Curry In Kadai ~ An Indian Cooking Blog

We love mushrooms! Even my 2 year old cant have enough mushrooms sauteed in very little ghee along with her rice. Mushrooms are a very good source of fiber, protein, folate, vitamin C etc., and the best part very low in fat and calories( 1 cup of sliced mushrooms counts upto 15 calories ). I love to add mushrooms in my noodles. pasta, pulaos and curries. Sometimes to make to sound it a bit fancier i would bake these Potato stuffed Mushrooms. Potatoes are spiced with kasuri methi, garam masala and peas, stuffed into Mushrooms and then baked into perfection. These mushroom aloo tikkis are so cute and super easy to make.

Methi( Menthi Aaku ) aka Fenugreek is used as a herb( fenugreek leaves ) and also the seeds used as spice. Back home, we used to get very small bunches of just sprouted fenugreek leaves and they are very milder and juicier compared to the matured leaves. But the ones i get here in US are litle bit matured and are slightly bitter.

In Indian cooking, we use Fenugreek in 3 forms,

• The seeds in spice powders and curries
• The fresh fenu greek leaves( menthi kura) in curries, dals and rotis
  
• Dried fenugreek leaves called Kasuri methi to make breads and curries

I remember back home we used to wake up early in the morning, extract juice from the leaves( using mortar and pestle ) and apply to hair as we were told it aids in healthy scalp and hair growth. Some Sundays we would even apply ground methi seeds( fenugreek seeds ) which were soaked in yogurt overnight. Doing this way, it reduces heat from the body and makes hair dandruff free, thick and lustrous. Also, Grandma asks us to take Fenugreek seeds with water to control diarrhea.



Mom usually makes sumptuous Methi Dal, Fenugreek leaves with lentils and tomatoes but my mother in law makes this delicious simple Aloo Methi( Menthapukura Alugadda) which is a dry curry with Potatoes, peas and fenugreek leaves with a touch of sambar powder. My husnband loves this dish a lot and i joined him soon after the very first taste. I know it takes time to prepare the fenugreek leaves( methi ), but believe me all that hardwork pays off when you taste the curry. I would prefer fresh bunch, if its not available you can go ahead and use frozen blocks available in any Indian grocery, but the quality and taste is not that great but acceptable.

You need:

• 1 bunch of Fenugreek leaves
• 2 red potatoes( boiling potatoes)
• fistful of petite green peas
• 2 tsp of any sambar powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder or to taste
• 2-3 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• sugar to taste
• salt to taste

Preparation:

• Pluck the methi leaves from the stems wash thoroughly add salt and keep aside. Since the methi leaves are bitter to taste, using salt removes the bitterness.
• Cook the whole potato in microwave using very less water. Do not use baking potatoes like Idaho, use boiling potatoes like red potatoes as these potatoes have to retain their shape when cooked in this curry. Let the potatoes completely cool. Once cooled, peel off the skin and cut into big chunks.
• Drain all the water from the methi leaves, wash again and drain off the water completely
• In a thick pan / kadai heat oil, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds, once they start to crackle, add the drained fenugreek leaves and fry till they are completely cooked and you can notice the leaves become dark and dry
• Add green peas and cook for a couple of mins
• Now bring on those peeled and chopped cooked potatoes saute for a min and then add any sambar powder on hand( or some jeera and coriander powder together ), red chilli powder, and salt
• Let the masalas coat the potato well, fry for few more mins and then add sugar, saute for few more mins until the sugar is completely absorbed
• You can adjust spice, sugar and salt to your taste

This sweet and spicy Fenugreek leaves with potatoes and peas tastes great with rice, rotis or even tortillas ..Even better you can finish it off just as it is, yep tastes that good!!

Simplicity in this Tomato And Kasuri Methi curry speaks a lot, be it in taste, aroma, flavor, easiness or texture. Usually if we are going to have chapathis i plan ahead for curries like palak paneer, bendi masala, dal makhani, matar paneer. But sometimes out of the blue my husband asks for chapathi., then i have to whip up some simple quick and easy curries. In that list comes first Tomato And Peas Curry. You can play with the herbs, garlic or even kasoori methi , any of these would completely transform the plain tomato curry to a brand new recipe. Usually i add either peas or paneer. This time i added Kasuri methi. This gave unique flavor to the dish and i was surprised to learn adding a couple of tbsps of Kasuri methi enchances so much flavor and wonderful aroma into the dish. Wish i had used kasuri methi long back!

Methi Mutter Tamatar Curry

You need:

• 2-3 large tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 2 tbsp kasoori methi
• 1/3 cup green peas
• 1/2 cup milk / half n half / fresh cream
  
• 1/2 - 1 tbsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp coriander( dhaniya) powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala or curry powder
• a pinch of turmeric
• 2 stalks of coriander or cilantro
• 3 tbsp oil
• Salt to taste
  

This curry satisfies all the taste palettes. The sourness from tomato, sweetness( and creaminess ) from milk, bitterness from kasuri methi and spice from the red chilli powder. What else can we ask for in this simple dish?


How to:

• Chop onions and tomatoes very finely
• In a kadai or sauce pan heat oil and add onions
• Agg green peas and fry
  
• Saute onions till golden brown( TIP: you can add some sugar to let onions brown quickly )
• Optional: You can add 1 tsp ginger garlic paste and fry for 10 sec
• Add powders and tomatoes.
  
• When oil starts to seperate add kasuri methi leaves
  
• Add milk and cook until the gravy becomes creamy
• You can even add fresh cream or half n half if you dont count those calories
  
• Adjust salt and spice to taste.
• Garnish with chopped coriander/cilantro
  

Our dinner: Tomato And Methi Curry With Methi Paratha( Thepla )

Dont take my word how easy and delicious this Methi Mutter Tamatar curry is, try it for yourself. I am sure you will comeup with some new variations to the recipe and i would love to hear all that! Tomato Kasuri Methi Peas curry tastes delicious with hot rice or chapathi.

Tags:Kasuri Methi, Peas And Tomato Curry, Tomato Curry