recipe of methi papad ki subzi

What if I say methi (fenugreek) seeds make a great subzi and it is not bitter at all? Very few believe this and I know a few who make this subzi after removing the soaking water, boiling it in pressure cooker and removing even the cooking water to 'remove' the bitterness. Trust me you are not supposed to discard the soaking water at all and the methi seeds do not taste bitter in this subzi. 

 

Sharing a methi papad ki subzi today, a unique flavour that brings a just a light hint of methi bitterness and the alkaline taste of raw urad dal papad that gets balanced with yogurt. 

 

Methi papad ki subzi was not made in my parents home ever. I know my mother would have scoffed at the idea of methi seeds in a subzi though she would love papad in any form. We occasionally used to make papad ki subzi with the sour buttermilk sometimes just to finish the weekly stock of buttermilk that was leftover after the ghee making excercise back home, normally used for making kadhi or dahi wale alu. 

 

But that was the end of anything to do with papad in a curry, methi was used in the tadka though, just 1/2 tsp of it. The hint of bitterness methi seeds bring into a dish when used in the tadka is quite a subtle flavour that enlivens many a curries in the eastern part of India I must add. 

Using methi seeds in bulk to make the curry was not something my family would have taken to. One of my Marwadi friend during school used to talk about this subzi but I am sure in that age we are not too sure to serve such unusual food to guests, so I never got to taste methi ki subzi while I loved the kanji vadas and the kair sangri pickles and many types of sweets that her mom made. 

I was actually surprised to taste methi papad ki subzi in a roadside dhaba in Rajasthan couple of years ago and it was not bitter at all. I was so intrigued that I asked the dhaba owner and he shared a useful tip to make this subzi. He told me not to touch the methi once it is soaked, just tip them directly into the cooking pan when cooking the subzi. 

He mentioned if the methi seeds are punctured after soaking they turn bitter, else they remain good. I tried the subzi as soon as I was back home and this subzi has been a regular since then. Even the husband likes it, probably more because he tasted it in a roadside dhaba for the first time but that is good for me. 

Ingredients 

(for 4-6 servings)

1/4 cup methi seeds 

5 urad dal papads broken into bite size pieces

1 cup yogurt 

1 cup water 

1 tbsp coriander powder 

1 tbsp cumin powder 

1 tsp red chili powder or to taste 

Pinch of asafoetida or hing 

1/2 tsp turmeric powder 

1 tbsp mustard oil 

Salt to taste 

Generous amount of chopped coriander leaves

Procedure 

Soak the methi seeds overnight in a cup of water.  Do not disturb once soaked. Remember you are not supposed to touch the soaked methi seeds and puncture its mucilage layer.

 

Whisk the coriander and cumin powders in the yogurt, add water and whisk again to make it smooth. Keep aside.

 

Heat the oil in a deep pan, add the asafoetida and let it get aromatic. Not take the pan off the heat and add turmeric powder and chili powder, mix well and let them get aromatic. 

 

Pour the yogurt spice mix slowly into the pan and whisk, take the pan back to the stove and whisk to keep it cooking evenly. 

 

As soon as the curry starts simmering, pour the soaked methi seeds along with the soaking water and simmer for 10 minutes. 

 

Add the broken papads, simmer for a couple of minutes and take the pan off the stove.

 

Sprinkle coriander leaves and serve hot with chapatis or parathas. The best combination with methi papad ki subzi is ghee soaked bajra roti if you like, this methi papad ki subzi makes a great side dish for a big Indian spread as well. 

Make this methi papad ki subzi next time when you are entertaining guests. Add some raisins and may be some fed cashews to make the subzi a bit rich. Raisins actually give methi papad ki subzi a nice dimention. 

 

It is great for diabetics, is a very good alkalising food but most of all it tastes great. The traditional recipes that have survived the test or time are here to stay. The only grudge is that we don't know them all. It is good till I keep getting acquainted with them one after the other. A slow learning curve is better that never getting exposed to such great food. 

methiya athanu or keri methi nu athanu | the Gujrati fenugreek and raw mango pickle

I love methi (fenugreek) in almost every form and have grown many varieties of methi in my garden. While the methi greens make delicious methi parathas and alu methi ki subzi apart from many more winter favourites, it is the methi seeds that come to rescue in summers.

