Methi known as Fenugreek in English, a word derived from Latin word "greek hay" is very beneficial to health and has many medicial properties. India is the largest producer of methi in the world and Rajasthan, Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uthranchal and Gujrat are the states producing methi and punjab being majot methi producing state.
Fenugreek is used in many ways and has many benefits namely fenugreek in powder form is used in curries and pickles, while the dried form of fenugreek called "Kasuri methi" is used to add flavour the dishes. The dried leaves called kasuri methi has a bitter taste and characteristic aroma in it.
Methi seeds when made paste acts like a best conditioner. Let me share some secret beauty tips of methi leaves, as such i am planning to add a seperate coloum in the blog for medicinal benefits and beauty tips using kitchen herbs and groceries, but since this is a methi recipe let me share few with everyone.

• Paste of the fresh leaves and coconut milk applied over the scalp is believed to prevent hair loss, promote hair growth, preserve its natural color, delay graying of hair and make it silky soft.
• Add the powder of methi seeds with coconut oil and massage it on your scalp. Wash it off the next day with cold water. This helps to prevent premature graying of hair.
• A paste of methi leaves mixed with vinegar is good for treating dandruff.
• Applying the paste of fenugreek leaves and turmeric on your face is very good for pimple blackhead prone skin.
• Make a paste of fenugreek leaves and add boiled milk to it. Applying this to your face delays the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It not just improves the complexion but also makes one look years younger.

So, by now hope many of you must have understood its benefits..especially girls reading this. Just try to add methi to your food and enjoy healthy and beautiful life. As such methi is not that good in taste when cooked but it can surely be made intresting and tasty. One of my friends asked me to post a recipe using methi and chicken. So i think this fits the bill perfectly and makes a tasty menu. Believe me, it tastes just wonderful.




Ingredients:
Chicken 800 gms.
Ginger 1 2″ piece
Garlic 10 cloves
Green Chillies 5
Yogurt 1 cup
Salt to taste
Coriander Leaves 3 tbsps.
Vegetable Fat (ghee) 3 tbsps.
Onion 1
Bay Leaves 2
Fenugreek Leaves (methi) 1 cup
Coriander Powder 1 tsp.
Cumin Powder 1 tsp.
Mace And Cardamom Powder 1/2 tsp.
Wheat Flour Dough (make a dough using little flour for sealing).


Method:

1. Clean the chicken and cut into 8 pieces.
2. Make a paste of ginger, garlic and green chillies.
3. Slice the onion, brown in a little ghee and grind to a fine paste.
4. Finely chop the coriander leaves.
5. Marinate the chicken pieces in curd, ginger-garlic-green chilli paste and salt for 6 hours.
6. Heat ghee in a narrow mouthed degchi or deep bottomed pot called handi, add bay leaves. Add finely chopped methi leaves. Stir-fry for three minutes.
7. Cover the degchi or handi and seal, using the dough. Cook over low heat till the flavours are given out.
8. Uncover the degchi and sprinkle the mace and cardamom powder.
9. Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Preparation Time: 6 hours and 30 minutes (including marination)
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4 persons
Shelflife: 1 day
Serving Suggestion: Serve hot with Rice and dal.


Note:

• Use freshly chopped fenugreek leaves for this recipe
• Make dough using just 3-4 tbsp of wheat flour and little water but tight dough so that it seals the handi properly.
• Use a handi or earthen pot for best taste.
• You can also use a deep bottomed vessel instead.
• Use fresh Onion paste for the recipe.

Methi Pakora , one more greens to my list of recipes in the blog. But this one is a snack, unlike the others which were side dishes or main course. Methi (Fenugreek leaves) is a full of medicinal properties. Methi has good benefits for diabetic patients, nursing mothers and for those who want to reduce cholestrol. This is a wonder herb popular in India, rich in protein, calcium, phosperous and iron in its natural form. Its mineral and vitamin content is also very high and is easily assimilated by our body. The fibre content in Methi is effective in stabilizing blood sugar levels by just having 1/2 cup of methi leaves daily or a spoon of methi seeds with milk taken an hour before meals. Methi is cooked in various form in India be it main course, side dish or a quick to eat snack. Methi pakoras are one such snacks, and it is a good source of food. Methi pakora is simple to prepare and easy to digest. I hope this recipe would be liked and enjoyed.




