Aloo Methi | Fenugreek Potato Stir Fry Recipe
Aloo Methi is a simple aromatic vegan stir-fry recipe made with methi leaves and potatoes. A healthy Indian side that's also a lunchbox recipe.
Make this methi leaves curry recipe in just 30 minutes and serve it with any kind of bread.
Servings 4 people
Calories 417.58kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
To Cook The Potatoes
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 24 baby potatoes
- salt
- water
To Prepare Aloo Methi
- 2 tablespoon vegan ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon gluten-free asafoetida
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 8-10 cloves garlic
- 2-3 green chillies or serrano peppers
- ½ cup onion, chopped
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chilly powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon amchur powder
- 2 cups fresh fenugreek leaves or 2 frozen blocks of methi
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon kasuri methi
- salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon cilantro
Instructions
To Cook The Potatoes
- In a Prssure Cooker, add the baby potatoes and water.
- Add salt, and turmeric powder. Pressure cook for 2 whistles.
- When done, strain the baby potatoes, but reserve the water.
- Once they are cool to handle, peel them and slice them in half. Set them aside for now. If they are still very, cut them further. But they need to be chunky and bite-sized.
To Prepare Methi Aloo
- Wash fresh methi leaves nicely under running water and then separate the leaves from the stems. Chop them roughly and keep them aside. If using frozen fenugreek leaves, thaw and use as is.
- Heat vegan ghee in a pan. Temper cumin seeds and when they crackle, add GF asafoetida. Then add minced green chillies, ginger paste, and minced garlic. Fry for a minute on medium flame. Add a tablespoon of the reserved water to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Then add the chopped onions. Continue to saute till they turn translucent.
- Now add the spices - turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and amchur powder. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved water. Mix and cook for a minute.
- Add the chopped methi leaves and 2 more tablespoons of the reserved water. Cook for 2-3 minutes or till the methi is fully cooked.
- Next, add the potatoes. Mix it lightly. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Taste and add salt as needed.
- Lastly add garam masala, and kasuri methi. Mix and cook for another minute.
- Lastly add cilantro, and lemon juice. Mix and take the pan off the flame.
Notes
Aloo Methi recipe can be made in advance. It stays well in the fridge for 4-5 days. You can also freeze it.
If using Kasoori Methi in place of fresh leaves, then just use 3-4 tbsps. Just a little goes a long way in this case.
You can follow the same recipe to make Aloo Palak. Simply swap methi with spinach.
One of the main pain points when cooking methi recipes is to pluck and clean them properly. Here are some tips to help you with that.
How to pluck the leaves quickly?
Plucking the leaves is one of the most tedious and time-consuming part of the recipe. But I have a hack for you.
Hold the stalk firmly with its roots facing upwards. Then give the leaves a swift pull downwards in one go.
Remember, the thicker stems are bitter to taste and should be discarded. Thin tender stems can be used.
Discard leaves that are discolored, wilted, or turned yellow.
How to clean the leaves?
Once you have separated the leaves from the stems, just soak them in a bowl filled with clean water. All the mud (if any) will settle down in 5-10 minutes.
Discard that water and repeat the above steps till you eventually get clear water. You can even clean the methi leaves a day before and store them in the fridge.
How to remove the bitterness from the leaves?
The bitterness of the fenugreek gives this dish its unique flavor. But if you want, you can reduce the bitterness to some extent.
After cleaning the leaves, leave them in a container and sprinkle some salt over them. After 10 minutes, squeeze out all the water from the leaves and chop roughly.
Salt helps remove some of the bitterness and moisture. I learned this trick from my mom. But I hardly use it as I like the slightly bitter taste it brings to the dish.
Or you can add a teaspoon of sugar while cooking the stir fry or drizzle more lemon juice in the end to balance the flavors. Amchur powder can also be added.
Boiled or raw potatoes?
If you are using raw cut potatoes, the cooking time increases but you can ensure that the potatoes are crispy, not overcooked, and hold their shape.
If you want, you can parboil or boil them first. This will drastically reduce the final cooking time.
The final texture will depend on the way you cook the potatoes.
Nutrition
Calories: 417.58kcal | Carbohydrates: 74.15g | Protein: 12.65g | Fat: 9.16g | Saturated Fat: 5.96g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.7g | Sodium: 109.31mg | Potassium: 1536.5mg | Fiber: 11.14g | Sugar: 4.52g | Vitamin A: 203.94IU | Vitamin C: 74.15mg | Calcium: 557.67mg | Iron: 6.62mg