The methi ki launji is a very popular UP (Marwadi to be precise) dish that is served like a relish. I was really glad to have discovered a methi and raw mango pickle a few years ago when a client of mine asked me one day if she can eat methi nu athanu while on her diet regime. When I asked about it she told me details and promised me to share the recipe, thankfully she used to write a food blog too back then.

Of course she was allowed to eat this pickle and even I found myself hooked to this unusual pickle very soon. I have been meaning to share the recipe of Mehtiya athanu since then but I make very small batches of pickle and this one gets over really fast somehow.

You would know how it gets over so fast when you make this methi seeds and raw mango pickle too. I have been eating it even with idlis and plain rotis and dal chawal, practically everything I mean.

Methi keri nu athanu is actually a genius recipe from Gujrat that neutralizes the bitterness of methi seeds with the tartness of raw mangoes and the methi seeds swell up with the juices exuded by the mangoes, beautifully complementing each other.

This recipe is adapted from a client of mine as I mentioned. You can see the original recipe here.

ingredients 

200 gm firm raw mangoes
200 gm methi (fenugreek) seeds
5-10 gm (1-2 tsp) red chilli powder according to taste
25 -30 gm salt (scant 2 tbsp)
5 gm or 1 heaped tsp turmeric powder
a generous pinch of hing (asafoetida)
3/4 cup mustard oil and a little more if required

procedure 

Grind the methi seeds coarsely.

Chop the green mangoes in small bits with skin, discarding the stone.

Mix the coarse methi powder with chilli, turmeric and salt. 

Heat the mustard oil with hing and pour it over the spice mix. Let it cool.

Mix the chopped raw mangoes with the oil and spice mix, stir to mix and bottle. The pickle is ready after 2 days and it keeps well for the whole year.

Just take care to keep it lightly covered with a layer of mustard oil, pouring a little more over the top if required.

Do let me know whenever you make this methi keri nu athanu. I suggest you make just with 2 raw mangoes just like I did and start enjoying it asap. Making a larger batch can take time so make sure the quick small batch keeps you company.

methi ki launji | methi ki meethi chutney | how to make methi ki launji

Methi (fenugreek : Trigonella foenum graecum) is known as a bitter seed that we add to tempering  in everyday food but no one wants to eat mehti in larger amounts. Ayurveda has confirmed methi seeds as a wonderful home remedy for many conditions including management of diabetes, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and lactation etc.

There is a reason why methi ki launji is served along with bedmi poori.

Methi ka laddu and panjeeri is commonly made for new mothers in north Indian homes, to help with lactation and to generally have a better immunity during that phase. For everyday cooking methi has limited use but some people love a preparation called methi ki launji.

Methi ki launji, also called as methi ki meethi chutney is a common accompaniment for Bedmi poori, several types of mung daal kachoris and even mathris, most probably paired to aid digestion of fried food. This methi ki chuntey is served at wedding feasts in Banaras too especially when the feast is pure vegetarian and traditional type. Marwari and Rajasthani families have it on their menu almost always as much as I know.

Many families make this methi ki launji and each family has their own version.

ingredients 
(makes about 20-30 servings, about a 500 ml jarful )

1/2 cup methi (fenugreek) seeds soaked overnight, it becomes about 1.25 cups after soaked fully
1/2 cup chopped dates (I used soft dates)
1/2 cup chopped raisins
2 tbsp fennel seeds (moti saunf)
1 tbsp red chilly powder
1 tsp dry ginger powder
1 tsp coarse coriander powder (or just crushed coriander seeds)
1 tsp roasted cumin (bhuna jeera) powder
2 tsp amchoor powder (you can use a mix of tamarind extract and amchoor)
a pinch of clove, cinnamon and nutmeg powder (optional)
salt 1 tsp or less
Jaggery or sugar to taste ( I used 2 tbsp crushed jaggery)

procedure 

Drain the methi seeds, the water can be refrigerated and added to green tea if you like, this recipe uses methi seeds only.

Some people boil the methi seeds and throw away the boiled water too, but I did not do this, the methi ki launji doesn't taste bitter even if I reserve the cooking liquid.