Ingredients:
1 cup chopped methi leaves (Fenugreek leaves)
2 chopped onions
1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon Red chilli powder
2 cups Besan (Gram flour)
1 teaspoon Amchur powder (Dry Mango powder)
Salt to taste
3 cups oil for frying.



Method:

1. Add water to besan and make thick batter. Add the water in small amounts to avoid forming of lumps.
2. Add chopped methi leaves, chopped onions,turmeric powder, red chili powder, and mango powder and salt to the besan batter and make a mixture.
3. Heat the oil.
4. Fry small portions of this mixture in oil till they turn brown. You can take the portions with the help of your hands or with spoon.
5. Serve hot with green chutney.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes.
Cooking Time: 20 minutes.
Serves: 4 persons.
Shelflife: Best fresh.
Serving suggestion: Serve hot with green chutney.



Note:

• Add water in small amount to avoid forming of lumps.
• The amount of red chilli powder can be adjusted as per taste.
  

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Chicken saagwala is a Indian name which means chicken cooked in spinach. It is a well known cuisine from Punjab and is healthy . I have shared few green veg and non veg recipes in the blog, chicken saagwala is one more addition to those list. Chicken saagwala is cooked using chicken, spinach, tomatoes and few spices. It is served with either Roti, naan or rice. It tastes good with Matar pulav. Punjabis are fond of chicken and greens and this comes under their preferred food.
Hope you would enjoy this recipe.




Ingredients:
1 Chicken-cut into pieces
3 Cups pureed spinach
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 Bay leaf
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 Cup onions-chopped finely or paste
1/4 Cup tomato puree
2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp Powdered red pepper
1 tsp Powdered coriander seeds
Cream for garnish



Method:

1. Heat about 1 cup of oil and add cumin, when it splutters, add bay leaf, ginger and the garlic, and saute till a light brown.
2. Add onions and saute till soft.
3. Add the chicken over high heat and turn around till opaque.
4. Lower the heat and let it cook, stirring a few times, till tender.
5. Add tomato puree and stir fry till fat separates. The oil should be floating on the surface or on the sides of the pan.
6. Add the salt, garam masala and the red pepper and stir till well mixed.
7. Add spinach and saute for 2-3 minutes.
8. Turn around a few times and serve hot garnished with the cream.
9. Chicken Saagwala is ready.
10. Serve it hot with Roti or Naan. Even pulav goes well with it.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4 persons
Shelflife: 1 day
Serving Suggestion: Serve hot with roti, naan or pulav.


Note: Blanch the spinach and make puree of it for better taste. Blanching means chopping the spinach into small then, cook it in boiled water for few minutes, till it is cooked. It would turn dark green and tender soft when cooked. Then drain it, and allow it to cool for few minutes. Once it is cooled, blend it over mixer into puree.


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One more green leafy veg recipe to the platter. This recipe is Aloo Palak, again a side dish from Punjab served with rice and chapatis/phulkas. It is cooked using main ingredients potatoes, spinach, tomatoes and few masalas. It is a simple and easy to cook recipe. And it takes hardly few minutes to cook it. Green veggies are good for health and if cooked with pototoes, it makes it intresting . Though green veg recipes are boring, this would not be that boring but tasty.



Ingredients:
2 Bunches palak
2 Potatoes
2 Tomatoes
1 Onion
2 Garlic flakes
1 Ginger
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp Corainder powder
1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Oil for frying.



