It's been a while since I've posted a new recipe but I have a good excuse for that; I've been out of the country and only returned a few days ago. I made a trip to Haiti to meet with some children I'd been asked to help find adoptive families for. If you're interested in that project, check out the web site I put together at www.adoptingfromhaiti.weebly.com.
I was only gone for two weeks, but I've got to tell you..... I couldn't stop dreaming about the things I was going to cook the second I got home! I was really craving Indian food with all it's variety and spicy deliciousness. As I wandered through my cookbooks the other night, I kept seeing this ingredient called "methi." (Methi is the Hindi name for fenugreek leaves.) I have never tasted it (that I know of) and was curious to give it a try. So, yesterday I drove out to Taj Mahal Grocery and sure enough, they had fresh methi. I bought a bunch of fresh and a bag of frozen and scuttled home to start cooking.
I was in the mood for something healthy and tasty with a nice hit of heat to it so I decided to try methi chana, or chickpea gravy with fenugreek greens. It was just exactly what I was in the mood for! Turns out, methi has a slightly sour tang to it and the dish was bright, spicy, and delicious.
Ingredients:
1/2 t fenugreek seeds
1 t cumin seeds
2 cloves
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
1 T canola oil
2 bird or Thai chilies, chopped
1 t black mustard seeds
3 or 4 canned tomatoes, chopped
one bunch fresh methi, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 t garam masala
1/4 t asafoetida
1/4 t turmeric
1 t amchur (dry mango powder)
1 T chopped cilantro
Method:
1. Dry roast the fenugreek seeds, cumin seed, cloves, and cinnamon until fragrant. Let cool in pan and then grind or pound to a powder.
2. Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and green chilies. Once the mustard seeds have stopped popping (they will turn grey and pop, like popcorn) add in the chopped tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes break down and soften, no more than a couple of minutes.
3. Stir in the methi and the powdered spice blend. Stir in 1/2 cup water and simmer gently until methi is cooked, about two or three minutes.
4. Add in the chickpeas, amchur, turmeric, asafoetida, and garam masala. Mix well and stir in 1 1/2 cups water. Simmer until gravy comes together, about 5 minutes.
5. Crush some of the chickpeas with a potato masher to thicken the sauce. Add salt to taste and simmer about 5 more minutes.
6. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
I know most of my readers won't try this because the ingredient list seems daunting and unfamiliar. But if you live in Fort Wayne, a trip to Taj Mahal Grocery will get you everything you need. If you don't live in Fort Wayne, perhaps your town has its own Indian grocery store? Check it out because this is a simple, healthy, delicious, and inexpensive dish to make!
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| Methi Chana (chickpeas with fenugreek leaves) |
It's been a while since I've posted a new recipe but I have a good excuse for that; I've been out of the country and only returned a few days ago. I made a trip to Haiti to meet with some children I'd been asked to help find adoptive families for. If you're interested in that project, check out the web site I put together at www.adoptingfromhaiti.weebly.com.
I was only gone for two weeks, but I've got to tell you..... I couldn't stop dreaming about the things I was going to cook the second I got home! I was really craving Indian food with all it's variety and spicy deliciousness. As I wandered through my cookbooks the other night, I kept seeing this ingredient called "methi." (Methi is the Hindi name for fenugreek leaves.) I have never tasted it (that I know of) and was curious to give it a try. So, yesterday I drove out to Taj Mahal Grocery and sure enough, they had fresh methi. I bought a bunch of fresh and a bag of frozen and scuttled home to start cooking.
 |
| Methi (fenugreek) leaves |
Ingredients:
1/2 t fenugreek seeds
1 t cumin seeds
2 cloves
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
1 T canola oil
2 bird or Thai chilies, chopped
1 t black mustard seeds
3 or 4 canned tomatoes, chopped
one bunch fresh methi, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 t garam masala
1/4 t asafoetida
1/4 t turmeric
1 t amchur (dry mango powder)
1 T chopped cilantro
Method:
1. Dry roast the fenugreek seeds, cumin seed, cloves, and cinnamon until fragrant. Let cool in pan and then grind or pound to a powder.
2. Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and green chilies. Once the mustard seeds have stopped popping (they will turn grey and pop, like popcorn) add in the chopped tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes break down and soften, no more than a couple of minutes.
3. Stir in the methi and the powdered spice blend. Stir in 1/2 cup water and simmer gently until methi is cooked, about two or three minutes.
4. Add in the chickpeas, amchur, turmeric, asafoetida, and garam masala. Mix well and stir in 1 1/2 cups water. Simmer until gravy comes together, about 5 minutes.
5. Crush some of the chickpeas with a potato masher to thicken the sauce. Add salt to taste and simmer about 5 more minutes.
6. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
I know most of my readers won't try this because the ingredient list seems daunting and unfamiliar. But if you live in Fort Wayne, a trip to Taj Mahal Grocery will get you everything you need. If you don't live in Fort Wayne, perhaps your town has its own Indian grocery store? Check it out because this is a simple, healthy, delicious, and inexpensive dish to make!
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| fenugreek seeds |
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| stirring the methi into the pan |
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| crushing the chickpeas |