Mix the soaked methi seeds, fennel seeds, chopped raisins and chopped dates with 2 cups of water and salt and pressure cook till the first whistle blows. Cool and remove the lid.

Now add all the other ingredients and simmer till the chutney becomes thick almost like a jam.

You can keep the chutney thinner but that tastes better when you use more jaggery or sugar as the syrupy chutney carries the other flavours well. I like this chutney less sweet and find the sweetness of the dates and raisins good enough to balance the bitterness of methi.

The addition of clove, cinnamon and nutmeg powders is optional, they make more sense when there is some more sugar or jaggery in the chutney or launji.

The methi seeds will taste bitter the first day when you make the chutney but from next day the bitterness will be gone. Some people can't even tell if there is methi in it, they mistake it for a lentil if they haven't eaten this chutney ever.

This methi ki launji keeps well for a month if refrigerated. You can serve it with any Indian meals or even as a chutney with khakhra or pakodas.

With some pumpkin subzi and crisp paratha or poori it is a combination made in heaven. Here is a pumpkin, brinjal and malabar spinach subzi that I keep repeating in this season because the few odd brinjals from the garden make good addition t o such mixed subzis. Malabar spinach is also from the garden.

I have finished this methi ki chutney on its own sometimes. Have a good spoonful of this chutney with breakfast and dinner everyday to cure any joint pains and aches, but keep the sugar away from this chutney in that case.

Call it mathi ki launji or methi ki chutney, it is a must try for poori type India meals I say.

everyday subzi : baingan sowa-methi ki subzi

Baingan or brinjal is one of the favourite vegetables I can eat in any form. Not only because I love baingan myself but also because baingan responds so well to different treatments given to it. Grill it to make eggplant salads or crustless aubergine pizza, fry it to make beguni or sarson wala baingan fry, mash it to make bharta or raita, puree it to make baba ganoush or just curry it with just anything you like. I love the Japanese style grilled aubergine as well. Alu baingan palak is one traditional subzi on eastern UP that is cooked in winters in almost every home but this baingan subzi with sowa and methi is not that common in eastern UP. It is more of a western UP combination. Those who like it get this subzi made several times during the season and sowa methi combination is used to bring the best from the winter brinjals and green peas. And this is one of the lightest curries one can cook.

I cook this curry quite often for dinner and have it like my soup dinners but some time in last month I cooked this one in day time and clicked a few pictures. And when I posted this urad daal sowa ke pakode, it reminded Nupur about the sowa baingan ki subzi and she enquired about it in the comments. Sowa baingana and sowa-methi baingan is cooked similarly and people keep using different ratios of both these leafy greens in this subzi, sometimes even skipping one of these.

It was a pleasant coincidence that I had already clicked pictures of this recipe and I promptly promised her about it. Although I got quite late in sharing it, but better late than never.So here is the baingan sowa-methi ki subzi for you Nupur.

ingredients..
(2-3 servings)

one large round brinjal (or any fleshy variety) about 300 gm
cleaned washed and chopped methi (fenugreek) greens 200 gm
cleaned washed and chopped sowa bhaji (dill greens) 150-200 gm
finely minced green chillies, ginger and garlic 2 tsp each
chopped tomatoes 100 gm or one large tomato (optional)
green peas 100 gm (optional)
mustard oil 1 tbsp
fenugreek seeds 1/4 tsp
mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
fennel seeds 1/4 tsp
hing (asafoetida) a pinch

preparation...

Heat the oil in a pan or pressure cooker pan. I often use pressure cooker for such mushy subzis (especially for brinjal) because it cooks faster and doesn't dehydrate the subzi too much.

Tip in the hing, fennel, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds in the oil and wait till the splutter and get aromatic. Add the minced ginger, garlic and green chillies next and cook till sizzling but not browned.

Add the peas, brinjal and the chopped greens. Mix well to coat everything. Add salt and chopped tomatoes if using and top up with 3-4 tbsp of water. Cover with the lid and pressure cook till the whistle blows. Take off from the flame and let the pressure cooker cool down on its own. Mix well and serve hot.

If cooking in a pan, just let the subzi cook on low flame covered, stirring once a while for about 20 minutes. It will be mushy and muddled up after cooking and that is how it is supposed to look.