Method:

1. Wash and clean the palak, chop them and set aside
2. Cut the potatoes into small cubes.
3. Chop the tomatoes into small pieces.
4. Grind ginger and garlic to make a paste.
5. Chop the onions into small pieces
   
6. Take 2 tablespoons of oil in a kadai, and add the chopped onions. Fry onions till they turn transparent.
7. Add cumin powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder and turmeric powder to it and saute for a minute.
8. Add ginger garlic paste. Saute them till the raw smell of ginger and garlic goes, so fry them for 1-2 mins.
9. Add the tomatoes and saute till oil leaves the sides of the pan and the tomatoes are tender soft.
10. Now add the potatoes and cook it with closed lid for 5 mins.
11. Add chopped palak and salt and mix well. Cover the kadai with lid and cook for 20 mins on medium flame.
12. Open the lid and check the dish, palak must be well cooked and turned into dark green colour.
13. Aloo palak is ready to serve. Serve hot with rice or chapathis.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes.
Serves: 4 persons
Shelflife: 1 day.
Serving suggestions: Serve hot with rice or chapatis.


Note:

• Cook the dish in its own water. Dont add extra water.
• This dish needs no garnishing. But if needed, decorate it with chopped tomatoes .
• Few like this dish in the form of gravy. In that case, blanch the spinach and grind it to paste.
  

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Aloo Methi is a side dish served with rice , such side dishes are called sabzis in India. Aloo is a cuisine popular among North Indians from the places of Punjab, UP, Bihar and Delhi. It is a dry curry and taste is simple and is good for health. Green vegetables are considered good for people belonging to every age. But green vegetables are considered boring, but with dishes like Aloo Methi, they can be made wonderful. This cuisine looks simple and it is even more simple and esy to cook. It can be served with rice as a side dish or even served with Chapathis.




Ingredients:
Fenugreek leaves -2 cups (cleaned, washed and finely chopped)
Potatoes - 4 -5 nos ( peeled and cut into cubes of small pieces)
Tomato - 1 medium (chopped into small pieces)
Garlic cloves - 1-2 nos (crushed)
Green chillies - 1-2 nos (silted)
Onion - 1 small (chopped)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Whole dry red chillies - 2
Asafoetida - a pinch
Garam masala powder - 2 -3 pinches
Salt -to taste
Oil - 2 tablespoons.




Method:

1. Wash the fenugreek leaves thoroughly several times and chop them fine. Sprinkle some salt over them and keep aside for about half an hour.Sprinkling salt water removes a sour taste which fenugreek leaves have. This step of sprinkling salt water can also be avoided .
2. Heat oil and add crushed garlic and fry till brown. Add cumin seeds , asafoetida, dry red chilies, chopped onions and silted green chillies. Saute them till onions turn golden brown.
3. When cumin seeds crackle and onions and chillies are brown, add turmeric powder, chilli powder and tomatoes. Saute them till tomotes are tender soft.
4. Now add the potatoes and saute them. Add salt and saute them for a minute. Sprinkle some water and close the lid and cook on medium flame till the tomatoes are half done. Even potatoes can be pre-boiled and chopped into cubes. In that case, just add the potatoes and stir for a minute, dont cook for long time .
5. When pototoes are half cooked and the spices gets coated over them, add the methi leaves and cook them on medium flame for 5 minutes or till water is fully absorbed. ( If you are cooking on low flame , cook for 15 minutes). And see to it that all the water is evaporated. This indictes that the methi is well cooked.
   
6. Finally add 2-3 pinches of garam masala to it and stir for a minute.
7. Aloo methi is ready to serve. Serve them hot with steamed rice or chapathis.
   

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes.
Serves: 4 persons.
Shelflife: 1 day.
Serving suggestion: Serve hot with steamed plain rice or Chapatis.



Note:

• This curry is served dry. But those who prefer it as gravy can add 1 glass of water at the end and cook for few minutes.
• As a variation, the potatoes can be boiled first and then cubed. In this case, the fenugreek leaves should be first squeezed of all the salt water and added to the oil seasoned with spices. Cover and cook for a few minutes and then add the boiled potato cubes. Mix well and cook covered for a little while.
• This dish doesnt require any garnishing. But still those who prefer garnish can add few chopped tomatoes pieces on the top and serve it hot.

