This dish reminds me so much of my mother. The effort she put in to make me consume these slightly bitter greens were myriad. She tried sneaking in so many dishes but I would always find out! Yes – I was that intelligent (!!). “Of all the things to be intelligent about” – would quip my mom if she reads this! Oh well at least in this, if not for anything else. But my mother is one of those weird ppl for whom negativity/discouraging words act as a motivator. While I would dig myself deeper into the ground the more I hear criticism, my mother would work doubly harder (..and joyfully I might add) to get better. I think after all these years, I am starting to get the hang of it!

Anyways, coming back to this green – one day it finally clicked and HOW! She combined it with these potatoes and suddenly I became a fan. She was shrewd. I LOVED potatoes to death and she somehow guessed that it was more of my mind that was playing games against the green than my taste buds. The potatoes nestled between the green, placed right in front of me, started calling out to me so much so I had to do talk to my other split personality -

The Bad me: “Sneaky smarty mothers….”
The Good me: “Our mother..Noooo…”

The Bad me: “They cheat you, hurt you and lie….she is trying to sneak your PRECIOUS potatoes with those nasty bitter greens”
The Good me: “(quivering) but Mother is my friend…”

The Bad me: “You don’t have any friends, nobody likes you”
The Good me: “(horrified, shutting my ears) I am not listening.. I am not listening. I hate you”

The Bad Me: “(threatening) Don’t act all innocent!You are a lier..You are bad..You said NO to eating greensssssss…..”
The Good Me:” (crying)..I hate you…GO AWAY”

The Bad me: “Go Away? hahahahahahaha! Where would you be without me?”
The Good Me: “(gathering courage) In a much better place – I am going to eat those greens..GOAWAYYYY”

….and the good me prevailed! I assure you that Gollum and Smeagol (in ‘one of a kind’ Lord of Rings) do a better job than me!

My precious potatoes made me eat the dish and suddenly I found that I did not hate these Fenugreek leaves after all! Thus started my journey and it continues till date. If you don’t like something which is good for you – talk to the INNER YOU! Mostly it would work! Trust me! Better you make the decision than letting someone else make it for you What say – we never like being told anything now do we ?

Aloo Methi is a famous Indian dish made from these leaves and cubed potatoes. The proportion of the two vary widely. People who are not used to/who do not prefer the bitterness of these greens, counterbalance the bitterness with lots of potatoes. While others who like it add more greens than the potatoes which they add for the enhanced taste that it provides to the dish. We love the slightly bitter greens and hence I tend to add more of it than the potatoes. You can add more potatoes if you like. These are approximate measures since I tend to eye ball ingredients.

You might also be interested in:

Fenugreek leaves Posts : What is Fenugreek, Saag Paneer, Gujarati Methi Muthiya

Indian Simple Side dishes : Tadka Dal, Paneer Bhurji,Tomato Dal,Tofu Bhurji, Cabbage Upkari, Mixed dal with Red Chard

Method

In a skillet, take 1 tsp oil and add cumin seeds. When the seeds brown, add asafoetida and then the onions. When the onions get soft, add the grated ginger and turmeric. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Now add the greens to the spice-onion mixture. Cook until the greens wilt and it becomes dry.

Add the cubed potatoes, cumin-coriander powder, chilli powder along with salt. Mix well to combine.

Reduce the heat to low-medium, cover and cook until the potatoes are tender. Make sure to stir occasionally to avoid it from burning. If you find that it is burning or getting stuck to the skillet, then sprinkle little water, stir and cook.

Open the cover, taste to see if it requires any seasoning, increase the heat and give it a quick stir before removing it from the flame.  Serve it hot with roti’s, parathas or with rice. Nutritious and extremely simple dish to make during the week day.

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