The duo of methi and sowa taste really good in this curry. Most people add a few potato cubes to it too and some of them even skip adding the brinjal and make it just with potatoes. But the crux of the matter is that this subzi doesn't have any other spices than the tempering essentials. The aroma of this curry is dominant with a mix of methi-sowa, brinjal being the base to absorb all the goodness. Some people like this curry all mushed up in a texture similar to bharta. Make it the way you like it, most likely you must be familiar with this subzi if you have lived in UP somewhere.

We enjoyed this baingan sowa methi with some whole wheat mini kulchas and buttermilk on a weekend afternoon, watching TV and talked of our simple meals of childhood.

When we live away from home and miss the seasonal foods, these are some of the flavours that are missed the most. The freshness of winter produce is best captured in this kind of subzis back home. I have heard my friends saying the baingan and saag of Banaras tastes so different from what we get elsewhere. That is called the taste of home and this subzi represents that for me.

I am sure it brings back memories from home if you have come here just to read about baingan sowa-methi ki subzi. Go shop for some baingan and sowa methi and cook this subzi. Soulful food doesn't cost a bomb.

mung daal with fenugreek sprouts | methi wali mung ki daal ...

Methi wali mung ki daal would not make you drool when you hear it. But cook it with fenugreek micro greens or sprouts and see how the mung ki daal transforms with a hint of garlic and ghee.

Mung ki daal gets repeated the most in my kitchen. Not only because it is a healthy lentil, I love the taste and cook the mung ki daal in many different ways and the daal behaves differently with different treatments given to it. Like if pressure cooked, the daal is a buttery texture, if pan cooked the daal remains a little coarse but with so much more taste and a mild aroma in it. Mung ki sookhi daal is another favourite of mine. I add baby spinach to mung daal more frequently and sometimes bathua leaves whenever I want to add some greens to the mung daal, but methi greens are rare in my mung daal. Unless it is tender methi (fenugreek) sprouts.

The fenugreek sprouts are actually sort of micro greens of methi. I often sprinkle some methi seeds in a plastic packaging tray that comes with meat or chicken from the meat shop. It is easy to grow micro greens of some seeds in such re-purposed trays or containers, just fill them up with a layer of soil after poking holes in the bottom and sprinkle the seeds, water the tray sparsely and wait for 2-3 weeks. The micro greens or sprouts will make you happy for salads or curries.

You can grow such micro greens of mustard, radishes, peas and chickpeas easily. Just snip them, rinse well and enjoy home grown greens.

This recipe of mung daal with methi sprouts is easy, but takes about half an hour to cook at a leisurely pace since I prefer doing it in a pan. This daal is always cooked when I have a peaceful alone time in the kithcen and do some more chores along with the daal being cooked with all it's aromas to fill me up.

Pressure cooking saves time and you can always do that if you are okay with the textures.

ingredients..
(2 servings)
dhuli mung (skinned mung beans) 1/2 cup
turmeric powder 1 tsp
salt 1/2 tsp or to taste
water 1.5 cups (more if required)
fenugreek sprouts 1.5 cups
chopped garlic 2 tsp
mild green chillies chopped 2-3 tbsp or to taste
cumin seeds 1 tsp
ghee 1 tbsp or a bit more if you like

procedure..

Cook the mung daal along with water, turmeric powder and salt in a deep pan over medium to low flame. Keep stirring in between to avoid spilling the watery liquid. The daal takes about 15-20 minutes to cook to desirable texture. Add small amounts of water if required during the cooking time. Do not cover the pan as the daal is likely to spill over if you cover it.

Prepare a tempering with ghee and cumin when the daal is cooked. Heat ghee in a separate pan, add the cumin seeds and wait till they splutter and get aromatic. Add a pinch of hing if you like and then tip in the garlic and wait till the garlic gets pink. Take the pan off the heat, add the green chillies and the methi sprouts, mix well quickly and pour over the cooked daal. Stir lightly and cover for a couple of minutes before serving it.

This daal is best eaten just after the tempering. It makes a meal for me sometimes, or a roti and a large serving of a plain vegetable curry is what I like with this.

You might like to use a little more ghee to the tempering, please go ahead and add more ghee especially if you are not having any other fats or carbs with this daal.

