Greens in general are loaded with iron, fibre, vitamins and calcium. They are healthy and essential for a well balanced diet. So in this recipe I combined both palak and methi along with some sautéed paneer to make this nutritious and yummy side dish. They can be enjoyed either with rice, chapatti, poori or paratha. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this simple wholesome delicacy.
- 3 bunches palak / spinach, chopped
- 2 bunches methi / fenugreek greens. chopped
- 100 gms. paneer / cottage cheese cubes
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 2 dry red chilies, broken
- 1 tsp. cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp. asafoetida
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tsp. garlic, chopped
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
- 1 tsp. roasted cumin powder
- 1 tsp. roasted coriander powder
- 1 tsp. red chili flakes
- 1-2 tbsp. pomegranate pearls (opt)
Heat oil in a pan and stir fry the paneer till light golden in colour. Drain and keep aside.
Temper the same oil with cumin seeds, red chilies and asafoetida. Sauté for a few seconds.
Add the onion and garlic. Continue to sauté till light brown. Add the chopped greens and all the dry spices.
Give it a stir and cook, covered on a low flame till dry. When done, add the fried paneer and pomegranate pearls. Give it a toss and serve with rice or chapatti.
Heat oil & stir fry paneer till light golden in colour. Drain & keep aside.
Temper same oil with cumin seeds, red chilies & asafoetida. Saute for
few seconds. Add onion & garlic. Continue to sauté till light brown.
Add chopped greens & all dry spices. Stir & cook, covered on low flame
till dry.
When done, add the fried paneer and pomegranate pearls.
Serve with rice or chapatti.
Aloo Methi is quite a popular dish made at home and also served in many North Indian restaurants. So how about substituting potatoes with turnip? Besides, greens are full of iron and helps in eliminating any inflammation in the body. So it is advisable to include it in our daily diet.
So here is a simple, easy and a quick side dish of fenugreek leaves cooked with turnip. This is my version and I cooked it in mustard oil with a tempering of panch phoron. A very nice combo that goes well with steamed rice or chapattis.
- 2 turnips / shalgam, cut lengthwise
- 1-2 bunches methi / fenugreek leaves, washed, drained and cut
- 2 tbsp. mustard oil
- 1 tsp. panch phoron
- 1/4 tsp. asafoetida
- 2 green chilies, slit
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
Heat oil in a pan and temper with panch phoron. Sauté for a few seconds and add the asafoetida, followed by the turnip. Stir fry for 4-5 minutes on a medium flame.
Add the greens, green chilies, salt and turmeric powder. Mix everything well and continue to sauté till done. Switch off the flame and serve as a side dish with plain steamed rice or chapattis.
I would like to share a simple recipe of Methi Paneer (Cottage Cheese & Fenugreek Leaves Curry). Very yummy and healthy, they can be served as a perfect side dish to plain rice, jeera rice, roti or any flat Indian bread.
It has a slight gravy like consistency but it can be adjusted according to your preference. Do give it a try by checking out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it. Bon Appetit !!!!
- 1 cup paneer cubes (cottage cheese)
- 1 bunch methi (fenugreek) leaves, chopped
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp. cumin seeds
- 2-3 green cardamoms
- 4-5 cloves
- 1" cinnamon stick
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp. tomato paste
- 1 tsp. cumin powder
- 1 tbsp. coriander powder
- 1 tsp. garam masala powder
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
- 1 tsp. red chili powder
- salt to taste
- 1 cup milk
- 1 green chili, slit
Sprinkle some salt over the chopped fenugreek leaves and leave aside for 10-15 minute. Rinse well under running water and drain. This will help in removing the bitterness.
Heat 1 tsp. oil and saute the drained fenugreek leaves till dry. Keep aside. Heat remaining oil and temper with bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves and cumin seeds. Saute for a few seconds.
Add the onion and fry till light brown. Now add the ginger-garlic paste, tomato paste and all the dry spices mixed with some water. Fry till the oil separates.
Add the sauteed fenugreek leaves, paneer cubes, green chili and milk. Mix well, cover and simmer on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes.
Switch off the flame and transfer to a serving dish. Serve as a side dish with plain steamed rice, pulao, plain biryani, jeera rice, roti, paratha, kulcha, naan or just plain chapatti for a sumptuous meal.
Heat 1 tsp. oil & saute drained fenugreek leaves till dry. Keep aside.
Heat remaining oil & temper with bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves
and cumin seeds. Saute for a few seconds.
Add onion & fry till light brown.
Add ginger-garlic paste, tomato paste & all dry spices mixed with some water.
Fry till oil separates.
Add sauteed fenugreek leaves, paneer cubes, green chili & milk.
Mix well,
Cover & simmer on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes.
Serve with hot steamed rice, pulao, plain biryani, jeera rice, roti, paratha,
kulcha, naan or just plain chapatti for a sumptuous meal.
This is a very popular Gujarati snack where fenugreek leaves are mixed with gram flour and other seasonings to be deep fried. A great tea-time snack, this delicacy can be found in all eateries. They are crisp on the outside and soft and spongy from inside.
