Methi Aloo

Did I tell you that Potatoes are my favourite roots of all. I love to have them with almost anything. As it is known to all that potatoes are rich in starch and carbohydrates and many are watching their carb consumption. I must say they are even keeping me away from blogging, no I was just kidding! But I agree that they make me dozzZzy Zzzz Zzzz ZZz!!!

Frying potatoes with methi leaves for me is a Maharashtrian cuisine. I do know that Methi Aloo might be some north-indian cuisine too. I always like this with hot steamed rice and dal or chapatis. Methi leaves used here in this recipe are picked straight from my window garden. I will update my garden photos shortly.

My window garden, Fenugreek/Methi

Medicinal information on Fenugreek leaves
Use a lot of fenugreek (methi) in your culinary preparations. Why? For the simple reason that it is so healthy. This wonder herb, a very popular vegetable in the Indian cuisine is a nature’s boon to mankind. Besides, it is so appetizing, light and dry. Rich in protein, calcium, phosphorus and iron in their natural forms, its mineral and vitamin contents are also very high and this is easily assimilated by our body. This is extracted from beauty and personal grooming. For more on information on Methi leaves, its medicinal benefits and home remedies do check the informational blog here beauty....

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Methi Aloo

Recipe Source: Friend
Cuisine: Maharashtrian Cuisine ~ Indian
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
6-7 red skin potatoes, diced and cubed into small pieces
1 small bunch of fenugreek leaves/methi leaves/menthaaku
1 tsp red chilli powder/cayenne powder/karam
a pinch of turmeric/haldi/pasupu
for tempering/seasoning:
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp cumin/jeera/jeelakara
1 tsp mustard/rai/avaalu
1 tsp black gram/urad/minapappu
5-6 curry leaves

Method:

• Clean and roughly chop the methi leaves/fenugreek leaves.
• Heat oil in a frying pan or kadai. Add all the seasoning ingredients. Fry for a minute and then add the diced and cubed red potatoes with its skin on.
• Fry for 15-17 minutes or till the potatoes are cooked. Sprinkle some salt, turmeric and cayenne pepper/karam and stir so that all the spices are mixed well.
• Lastly add fenugreek leaves/methi leaves, let it cook for 3-4 mins and stir so that leaves are mixed well.
• Serve it with hot steamed rice or rotis/Indian flatbread.

I am sending this to Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook, Weekend Herb Blogging is brainchild of Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen. Do not forget to check the new rules on weekend herb blogging

More tasty Aloo(potato) recipes from my blog:
Jeera Aloo
Punjabi Gobi Aloo muttar

Aloo Poha ~ Atukulu Upma

Atukulu Upma ~ Savoury Rice Flakes

Its been a long time again.... I posting on my blog, my laptop has given up on me :( and was left with no choice than to depend on my friend's laptop for surfing and stuff . So I was not able to blog anything so far. One more thing I wanted to share is I am going to India for a vacation in March. Pretty much excited about the whole trip, I am going to my Desh (country) after a span of 3.3yrs and my feet are really not on ground right now. My laptop is here and wanted to blog few of my favorite recipes before I become busy with my trip preps, shopping, packing..

Aloo Poha is one of my favorite breakfast/snack and is a very easy to make recipe. I can have this anytime in substitution for my lunch or dinner, it makes me so full, obviously because its made of rice. I think this is great breakfast for bachelors who have limited resources and minimum experience in cooking. During my hostel days we had this on the menu daily and honestly, I got bored eating that daily there :) but again its my favo.... Am I contradicting? do you think so? But anyways here is my mother's recipe which she learned from one of her Maharashtrian friend.

Source: My Mother

Cuisine: Indian~Maharashtrian

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

Serves: 4 people

Ingredients:
2.5 C thick Poha/flattened rice flakes
(from Indian groceries)

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 large potato, thinly diced or boiled ones
3-4 green chillies, cut into small pieces
Handful of frozen green peas (optional)
Handful of peanuts
small bunch of cilantro, chopped finely
4-5 curry leaves
Juice of 1 small lemon/lime
grated coconut of garnishing (optional)
pinch of haldi/turmeric powder
1t jeera/cumin
1t mustard seeds
1t urad dal/black gram
1t chana dal/bengal gram
2T cooking oil
salt as per taste

Method:

1. Wash the rice flakes/atukulu thoroughly only once in cold water, drain immediately to avoid sogginess and keep aside for few mins. You will notice that the flakes becomes plumpy as they absorb any excess water. Chop onions, green chillies, potato.
2. Heat oil in a wide pan and add the mustard, let it splutter for a min and then add urad dal/black gram and cumin/jeera, chana dal/bengal gram and curry leaves. Let it fry for a min and add the raw peanuts. Fry till it they are brown in color.
3. Meanwhile mix some salt in the soaked poha and mix well with your hands. Dont use spoon/spatula it may break the flakes.
   
