Fenugreen Leaves Flatbread (Methi Paratha) & 250th Post

Methi Paratha is a healthy, nutritious snack/ lunch/ dinner item. I prefer making them in bulk and packing them off for office lunchbox. They remain intact for 2-3 days and avidly support batch cooking needs. If you are tired for the day, just pop them on the griddle for 2-3 minutes. Eat them away with cream cheese or a cheese spread of choice. They are great for kid meals and breakfast.

There is a particular version of these Parathas which you find at local Indian stores in US. I am very fond of them and this is an attempt to reproduce the same flavour. Glad they turned well and they remained fresh for 2-3 days when packed in Aluminum foil.

Turns out that this is my 250th post. Kudos to Konkani Foodie! The journey has been tough but sweet with loads of good food along the way!

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Yield: 8-10 Parathas

Ingredients:

Fenugreek Leaves or Methi (chopped) - 1 bunch or 2 cups

Whole Wheat Flour - 3 cups

Red Chilli powder - 1 tablespoon

Cumin powder - 2 teaspoon

Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon

Amchur Powder or Mango powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt

Ghee (molten)

Water to knead the dough

Contraption used: Rolling pin and Base to roll the Parathas

Method:

Take the whole wheat flour in a huge mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and add molten ghee and salt. Mix well with hands and add the spice powders one by one. Also add the chopped leaves and knead a stiff dough like Chapati. Cover with a wet muslin cloth and keep aside for 1/2 an hour.

While making Parathas, pinch a lemon sized ball of dough; roll out thin parathas to the shape of circle. Fry them on hot griddle, one by one, slather ghee while frying on both the sides. This enables the Parathas to be soft and pliable. Cover them in a foil and refrigerate them if using for the day after. Consume within 2-3 days. Preferably heat up before eating for better flavour.

Fenugreek Leaves Mini Dosa (Methey Sanna Pole/ Methe Sanna Polo)

In my house, Mini Dosa's or Sanna Pole's are quite a common sight to see. So what is this Mini Dosa or Sanna Pole all about? These are mini tiny Dosa's made of Rice and Red Chillies with little coconut. This is a quintessential Konkani dish. I relish all my afternoon lunches with these tiny spicy and crisply fried rice pancakes. I recall long elaborate conversations with mom, aunts, granny and host of other relatives on the daily tit-bits and trivia's of life shared over these tiny cute things. These should not be confused wih the Goan Sanna's as they are a different entity all together. The batter (Peet) of this Dosa is very tasty and little bit on the spicier side. The only chore for this dish is the rice has to be soaked for good hours before the plumpy grains can comfortably break down in the blender. Some add lentils (Toor Daal) along with rice, I prefer the dosa with rice alone.

During the olden days when produce was scarce and commute was a big problem, this recipe was a big relief. Some smear the batter with the palm to make Mini dosa's on a hot frying pan giving it a perfect round shape. I use my trusted long wooden spreading spoon. Grind rice with red chillies, throw in a some spice, mix in chopped vegetables and voila! You are done with the dish! During my great grandmother's era, everyone had a cowdung smeared stove top for cooking. The ladies had a hollow rod which was used to ignite the spark and enable the wood to catch the flame to provide heat. Times have changes so much with lot of ease and convenience introduced into our kitchens.

Batter remains the same, change the vegetables to make Cabbage Dosa, Fenugreek Leaves Dosa, Drumstick leaves Dosa, Onion Dosa or mix all of these vegetables together as per your choice. These dosa's go well as side dish and make a crispy tasty fare with less oil. I personally prefer this tiny dosa's with Soupy Brown Rice or Paej as its called in Konkani. The batter should be used in 2 days max and once done stored in the refrigerator.

Yield: 6 Mini Dosa's

Preparation time: 240 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Fenugreek or Methi leaves (washed and chopped finely) - 2 - 2 1/2 cups

Dosa Rice (Sona Masoori variety) - 1/2 cup

Red Chillies (Byadgi variety preferred) - 5-6

Tamarind Juice - 1 teaspoon

Salt - As per taste

Grated coconut (fresh or frozen) - 2-3 tablespoons

Asafoetida - Just a pinch

Turmeric powder - Just a pinch

Oil - For frying

Method:

Wash rice till clear and pre-soak rice in water for 4-5 hours. Roast red chillies in a teaspoon of oil and mildly sweat them in oil till they are partially roasted for 2-3 minutes. Allow to cool. Grind along with Rice, Red Chillies, Tamarind, Turmeric powder, Salt and grated coconut to a coarse paste with very little water.

Mix the batter with chopped vegetable. Adjust salt and spice levels. Heat a shallow frying pan, take a spoonful of the batter mix and spread on the pan. Spread mini dosa batter as per capacity. Drizzle oil on the sides. Once cooked on sides, flip them over to other side and fry evenly on both the sides. The dosa's taste better if crunchy and little bit charred. Serve hot as a side dish along with rice and curry.

Fengreek Leaves Rice (Methi Rice)

Methi Rice is one of Mom's special Rice-based dish which I relish a lot. She gives a new twist to this dish by adding Garlic and Cumin seeds as a seasoning which allows the bitter taste of Fenugreek leaves to mingle with the sharp and Garlic-y flavour of Garlic flakes. Final closing would be Red Chillies of Byadgi variety which is very pleasing. This Rice item suits great for Lunch boxes. I used to carry this in my Lunchbox to workplace and my colleagues would love the aroma of Rice with Methi leaves.

Recipe Source: Mom

Serves: 2 individuals

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Fenugreek leaves (chopped) - 1/2 cup

Rice (pre-cooked) - 2 cups

Garlic flakes (crushed) - 4-6

Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Red Chillies (Byadgi variety) - 2

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Salt - As per taste

Oil/Ghee - For frying

Method:

Heat Ghee in a deep dish saucepan. Once the ghee melts, add Cumin seeds and Garlic flakes. The seeds will pop up and garlic would get a charred look, add the red chillies and saute well. Add Methi leaves and saute till they wilt and reduce in size. Add turmeric powder and salt. Give a gentle stir. Add Rice and toss well. Once rice is added do not stir too frequently as this would lead to lumps and soggy rice. Once tossed, simmer on low flame for 5 minutes and turn off flame. Serve hot with pickle.

Suggestion: Rice from previous day suits best for this dish as its grainy and has less moisture. Be careful with Methi leaves quantity, if its less the taste is not profound, if its more its offers a bitter taste.