Aloo Methi Recipe | Alu Methi | Aloo Methi Ki Sabji

Aloo methi recipe | alu methi recipe with step-by-step pictures. Aloo methi is a quick and flavorful dish apt for everyday meals, simple yet delicious, and a wholesome vegetarian preparation.

Aloo methi combines methi leaves (fenugreek greens) with the humble potato, aloo or alu as it is called in Hindi. The lightly roasted soft potatoes and the distinct bitterness of methi leaves make this aloo methi bhaji a super delicious dish on the whole. Perfect to be mopped with chapathi, roti or paratha or as a side with some rice and dal.

Potatoes are used in a number of Indian dishes, sometimes it is used on its own in dishes like jeera aloo, or at times it is clubbed with other veggies. Aloo matar, aloo baingan, aloo gobi, aloo palak, aloo bhindi etc., are popular examples and something that I make quite often for our meatless meals.

Finding fresh methi leaves is quite a luxury here in my town, to say the least. The Indian store here stocks up on fresh veggies once a week. And if you are lucky you may find some methi leaves. So I always pick up a few bunches to make and devour some of our favorite methi recipes. We have also tried growing our methi leaves, the only downside is that you need to wait for a good 3-4 weeks to harvest them unless you have a lot of space to plant in multiple pots or trays.

Methi lends itself beautifully in so many dishes, whether it is a flatbread like methi paratha, methi thepla, to just a plain sukhi methi ki sabzi, methi dal or in rich curries like methi paneer, methi matar malai or methi chicken. There are a number of recipes when it comes to these mighty greens packed with nutritional benefits that are good-for-you! So you should definitely make the most of it, and even more when it is in season during the winters.

How to clean methi leaves?

Cleaning methi leaves is a bit time consuming, but one that needs to be done thoroughly as it is grown in sandy regions near the sea.

• You start off by plucking the tiny stem with the three leaves from the thick stem. The thick stem is bitter and needs to be discarded. Also, discard the leaves which are yellowish and wilted.
• Next, take a big container and add the methi leaves in it. Cover with sufficient water. Leave it aside for about 5 minutes. All the sand and grit will settle at the bottom of the container.
• Remove the leaves and transfer to another container, discard the water.
• Repeat this procedure 2-3 times or until you see the water is clear.

How to cook methi leaves?

Before cooking methi leaves, sprinkle some salt over the washed and cleaned leaves. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes. The salt will draw out the moisture and also some of the bitterness. After 10 minutes, squeeze out all that water, chop the leaves finely and use it in any recipe. A quick sauté is more than enough to cook the leaves.

This salting procedure is optional and is done if you want to reduce the bitterness. I love the bitterness the methi, and so at times, I use it as such in any dish, especially these rich North Indian style curries. The bitterness cuts the richness in those dishes.

Making the perfect aloo methi

Making aloo methi is easy and uncomplicated. You are probably wondering does a simple dish like this even need perfection? If you are completely fine with mushy, gluey potatoes then I guess it is fine. It’s not like the dish won’t taste good, I just find that aesthetically it is not very pleasing to the eyes. And we all eat with our eyes first, don’t we?

There are two ways of going about this dish, use raw or boiled potatoes.

It is definitely quicker if you use boiled potatoes. It would save you at least 10 minutes of the cooking time. But use a good non-stick pan, so that the potatoes don’t stick and become all mushy when you mix and toss them around with the spices and methi leaves.

If you decide to use raw potatoes you’d want to use a good non-stick cookware or a well-seasoned cast iron skillet to use less oil and yet not have the problem of potatoes sticking at the bottom of the pan. If using a regular kadai/pan, you may just need extra oil, whether you use boiled or raw potatoes, that’s all.

I prefer to use raw potatoes in this dish so that the potatoes are nice and soft and yet hold their shape and not all mushy instead. The slightly browned golden hued potatoes make the overall dish more appetizing.