4. Add onions, diced potato, green peas and green chillies to the pan . Let it cook for few mins or till the potatoes are done if you are taking the fresh one instead of boiled one. Add turmeric and mix well and then add the salted poha to it.
   
5. Mix well and let it sit on the flame for 3 more mins. Add the lime/lemon juice and chopped cilantro and mix well so that the juice is evenly distributed.
   
6. Before serving garnish with freshly grated coconut.

Thanks to Asha for reminding about two events related to potato going on in food blogosphere. I am sending this entry to Sia host of Ode to Potato and to Dhivya host of The Potato Fe(a)st.

Jeera Aloo -- Crushed Cumin with red skinned Potatoes

Its time to treat the king of spices *CUMIN*. Although the small cumin seed looks rather unassuming, its nutty peppery flavor packs a punch when it comes to adding a nutty and peppery flavor to chili and other Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes as well playing an important role in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine where it is a key component of curry powder. Both whole and ground cumin are available year-round.

Cumin seeds resemble caraway seeds, being oblong in shape, longitudinally ridged, and yellow-brown in color. This is not surprising as both cumin and caraway, as well as parsley and dill, belong to the same plant family (Umbelliferae).

Health Benefits : It is probably not just for taste alone that cumin has made it into the stellar ranks of Indian, Middle Eastern and Mexican cooking. This ordinary looking seed is anything but ordinary when it comes to health benefits. It is a very good source of Iron for Energy and Immune Function, cumin seeds benefit the digestive system and also helps in cancer v and stomach and liver tumors. How many of us remember when we have some vomiting sensation or nausea, chew raw cumin seeds to soothe, at least I used to have them like this. More interesting info about Cumin can be found on WHFoods site and on Wikipedia too.

When Sunita of Sunita's world announced the event for Think Spice....think Cumin this Jeera Aloo sounded a perfect entry. I came across this recipe on Khana Khazana by Sanjeev Kapoor a great chef/cook and a lovely host. If you remember the Mother's Day episode, his mother was invited and this was here signature dish. Since then I had been cooking and enjoying this dish. Very quick and simple one to make and happily goes well with rice, biryani, pulao, rotis/Indian flat bread or simply a side dish instead of Mashed Potatoes, why not?

Jeera Aloo - Crushed Cumin with Potatoes

Jeera Aloo

Source: adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor's Khana Khazana
Cuisine: Punjabi, India
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Makes: 4-5 people
Ingredients:
6 red skinned medium size potatoes, boiled and chopped into 3/4 th inch cubes
1 tsp of cumin seeds/jeera
2 tbsp of cumin seeds/jeera, roasted and crushed coarsely
1 tbsp of coriander seeds/dhaniya, roasted and crushed coarsely
1 tbsp of raw mango powder/amchur
1 tbsp of ground cumin powder/jeera powder
1 tsp of chilli powder/cayenne pepper/mirchi powder
½ tsp of turmeric powder/haldi
1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
few curry leaves
salt as per taste
2-3 tbsp of oil
mint /cilantro leaves for garnishing
Method:

1. Pressure cook the potatoes, upto 3 whistles be careful not to over cook them, else they will turn mushy-mushy. Cut them into 3/4th inch cubes and keep aside.
2. Take a deep bottom sauce pan/bartan (hindi word). Heat 2-3 tbsp of oil on a medium flame, yes I am right you have to at least take 2 tablespoons of oil and you will know why we require that much amount, common its better than using 1 slab of butter..hehe!
3. To this add the cumin seeds, let them fry for few seconds, then add the curry leaves, coarsely crushed cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fry for a min- remember do not reduce the heat/flame. You must be seeing foam like thing in your pan don't worry thats nothing but the spices are frying grandly.
4. Now add the cumin powder, raw mango powder/amchur, chilli and turmeric powder and lastly salt.
5. Keep on stirring for a min check the hot and salt levels in the mixture and then add the cubed potatoes, mix well so that all the potato pieces are thoroughly coated with the spice mixture.
6. Garnish with mint/cilantro/coriander leaves and serve hot with rice, rice, biryani, pulao, rotis/Indian flat bread.

Crushed Cumin with red skinned Potatoes