This is one amongst my favourite dishes. I learnt this from my mother. She makes this with the young fenugreek leaves grown on sand. But the young fenugreek leaves are not available here in the US, so I settle down with the mature ones. The prawns/ shrimps add more flavour to the dish. However, if you are a vegetarian, you could skip the prawns. It tastes good without it too. During summer, I grow my own methi bhaji & they are usually ready within a week. All you got to do is fill a plate made of plastic or mud (2 to 3 inches deep) with sand (sea-side sand). Soak fenugreek seeds overnight. Next morning, throw the water & spread the seeds on the sand. Cover the seeds with some more sand & water them daily. Within a week you will have young tender fenugreek leaves ready to cook. Just discard the roots & you could use the leaves & stem to cook. These are more tastier than the mature ones.
So heres how we make it :
1 bunch fenugreek leaves (methi bhaji)
1 big potato, peeled & chopped into small pieces
2 medium sized onions, thinly sliced
1 cup of prawns or shrimps (optional, incase you are a vegetarian)
2 green chillies, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt, to taste
If you are using the mature fenugreek bhaji, pick out the leaves, wash well in cool water (you may need 3 to 4 washes to completely remove the sand), then chop & set aside. Incase, you are using the tender young fenugreek bhaji, discard just the roots, wash it well with water to remove all traces of sand & chop them along with the stems. Set aside
Heat oil in a wok/ kadhai. Put in the chopped green chillies & fry them for a few seconds. Put in the sliced onions & saute till they turn transparent. Do not brown the onions, the bhaji won't taste good. Next add the turmeric powder & saute for a minute. Put in the fenugreek leaves, potatoes & tomatoes, salt & mix well. Cover the vessel & keep on low flame till the bhaji is cooked. Lastly, add in the prawns/ shrimps. Mix well. Cover & cook again till done. Serve hot with chapatis or steamed rice. I like this bhaji more with chapatis.
17 comments:
That sounds like a nice dish. Thanks for sharing how to grow methi leaves. Does it have to be seaside sand?
Thanx for dropping by Gini. Yes.. it has to be seaside sand & you can keep refreshing the sand once in 6 to 7 months..
Man i love shrimp with anything. and methi is one of my fave veggies so i am on it! btw we do get kokum here. since it is used by gujratis too.
Hey Ashwini... then you gotta try this out... I am sure you will like it & it definitely tastes great with chapatis. Great that Kokums available here.. I usually get my stock from India... so I never went hunting around. Now I dont need to worry if it gets over.
Hey Tina, have linked you kokum kadhi recipe to one of my posts. Hope its ok?
No problem... Ashwini.. Thanx
Methi, prawns, and potatoes - what an exotic concoction! Never tried this before. I am going to xerox this this week for sure. Thank you for the recipe Tina.
wow , Iam going to try this:)
Tina, you have a great combo ! will be on the menu for this weekend lunch! thanks :)
Hey VKN, Meenal & Lera... I will be eagerly waiting to know how it came out at your end. I am sure you will like it..
Thanx
Methi and prawns..havent tried this combo before...another must-try dish,Tina.
A must try I must say.. Sailu & you will be cooking this most of the time at home.. You could also skip the prawns for a different taste... It will taste good without the shrimps too...
this looks v delicious..
btw by picking out leaves do u mean that discarding the stems n roots in the more matured methi?
hi
thank for the recipe
i usually make a dry vegetable with methi and potatoes, but this willbe good with chapatis . I need one bhaji a day for chapati so this will be a good addition
Hey Hi,
My mother also prepares this kind of methi at home. The only difference is she uses river sand.If u use river sand then u can take the stems also ....
hey thats a nice recipe u have shared... we make the same dish in south andhra..only thing is we subsititue the potates with boiled eggs, thats added in the end in the curry...and we use dried small praws sometimes..but hats off to you to share such a great recipe with everyone..
This was really delicious. I did add spinach and red bhajji leaves to it as well.. Was very tasty and the slow cooking of the prawns gave it a nice flavour and taste too.. will make this again..
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