Methi bhaji (fenugreek leaves with chickpea flour)

During the weekend grocery shopping, I was just killing time……or do we need to kill time while shopping? Naaah!. Time gets killed just by itself and we still think there’s so much to shop. I was lost in the veggie aisle drowned in the heaps of fresh harvest ready to end in the kitchen and my eyes rested on a fresh bunch of methi leaves. My mouth watered immediately, even though my brain was screaming that it’s bitter in taste….most of the time. Just the green colour speaks volumes about its health benefits but alas we don’t eat what’s good for us….most of the time. Despite the inner turmoil, I picked two fat bunches and adorned my cart. My nose was high up in the air as my cart was dripping health from every corner. What a feat! Well, once that hangover was over my mind started kicking my neurons about the possible use of the green thing lying on kitchen table. And I was trying hard to justify my urge to buy them. I vaguely remembered a talk with one of my old friend and she often used to get this methi bhaji for lunch. I decided to follow my instincts and based on memory of the taste I threw myself into this lovely and easy recipe so much desi in style. The best thing about this recipe is that it hardly calls for any spice…..even if it did…I had forgotten all about it. But sans the spices and restless hours over the gas stove, the dish turned out to be …yummmm. The bitterness had vanished and colour of the leaves were intact ( which rarely happens in Indian cooking). Let’s try it then……

Ingredients:

½ kg of fresh methi(fenugreek) leaves

4 tbs of besan (chickpea flour)

1 big onion sliced

4-5 cloves of garlic chopped

½ tsp of methi seeds

1 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

2 tbs oil

Method:

Wash and chop the methi leaves. Heat a pan and dry roast the besan/chickpea flour on low flame till it changes its colour and gives out a nice aroma. Keep aside. Take another pan and heat the oil in it. Add the methi seeds and let them splutter for few seconds. Add the sliced onion and fry for 2 min. Add the chopped garlic and sauté for a minute. Add the methi leaves and mix. Lower the flame and cover for 5 minutes. Add the salt and turmeric powder and a cook for 2 min. Do not let the leaves dry up totally. Add the roasted besan and mix very well. You may find it difficult to mix and the besan might form lumps, but don’t worry. Use a spatula and go on breaking the lumps and keep mixing. The water released from the methi leaves earlier will help the besan to become soft and create a texture. Mix for 2 min and switch of the stove. 

Cover and let it rest. Serve with rice or chapatti as a side dish.