This is truly satvik food, cooked to heal and nourish the body, mind and soul. Mung daal has always been the food for breaking fasts, for cleansing and for light eating. With fenugreek sprouts it becomes so fragrant and flavourful. The garlic is the only non satvik element in the daal if you talk in strict Hindu terms, but who cares when garlic has so much healing properties and is so yummy. I would recommend using the mild green chillies in this daal and use them liberally as the chilly capsaicin adds immense flavours to this daal.

I use the Anahiem type green peppers a lot, they are called Bangalore chillies here and lend a great taste to a few curries I cook. We had a nice mutton mince curry with lots of these peppers and loved it so much. The recipe is coming soon. Stay tuned.

methi wali machhli | fish curry with fenugreek greens

I have had methi wali machhli cooked by a friend's mother and had been planning to cook fish the same way since then. It is a mildly spiced fish curry in yogurt gravy and a lot of fresh fenugreek leaves. The fish suitable for this curry is large steaks with bones and skin and I decided to cook methi wali machhli as soon as I found good large fish steaks. This fish curry is similar to Machhli ka salan that doesn't use so much methi leaves o skips using them altogether.

Most people cook this recipe with a lot of oil in it but my recipe doesn't have oil floating on top. You can use oil generously to get more glaze (or roghan) in this curry.

Having fish at home has been an occasional treat lately, as we don't get good fish around our place. The skinned de-boned fillets don't count as fish which of course is available abundantly. I do cook some Basa sometimes but it doesn't feel like eating fish honestly. I want a fishy fish when I want fish, I know you understand what I mean. Although this methi wali machhli is not too fishy I must add. If you cook it with Basa fillet or large Pomfret fillets, it wont be even remotely fishy.

We have a few nice fish markets in Delhi and we do get our fish from those places whenever we are around. We generally get a large Rohu or Catla or a Betki nicely cut into steaks to be frozen in portions and sometimes we get some Mackerel or Bombil which we cook the same day. The steaks I cooked in this curry were from the belly part but any bony steaks will be suitable, just take care the pieces should be sturdy enough to handle in a curry.

This methi wali machhli is loosely based on a recipe I  saw here but my recipe has fresh fenugreek leaves as the star ingredient, exactly the way I had loved it. This is a slightly tart curry as the curds I use for this is a little sour, the way I prefer it, the flavors of fenugreek complements really well with the tartness of curds (dahi).

ingredients
fish steaks (Rohu. Catla any firm fish, preferably river fish) 500 gm approximately
fresh yogurt 1 cup
roughly chopped onion 1/4 cup
garlic cloves 3-4
dry red chillies 2-3 or to taste (keep it more than you think enough as yogurt neutralises chilies)
coriander powder2 tsp
turmeric powder 1 tsp
finely chopped fenugreek leaves 1.5 cup packed (or lesser)
salt to taste
mustard oil 2-3 tbsp
fenugreek seeds about a dozen

procedure

Make a paste of the onion, garlic, red chillies and 1/4 cup of yogurt along with coriander powder and turmeric powder. Add salt to it and dump this paste over the fish steaks in a mixing bowl. Add the chopped fenugreek leaves to this mixture, mix well and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Blend the remaining 1/4 cup yogurt in the same mixie jar and keep aside.

Heat mustard oil in a pan and add the fenugreek seeds in it. Wait till they become fragrant but take care not to brown them. drain the fish steaks form the marinade and fry in this hot oil both sides lightly. Drain and keep in a plate.

In the remaining oil add all the marinade and bhuno till the oil separates. It takes about 4-5 minutes and the mixture get aromatic.

As you see the oil separating form this cooking mixture, add the remaining yogurt, mix well and add about 1.5 cups of water. Let it come to a soft boil before adding the fried fish steaks.

Cover and simmer for about 5-7 minutes or till the oil floats on top.

Serve hot with plain boiled rice.

These steak were large about 6 inches long with 2-3 long bones in it. The flesh acquires a nice yogurt and fenugreek taste while the gravy is absolutely yummy with all the flavors. I am planning to cook paneer exactly the same way next. Will let you know if I do.

Better you cook and let me know if you are a vegetarian..