Fenugreek leaves or Methi as it is called in Hindi or Gujarati, is well known in the Indian community, especially for its bitter yet delicious taste and mouth watering recipes. However it is not as well known otherwise. My goal is to spread awareness about this nutritious leafy green that is found in abundance in the winter months.
This Methi-Aloo Pulao is a great weeknight meal, made wholesome with an accompaniment of raita or yogurt mixed with finely grated vegetables.
Benefits of Methi
Methi has plenty of benefits, especially because of its slight bitter taste, namely reducing inflammation, improving blood sugar control and for increasing milk production in mothers who have just birthed newborns. Even in our Gujarati culture, there are recipes that cater to milk production that include fenugreek seeds or methi seeds.
With my first born, my mom’s sister traveled from the UK to help me for a couple of weeks after delivery. She brought along these balls, which were made of healthy and energy deriving ingredients, that included jaggery and methi seeds, inducing milk production as well. These are age old remedies that have been passed down through generations.
Mom’s Methi Bateta nu Shaak (Fenugreek-Potato spiced veggie)
Mom used to make a shaak or spiced vegetable called Methi Bateta nu Shaak. It was essentially a mixture of fenugreek leaves, that were finely chopped, cooked along with potatoes, alliums like ginger, garlic and green chilli, and all of the Indian spices. She would add a tad bit jaggery to balance out the slight bitterness of the fenugreek leaves.
It was one of my favorite winter vegetables, eaten with fresh off the stove rotlis or whole wheat flatbreads, smeared with some homemade organic ghee.
She would use the vegetable as a base for a pulao as well. Pulao is essentially a one pot dish that is made with vegetables, whole spices like cinnamon, cloves and bay leaf, along with ground spices and basmati rice or long grained rice.
How to clean methi?
Methi or fenugreek can be a bit tedious to clean. But do not get intimidated by it. Yes, it does take about 20 minutes to clean the methi.
You start off by having a large bowl as a trash pile, a colander for the clean leaves and a clean surface to work on. Take each stem of the methi and remove the leaves and put it into the colander, and the stems in the trash bowl. The process is meticulous but oh so worth it!
I admit, by the end I do get tired and frustrated, and let some of the stems go! The colander with the fenugreek leaves is washed thoroughly under cold water in the sink. I spread the leaves onto a kitchen towel to air dry them.
You do not need to air dry it if you are using it on the same day. The air dry process is if you want to store it in the fridge or the freezer.
How to store methi?
The methi leaves are then stored in an airtight container lined with a paper towel, or you could spread them on a paper towel, roll it up and store it into a zipped plastic bag as well.
It can be left in the fridge for upto 4 to 5 days, and in the freezer for upto a month. Be sure to date the bag so that you know when you cleaned and air dried it.
Ingredients of the Methi-Aloo Pulao
The ingredients of the methi-aloo pulao are:
- Long grain basmati rice: I use the long grain basmati rice, which when cooked, the grains separate and are just wonderful to eat in the form of a pulao or biryani. You can use normal basmati rice as well.
- Vegetable oil
- Whole spices like cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves and bay leaf that impart great flavor to the pulao
- Alliums like ginger and green chilli
- Potatoes
- Washed and dried fenugreek leaves, that have been finely chopped
- Ground spices like red chilli powder, turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala
- Brown sugar to balance out the slight bitterness of the fenugreek
Why do we wash and soak the rice?
The rice is washed under cold water a few times, to remove the excess starch of the rice grains. You will see that the water is cloudy at first, and you want to reach a point when the water is clear.
The rice is then soaked in the water for 20 minutes at a minimum. Both these steps help when the pulao is cooking, and prevent stickiness. Pulao is a rich dish, though not as rich as its cousin – the mighty Biryani. The grains of rice will be separated as well, making the dining part a pleasant experience.
How is the Methi-Aloo Pulao cooked? How long does it take?
The fenugreek leaves can be separated a day ahead of time. Apart from the soaking time for the rice, the pulao itself takes 30 minutes to make.
It starts off with sauteing the whole spices in the oil. Once you start smelling the aroma of the spices, cook the potatoes, until slightly brown. Then add the fenugreek and ground spices, and cook it down a bit.
The soaked rice is added next, along with water, stirred and the pot is covered for about 20 minutes, stirring it at the 15 minute mark. You do not want to technically disturb the rice until 15 minutes into cooking it. You will see that the grains are nicely separated, the dish smells aromatic and ofcourse, you will not be able to wait much longer to dig into the delicious pulao.
The pulao is best eaten with some sort of raita or yogurt that has been mixed with finely grated vegetables, and some spices. The raita helps to cool down the heat from the dish.
What pan do you use to cook the pulao?
You can use any large pot that is a non-stick pot to cook the pulao. I use the Le Creuset braiser (3.5 quart pan), which is one of my favorite pans to use for pulaos and biryanis. I use it to cook large quantities of vegetables as well.
The one that I have is linked here. I have the same color as well.
Other weeknight dinner recipes
If you make this recipe, please tag #thejamlab on Instagram and/or leave a comment on this blog post.
XO
Amisha
Methi Aloo Pulao (Fenugreek Potato Pulao)
Ingredients:
Pulao
- 1 ¼ cups long grain basmati rice
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- Half cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
- 4 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped
- 1 inch ginger, finely grated
- 2–3 small potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾ inch pieces
- 1 ¼ cups heaped fenugreek leaves, leaves removed from stem, washed and finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons table salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 ¼ teaspoons garam masala
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 cups water
Garnish
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
- Lemon wedges
Get Recipe Ingredients
Method:
- Add 2 cups of water to the rice, and wash it thoroughly with your hands, to remove the excess starch. Drain out the water and repeat 2-3 more times until the water is clear. Drain the water, add 2 cups of water again and let soak for 30 minutes.
- In a large saucepan, on medium heat, add the oil. After about a minute, add cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves and bay leaf and saute for about 2 minutes.
- Add the green chilies, ginger and potatoes and saute for about 4 to 5 minutes, until the potatoes are lightly browned.
- Add the fenugreek leaves and all the dry spices like salt, red chilli powder, turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala and brown sugar. Mix until well combined for about a minute.
- Drain out the water from the rice, add the soaked rice, and 2 additional cups of water. Stir the mixture until well combined. Cover the pot and cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring at the 15 minute mark. The rice should be separated, grainy and should be soft when pressed between the thumb and forefinger. The pulao is done.
- Garnish with the cilantro and lemon wedges.
- Serve immediately with raita or plain yogurt and pickle.
Notes
How to store leftover pulao?
Leftover pulao can be stored in an airtight container for upto 2 days in the fridge. Leftovers heat up well in the microwave as well.