So next time if you are thinking of making any snack, do try this yummy pakoras / fritters. They can also be relished as appetizers with green chutney. (I had mine with some homemade hummus for a change). So check out a simple step by step pictorial recipe to prepare these small bites.
Recently I had the opportunity of relishing these awesome pakoras in a large snack joint on my way from Baroda to Surat. They were so delicious - light and spongy. We had them with our evening cup of tea, but I would enjoy them more with some chatpata mint chutney. They are so easy and simple to prepare. So go ahead and give it a try.....
- 1 cup besan (gram flour)
- 1 cup methi / fenugreek leaves, chopped
- 1/2 cup coriander leaves, chopped (opt)
- salt to taste
- 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp. roasted cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp. red chili flakes
- 1-2 green chilies, chopped
- 1 tsp. ginger, grated
- pinch of asafoetida
- 1 tsp. carom seeds (ajwain)
- pinch of baking soda
- oil to deep fry
In a bowl, combine together all the above mentioned ingredients (except methi leaves, coriander leaves and oil).
Add required quantity of water and make a thick batter. Now add the chopped methi and coriander leaves. Mix everything well.
Heat oil in a pan and drop spoonfuls of the batter and fry on a medium flame till light golden in colour.
Drain on a kitchen towel and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and fried fresh chilies. Serve them hot as a tea-time snack or with tomato ketchup / chutney as appetizers.
Mix all ingredients (except methi leaves, coriander leaves & oil).
Add required quantity of water & make a thick batter.
Now add chopped methi & coriander leaves.
Mix everything well.
Heat oil & drop spoonfuls of the batter & fry on a med. flame till light
golden in colour.
Drain on a kitchen towel.
Garnish with coriander leaves & fried fresh chilies. Serve as a tea-time snack or with tomato ketchup / green chutney as appetizers.
Idlis in general are a perfect breakfast option. So I dished out my all time favourite, in a new avatar by adding some chopped methi (fenugreek) leaves. You can go ahead and add any other greens of your choice to make them more nutritious. Serve these soft and fluffy treats along with sambar and chutney for a wholesome breakfast. So check the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.
- 3-4 cups dosa batter
- 1 cup fenugreek leaves, chopped finely
- 1 tsp. roasted coriander-cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp. asafoetida
- 1 tsp. red chili flakes
- 1 tsp. grated ginger
- 2 tbsp. fresh grated coconut
- 1-2 tbsp. oil
- 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
- 1 tsp. urad dal (split black gram lentil)
- 1 tsp. idli podi (gun powder) to garnish (opt)
In a bowl, mix together the batter, greens, coriander-cumin powder, chili flakes, asafoetida, ginger and fresh grated coconut.
Heat oil in a pan and temper with mustard seeds. After it stops spluttering, add the urad dal and saute till light brown. Switch off the flame and pour this tempering over the idli batter. Mix well.
Pour spoonfuls over greased idli moulds and steam for 15 minutes (5 minutes on a high flame and the remaining on low flame).
Set aside to cool down and then demould. Garnish with idli podi (gun powder). Serve with sambar and chutney.
Mix the batter, greens, coriander-cumin powder, chili flakes, asafoetida, ginger
and fresh grated coconut.
Heat oil & temper with mustard seeds. Then add urad dal & saute till light
brown. Switch off flame & pour this tempering over idli batter. Mix well.
Pour spoonfuls over greased idli moulds.
Steam for 15 min (5 minutes on high flame & the remaining on low flame).
Garnish with idli podi (gun powder). Serve with sambar & chutney.
This is a very easy, simple and a traditional roti that is very popular in Punjab and Rajasthan. It is generally prepared with whole wheat flour, combined with besan, chopped fenugreek leaves, onion, green chillies, yoghurt and other dry spices.
Very tasty and equally nutritious, they can be relished anytime of the day with either yoghurt, pickles or just plain butter. They are an ideal lunch box meal too. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup roasted chickpea flour / besan
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp. red chili flakes
- 1 tsp. carom seeds (ajwain)
- 1/2 tsp. cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp. coriander powder
- 1/4 tsp. asafoetida
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tbsp. oil to knead
- 2 cups chopped fenugreek leaves
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1-2 green chilies, chopped
- 2 tbsp. yoghurt
- oil to shallow fry
In a bowl take all the ingredients (except oil to shallow fry) and mix everything well. Add required quantity of water, little at a time and knead into a soft dough. Cover and keep aside for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into equal portions (I could make 9 rotis out of it). Take each portion and roll out into a circle by dusting some flour.
Heat 1 tsp. oil in a tawa / griddle and shallow fry the chapattis one at a time till they are well fried on both sides. Brush some more oil if required.
Fry the remaining rotis in the similar way and serve them hot with either yoghurt, pickle or butter.
Mix all ingredients (except oil to shallow fry).
Add water & knead into a soft dough. Keep aside for 30 min.
Divide the dough into equal portions. Take each portion & roll into a
circle by dusting some flour.
Heat 1 tsp. oil in a tawa & fry the chapattis, one at a time, till they are well
fried on both sides.
Serve them hot with either yoghurt, pickle or butter.
