February 28, 2025

Recipe for Aloo Methi

Methi is a Family favourite. We absolutely love Methibhaji. Many people are not fans of Methi due to it’s slight bitter taste. It’san acquired taste. My grandparents used to love making Methi bhaji and we’vebeen introduced to Methi in our Childhood, hence we enjoy eating Methi.

Sometimes when we want to eat something healthy and light,we make Methi Bhaji with Potato. Like Floyd says “You and your Mum cannotdigest your food without Potatoes. Even in Potatoes, you will put Potatoes”hahaha 😊

While the Goan Methi bhaji is made with Prawns, here’s a versionI make without Prawns.

Do give it a try.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword Baby Methi, bhaji, Methi, Methi Bhaji, Veg Recipe

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

5 bundles of Fresh Methi(Fenugreek) – method to wash and cut given below
1 large Potato
2 large Onions – finely chopped
1 large Tomato – finely chopped
2 Green Chillies – slit
1/2 tspn Hing(Asefoetida)
1/2 tspn Cumin seeds
1 tspn Turmeric powder
1 tspn Kashmiri Chilly powder
1 tbspn Oil(I use Sesame Seed Oil or you can use any Oil ofyour choice)
1 tspn Salt
1/2 tspn Cumin seed powder
1/2 tspn Coriander seed powder
1/4 tspn Sugar
1/2 Tspn Vinegar

Instructions

Peel the skin off the Potato, cut it into 1 inch cubes, wash it and let it soak in water until it is ready to be cooked.
Note: We keep Potatoes sunk in water because Potatoes have a characteristic of 'oxidization' where if exposed to air it turns black due to a chemical reaction
While cooking Potatoes or anything with Potatoes, I always peel the Potatoes just before it's ready to go into the dish, But if you like to cut and chop everything and keep before hand, please put the potatoes in water after cutting
Heat Oil in a vessel and add the Hing and Cumin seeds.(Medium heat)
Then add the Onions and Green chillies and sautè(keep stirring/mixing at regular intervals)
You can add around 4-5 roughly chopped or pounded Garlic flakes too if you like
When The Onions start turning transparent, drain the water off the potatoes, sprinkle some salt over the potatoes and give it a mix.
Once you add salt to the Potatoes, there will be some water released from the Potatoes. Discard that and then add the Potatoes into the vessel.
Potatoes seasoned with Salt always tastes better when added to any dish. It enhances the flavor of the Potatoes
Now, add the Potatoes and stir for about 5-7minutes
After sometime the Potatoes get a slight brown crusty coating.
At this stage you can add the Tomatoes, Cumin powder,Coriander seed powder, Turmeric powder, Chilly powder, Sugar, Vinegar and Salt and mix well
Note: The Salt will release the moisture from the onions and tomatoes and this will ensure the ingredients don't get stuck at the bottom of the vessel
Mix it all well, stir, put the lid on and reduce the heat to low. Let this cook for about 7-10 minutes. Keep checking and stirring at regular intervals so that the ingredients don't get stuck at the bottom of the vessel.
Now add the Chopped Methi and mix well and put the lid on.You can turn the heat to medium at this stage
Note: Methi, like most leafy veggetables release alot ofwater. Hence, we don't add any water to this dish
After about 10 minutes or so, open the lid and give this a stir. Here, you will notice the Methi bhaji would have shrunk and become half and it would have released a lot of water. At this stage, let the vessel be open and let it cook on medium heat until all the water evaporates
Note: Don't forget to stir at intervals to avoid the vegetables getting stuck at the bottom of the vessel
Once all the water has evaporated, the bhaji is ready. Enjoyyyyyy this super yummy Aloo Methi with Garma Garam Chapatis.

Method to clean, wash and cut the Methi bhaji

There are two types of Methi 1)Baby Methi 2)BigMethi(atleast that’s what we call it at home)
Baby Methi is very easily available in India and it tastes even better as compared to Big Methi. But here in Dubai, we only get the Big Methi or atleast that’s what I’ve seen.
Baby Methi can be used with the stem since the stem is tender. However, when using the Big Methi, we use only the Leaves as the stem is quite hard
If using Baby Methi, all you have to do is pluck/chop off the root and if using Big Methi, only pluck the leaves off.
Once done, soak the Methi in a vessel in room temperature Water for about 10minutes.
Note: We do this because Methi being a root,has a lot of mud/sand and when it is soaked in water, the sand gets separated from the Methi and settles at the bottom of the vessel, thus making it easier to clean. I have seen many people washing Methi and root vegetables in a strainer. But most times a lot of dust particles still cling on to the strainer and when you eat the Methi once it’s cooked, you will feel the sand particles in your mouth.
After 10m minutes, gently remove the methi with your hand and place it into a strainer or another vessel.
Note: Be very gentle while removing the methi from the water. Ensure the water is not disturbed because the sand has now settled at the bottom of the vessel.
Discard that water along with the sand. Pass water thoroughly into the vessel and discard the water as sometimes, the stubborn sand still settles on the sides of the vessel. So ensure to pass water.
Transfer the Methi back into the vessel and repeat this step 2 more times or until you’ve noticed that the water has absolutely no sand particles.
On a chopping board, Place bunches of the cleaned and washed Methi and randomly cut the bunches of Methi together. Cutting the Methi enhances the flavour of the dish. It’s now ready to use.