Alu Methi Masala (Potatoes with Fenugreek leaves)

This is a very popular recipe. Methi leaves is available through out the year except for 2-3 months in peak summer. It is good from the health point of view as well. Though it’s a bit bitter in taste while raw, after cooking you do not realise it. It is served with rice rottis, Jwari rottis or even Nans or chapathis. I borrowed this recipe from one of my friends from Chennai who was my classmate in my college days.

What you need to have:

Methi leaves – a bunch (around 250 grams)

Boiled potatoes – 200 grams

Onion – 2 (100 grams)

Tomatoes – 1 (100 grams)

Finely chopped Methi leaves

Ingredients of the dish

Ginger 1/2 ” piece

Garlic cloves – 3-4

Coriander powder – 3/4 teaspoon

Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Chili powder – 1 teaspoon

Cooking oil – 2 tablespoon

Corrander leaves a handful

Salt as per taste

What you do with what you have:

1. Clean, pick, wash, cut Methi leaves and keep it aside. Peal and cut onions finely. Cut tomatoes too.

2. Place a broad based bowl on the flame with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in it. When heated add cumin seeds. On sputtering add finely chopped onions & salt and saute it for a while till it turn glossy.

3. Add finely chopped Tomatoes, a little chili powder, turmeric powder to it and stir it till it leaves the sides of the vessel. Add ginger garlic paste and also chopped methi leaves. Let it cook in open pan on a low flame for a while till done.

4. Cook potatoes in cooker as usual and cut it into cubes. When cooked, sprinkle chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt to it and keep it aside for about 1/2 an hour as shown in the image below. Finely chopped coriander leaves is also shown in the image.

Cooked alu cubes with masala & coriander leaves

5. When methi leaves is cooked add the potato cubes to the masala and decorate it with coriander leaves and serve hot with either roti or even chapathi.

Ready to serve Alu Methi masala

What to remember:

- Always add only methi leaves (not stem) for the dish. Do not add.

- Sprinkle each of the powders in required quantity to alu cubes and the remaining is to be added while frying the onions.

- Since methi is a little bitter, it is always advisable to use a little more of alu in quantity to enhance the flavour of the dish.

How long it takes: 1 hour

Number of servings: 2-3

Good to know:

Some of the other recipes on this blog that use Methi are : Methi pulav, Methi thepla, Methi mutter malai.