the mustard seeds pop.

3. Put in the boiled, cubed potatoes and stir carefully to mix the ingredients, adding salt to taste. Dont break up the potatoes.

4. Let the potatoes fry over medium heat till they begin to crisp a little - spray them with oil if required.

5. When the potatoes are done to your liking, add the reserved methi and mix in carefully. Serve hot with chapaties or as a side dish with rice.

10 comments:

Alanna Kellogg said...

And here I was so proud of myself knowing about (even having!) fenugreek seeds. But greens -- they're brand new. THIS is why I love food blogging! BTW check Tigers & Strawberries, she bought some greens, is looking for ideas. I left a link to this post. AK

BDSN said...

Hi Shammi..
I just bought some methi yesterday.how do u clean and store them?I usually pluck the leaves from the stems and soak 'em in cold water to remove grit and place in freezer..Is this method correct or do u have any other procedure to clean'em up ?I love the combo of methi and potatoes..its simple and delish...i will surely try ur recipe..

Anonymous said...

Hi Alanna - thanks for the link. You can easily grow fenugreek greens at home, y'know... especially if you have a proper garden. They grow in pots too, of course - it's just difficult to grow the quantities I require in a single pot! :)

BDSN: I try not to store methi for long, actually - they lose their look and flavour. I usually use them within 1-2 days of buying. Anyway, I do pretty much the same as you - remove the thick stalks (if any) and soak the leaves in a bowl of cold water to get rid of the dirt and grit. Then I let them dry on lots of paper towels, and store them in a ziploc in the fridge. Havent tried freezing methi, I must say.

Anonymous said...

That looks really good.I am thinking spinach and potatoes...do you think it will work?

Sury said...

That looks wonderful. I love methi and alu-methi is a sure winner with chapattis any day. We've never cooked it with the kind of tempering you suggested, so I am going to try this out. Thanks!

David R. MacIver said...

Wow. I haven't had alu methi in ages. Now I want some.

I don't generally make it because it's not easy to find good fenugreek, and processing the lot of it is really fiddly and annoying (also I think I make it with a lot more methi than you do, which adds to the fiddliness 'cause there's more to process). What can I say, I'm lazy. :-)

Gini, I think potato and spinach would probably work quite well, but the taste is going to be rather different. Fenugreek has a fairly distinctive taste.

Anonymous said...

Gini - spinach and potatoes are fine, but methi has a unique taste!

Sury - how about you do a post about alu methi your way? I would love a different recipe for the same item!

David - Totally agree, finding fresh methi IS difficult, processing a lot of it IS annoying - but it's so worth it for the end result :)

David R. MacIver said...

Oh, I completely agree. I'm not saying I wouldn't do it, just that I haven't done it in ages. Because of the difficulties it's something that requires a lot more advance planning than I usually put into my cooking.

When I find somewhere here in London (I've recently moved) that sells fresh methi I'll definitely buy some and make this. I'll probably use your recipe as well, as I can barely remember what mine involved and certainly didn't do anything so organised as writing it down. :-)

Anonymous said...

Wow, what a great recipe. I must try it. I do like methi and normally cook it with besan flour gravy or with tiny cubes of potatoes and besan. Its great with boiled rice. I will post a recipe on my blog when I can.

Anyway going to try your recipe.

Cheers
Dilip

Anonymous said...

Hi Shyamala,
Thanks for this simple recipe. I tried it today and it came out good.

I added 1 tsp of cumin seeds and 1tsp of freshly crushed coriander/dhaniya seeds to the seasoning, to add some more flavour.

Regards,
Harini