Methi Mutter ki sabzi@ frenslunchbox.com
Methi Mutter bhaji (fenugreek leaves and green peas vegetable)
This one came from SD, during his bachelorhood times, his cook used to often make this recipe and SD would lavishly eat it with roti/chapati. So much so that one day SD recommended that I speak to his cook over the phone and understand how this vegetable is prepared so its partially from my kitchen but wholly a brain child of SD’s cook. Before sharing the ingredients and methodology of this recipe, I did a small research to understand the nutrition value of methi (fenugreek leaves and muter (green peas), here is what I pulled out……
The seeds and leaves of methi (fenugreek) are readily available and widely used in Indian kitchen. They have a strong aroma and a bitter taste. But when used in small quantities they impart flavor to your food. It is commonly used in curries, vegetable dishes, dals and not to forget the mouth-watering methi paratha. But did you know that methi is a rich reservoir of medicinal properties too? Methi contains protein, fibre, vitamin C, niacin, potassium, iron and alkaloids. It also contains a compound diosgenin which has oestrogen-like properties, as well as steroidal saponins. These compounds impart many benefits to methi – from being your beauty product to being an answer to your health problems!
Green peas too have medicinal benefits and I usually call them the green pearls, don’t they resemble pearls, well except the shine and off white color, I feel peas definitely resemble pearls. We don’t usually think about green peas as an exotic food in terms of nutrient composition—but we should. Because of their sweet taste and starchy texture, we know that green peas must contain some sugar and starch (and they do). But they also contain a unique assortment of health-protective phytonutrients. The unique phytonutrients in green peas also provide us with key antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Just one cup of peas contains 44% of your Vitamin K which helps to anchor calcium inside the bones. It’s B vitamins also help to prevent osteoporosis.
So let’s get down on the recipe.
This Recipe serves 2 persons
Preparation time – 30 minutes
Cooking time 15 minutes
Ingredients
250 gms methi (fenugreek) leaves (2 bundles) washed and chopped finely
100 gms mutter (green peas) boiled
50 gms coriander leaves chopped finely
1 onion chopped finely
10 garlic cloves grated finely
1 small tomato chopped finely
2 tbsp mustard (sarson) oil
1tsp fennel (saunf) seeds
1tsp turmeric (haldi) powder
2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp (coriander powder)
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp sugar
Salt as per taste
Methodology
- Heat mustard (sarson oil in pan) and add fennel seeds
- Add chopped garlic and onion and sauté on medium flame
- Once the onions turn golden brown, add boiled green peas and the spices haldi, chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala (do not yet add the salt and sugar)
- Add 10 ml water and put the lid on the pan and let the masala get soaked into the peas, remove lid after 5 to 7 minutes
- Once the green peas soak the masala, add the chopped methi and coriander leaves. A quick tip here would be to drain all water from the greens, the vegetable tastes better without a curry form.
- Again put the lid and let the vegetable cook for 10 minutes on low flame. After 10 minutes, remove the lid and now add salt, sugar and chopped tomatoes, don’t turn off that gas knob as yet. Mix the vegetable well till tomatoes turn pulpy.
Serve hot with roti/naan/chapati
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