Thursday, December 15, 2005

Senaga Pappu Menthu Kura - Fenugreek Leaves Stir Fried in Lentils


Methi Channa dal is a semi dry (sukha) curry which is very nutritious made with methi (fenugreek leaves) and channa dal (split bengal gram).Fenugreek leaves are rich in iron, vitamins, and minerals and is generally cooked with potatoes or dals (lentils).Fenugreek leaves have many medicinal properties and help in improving digestion, reducing colic, relieving constipation, and hemorrhoids.

Channa Dal(Bengal Gram) is nutritious and has a sweet,nutty flavor and is easily digested.Its a popular lentil in India and generally used in dal dishes and savories.The legumes are also roasted and powdered into chickpea flour(besan), another widely used ingredient in nearly every regional Indian cuisine.Besan is the basic ingredient in preparing bajjis,a popular snack in India.

This healthy recipe is regularly cooked in my kitchen ensuring my toddler son gets his vital nutrients in his growing years.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of fresh methi (fenugreek)leaves washed chopped
1 small cup senaga pappu (channa dal,split bengal gram)
1 tsp coriander pwd
1/2 tsp red chilli pwd
2 cups water
1/3 tsp turmeric pwd (pasupu,haldi)
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
4 garlic flakes finely chopped
pinch of asafoetida (hing)
1 green chilli finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes finely chopped
1 tsp butter
salt


Wash the channa dal and add two cups of water,salt,coriander pwd and turmeric pwd pressure cook till one whistle.The dal should be soft and not mushy.
Heat oil in a skillet. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter and now add the garlic and hing and fry for 10 seconds.
Now add tomates and green chillies and fry till oil seperates.
Add the chilli pwd and mix well.
Add chopped methi and the cooked dal and let it simmer for 10-12 minutes covered.The consistency of the dal is semi dry.
Towards the end add butter and mix it well.

Serve hot with roti or rice.





7 comments:

Sury said...

I love methi, Sailu, and this sounds like a tasty dish. Will definitely make it soon and report to you. I plan to skip the butter part though :P

Anonymous said...

I love Indian food so I'm sure to be visiting here again...like dal too :) YUM!

Anonymous said...

I have to look for asafoetida. That is a new spice to me.

Paz

Sury said...

We made this in our kitchen today, Sailu and it tasted absolutely yummy! Am so glad to learn a new methi recipe. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

thanks for this recipe! I love methi and was bored of making the same old aloo methi, I tried this yesterday and it came out very very good. simple in flavor. This is going to be a regular feature in our kitchen

Anonymous said...

Hi!! Shailu, I just went thru the recipe of methi and dal can the dal be prepared a little watery? Thanks for your time and patience. A great job Shailu I like alot of ur recipes.

Anonymous said...

I am glad you like the recipes, Latha. You can make it watery, no problem.