I do much of my grocery shopping in local South Asian neighbourhoods where I can find a greater variety of spices and greens at great prices. One day, while buying a couple of bunches of fenugreek on sale, the cashier asked me what I did with them. I told her that I was eating it fresh in salads. She shook her head then told me to cook it with potatoes, to look online for a recipe for aloo methi—try YouTube. Did she say potatoes? I looked it up immediately.
Aloo Methi is a dry curry dish which means it doesn't have a gravy. Usually, dry curries are cooked in fair amount of oil, but I don't cook with oil. Instead, I dry toasted the spices and added water like I do in my recipe for Spiced Cabbage and Peas with Potatoes. I loved the results—not as dry as the original but not swimming in gravy—more like a North Indian Colcannon. I used russet potatoes which will break down like mashed potatoes. For a firmer texture, try yellow or red skinned potatoes. The starch from the potatoes and the spices thicken the water to form a small amount of rich tasting gravy.
Use any green you prefer for this recipe. Today I used kale, but fenugreek, spinach, chard, collard greens, or cabbage would all be wonderful. If you use fenugreek wash it really well and use just the leaves and tender stems.
You can make this an easy one-pot meal by adding a can of chickpeas along with the potatoes in step 2. Warm or cold, this dish makes a great potato salad to take to a pot-luck. I plan on trying it as a filling for Mung Bean Crepes, Collard Green Rolls (or cabbage rolls), or baked samosas (maybe all three).
makes 4-6 servings
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2.5 cm (1 in) piece ginger, minced
1 kg (2.5 lbs) potato, cut in 2.5 cm (1in) cubes
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (optional)
2 1/2 cups water, divided
1 Tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup frozen peas
227 gm (1/2 lb) kale or other greens, stems removed, leaves cut into bite sized pieces.
I'm so glad I stumbled upon this dish. It is fast becoming my go-to recipe for when I'm feeling stressed or under the weather.
To your health and happiness,
Beans and Rice