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Often people avoid green vegetables. And green vegetables are considered boring and tasteless.
But there are few cuisines which are not boring and tastes delicious. Palak Paneer is one such splendid cuisine, which not only looks delightful but also tastes awesome. Palak is the Indian Hindi word for Spinach and Paneer is the Indian version of Cottage Cheese. In most of the foods, be it fast food, or western version , Spinach and Paneer when combined makes the food look beautiful and creates a yummy taste. Palak Paneer is a food fromNorthen states of India like Punjab, UP, Kashmiri and Delhi. And is served with Jeera rice or plain rice. This cuisine is made using main ingredients Spinach, paneer and few spices. It is easy to prepare and can be seen in the menu of special ocassions. Paneer is easily available in stores anywhere be it India or other countries, if not then it can also be prepared at home. I will include a post on making paneer at home. But when you are short of time, buying readymade paneer from store is best option. The creamy texture of spinach with paneer is a very good combination.




Ingredients:
Spinach - 2 Large bunches or frozen spinach 500 grams
Paneer (Cottage Cheese) - 200 grams
Onion - 1
Butter - 3 tablespoons
Bay leaves - 3 -4
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoons
Black pepper powder - 1 2/ teaspoon
Tomatoes - 2 either diced or puree ( I recommend Puree for good gravy)
Ginger- Garlic Paste - 1 tablespoon
Green Chillies - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Red chilli powder or caynne powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida - a pinch
Garam masala powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Fresh Cream - 1/2 cup
Whole Wheat flour - 2 tablespoons (optional- only if you find the spinach gravy or cream very thin in consistency).
Salt - to taste.






Method:

1. If using frozen spinach thaw and blend it just for a minute so spinach has a creamy texture but without becoming pasty. OR
2. Mix green chilli paste and ginger-garlic paste with spinach. Add little water (if you are using spinach leaves).
   
3. Pressure-cook the above mixture for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove before the first whistle.
4. Cut cheese into small cube shaped pieces. Keep 3 cubes for decoration.
5. Blend the tomatoes to make puree.
6. Mix coriander, turmeric, garam masala, black pepper powder and red chili with tomato puree and set aside.
7. Mix whole-wheat flour with heavy cream and set aside. ( This step is necessary only if you find the spinach puree and cream to be thin in consistency) . Normally green vegetable retains some water to it, so does dairy product. As a result, while cooking they tend to leave more moisture or water , hence adding wheat flour will help it thicken.
8. Cube the paneer in about half inch pieces and deep fry them on medium high heat just for few minutes so paneer become very light gold in color, take paneer out on paper towel so extra oil can be absorbed.
9. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the butter to it and onions to it. Saute till it turns pink.
10. Add hing and cumin seed. After cumin seeds crack, add the tomato puree mixture, and let it cook for a few minutes until the tomato puree is about half in volume.
11. Add the spinach, and let it cook on low medium heat for about 10 minutes covered.
12. Add heavy cream mixture and let this cook another four to five minutes.
13. Add paneer and fold it gently with spinach and let it simmer for a 2-3 minutes.
14. Keep the pan or tawa or whichever utensil you are using for cooking palak paneer , closed with a lid or plate to avoid the spinach to splatter and thus leaving you with boils or any mishap. Or to , you can also bake it on oven over 180 degree C for 30 minutes.
    
15. Transfer the spinach to a serving dish and spread the tomato slices over the top, and cover the dish so tomato slices get tender with the steam from the spinach.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4 persons
Shelflife: 1 day
Serving suggestions : Serve hot with steamed hot rice or jeera rice.


Note:

• You can replace the heavy cream with 1 1/2 cups of milk.
• Keep the pan or tawa or whichever utensil you are using for cooking palak paneer , closed with a lid or plate to avoid the spinach to splatter and thus leaving you with boils or any mishap. Or to , you can also bake it on oven over 180 degree C for 30 minutes.
• Normally green vegetable retains some water to it, so does dairy product. As a result, while cooking they tend to leave more moisture or water , hence adding wheat flour will help it thicken.
• Cream is added to make the taste of Palak paneer intresting and taste. Since most of them dont like the taste of green vegetables especially kids. Adding cream will enhance the taste and make it look delightful.
  

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