I’ll wind up this post with the recipe below! Do give this easy vegetarian dish a go, you may take some time getting used to the flavor if you haven’t had it before. But once you do, I’m sure you will enjoy it more frequently.

How to make aloo methi – Step by step instructions

1.Heat oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed kadai/pan, once it is hot enough, add the cumin seeds and let it crackle. Add hing and dried red chillies. Sauté for half a minute.

2.Add minced ginger and garlic, sauté until fragrant.

3.Add chopped onions, sauté until translucent.

4.Next, add the cubed potatoes, turmeric, and salt. Give it a good mix and cook covered over medium-low heat until the potatoes are about 80% cooked, stirring occasionally in between, about 8-10 minutes.

5.Add the methi leaves, and mix it well.

6.Next, add ground coriander, red chilli, and amchur powder (if using), mix well. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes.

7.Finish off the dish with a squeeze of lemon juice. Mix well, serve hot with chapathi or as a side with rice and curry of your choice and some salad.

NOTES

• To reduce the bitterness of methi, sprinkle salt over the cleaned methi leaves and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Squeeze out the water and use in the recipe.
• If you can’t find fresh methi leaves, kasuri methi is a good option. It is basically a dried form of the fresh leaves. But the drying process concentrates the bitter flavors, so a little of it goes a long way in any dish. So you can make aloo kasuri methi by swapping the fresh methi leaves with 1/4 cup of loosely packed kasuri methi, dry roasted on low heat and crushed between your palms. Add it in step 5.
• You can add 1 teaspoon or so of sugar/jaggery to balance out the bitterness or increase the lemon juice.

★ Did you enjoy this easy Punjabi aloo methi recipe? If you happen to try it out, I would love to hear from you! I’d appreciate it if you could rate and leave a review below in the comments. Your reviews help others know the recipe better too. Thanks so much 🙂 

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Aloo Methi Recipe | Alu Methi | Aloo Methi Ki Sabji

Freda Dias

Aloo methi recipe | alu methi | aaloo methi ki sabji | methi potato recipe with step-by-step pictures. Aloo methi is a quick and flavorful dish apt for everyday meals, simple yet delicious and a wholesome vegetarian preparation.

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Servings 3 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml

• 500 grams potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes, about 2.75 cups
• 3 cups tightly packed methi leaves (fenugreek greens)*
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• Pinch of hing (asafoetida)
• 2 dried red chillies, broken into halves
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 cup finely chopped onions
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder/cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• Dash of lemon juice, or 1 tsp of amchur powder
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 2 tbsp oil

Instructions

 

• Heat oil over medium heat in a heavy bottomed kadai/pan, once it is hot enough, add the cumin seeds and let it crackle. Add hing and dried red chillies. Sauté for half a minute.
• Add minced ginger and garlic, sauté until fragrant.
• Add chopped onions, sauté until translucent.
• Next, add the cubed potatoes, turmeric, and salt. Give it a good mix and cook covered over medium-low heat until the potatoes are about 80% cooked, stirring occasionally in between, about 8-10 minutes.
  
• Add the methi leaves, and mix it well.
• Next, add ground coriander and red chilli, mix well. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes.
• Finish off the dish with a squeeze of lemon juice. Mix well, serve hot with chapathi or as a side with rice and curry of your choice and some salad.

Notes

• To reduce the bitterness of methi, sprinkle salt over the cleaned methi leaves and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Squeeze out the water and use in the recipe.
• If you can't find fresh methi leaves, kasuri methi is a good option. It is basically a dried form of the fresh leaves. But the drying process concentrates the bitter flavors, so a little of it goes a long way in any dish. So you can make aloo kasuri methi by swapping the fresh methi leaves with 1/4 cup of loosely packed kasuri methi of the dried leaves, dry roasted on low heat and crushed between your palms. Add it in step 5. 
• You can add 1 teaspoon or so of sugar/jaggery to balance out the bitterness or increase the lemon juice.

Keyword Aloo Methi Recipe, Alu Methi, How To Make Aloo Methi

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