Methi(Vendhayakeerai) Paratha

It's been a very long time since I bought methi greens. We used to have methi every single week when we had Gujarati nanny at our home. She would either make methi-potato baaji or methi thepla. After she left , I would have hardly made couple of times in 2 years. Somehow I was never inclined to buy that. Something struk my mind this time to not ignore the lovely greens and I got a bunch.



Ingredients

Methi (fenugreek leaves) - a bunch (Triple washed and chopped finely)
Wheat Flour - 2 1/2 cups
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Chili Powder - 1 tbs
Cumin Seeds - 2 tsp
Yogurt - 3 tbs
Salt - 2 tsp
Oil - 1 tbs

Method

In a wide bowl, mix together wheat flour, chopped methi, cumin seeds, chili powder
and salt. Add yogurt and lukewarm water to the flour. Make sure you add the water little by little , keep mixing the flour and knead it to make a nice dough. Add a tablespoon of oil to the dough while kneading it. Let the dough sit for an hour or so. (I made the dough in the night, covered and kept it at room temperature. I made the parathas in the morning.)



Make equal sized balls out of the dough. Roll each ball into a nice circle with a rolling pin. If the dough is sticky, dust it with little flour and roll. Heat the pan and fry the parathas one at a time. Flip the paratha to the other side after 30 seconds. Once you flip it, smear a tsp of oil on the top and let it cook for one more min. Take the paratha out of the pan once you see golden brown spots started appearing on the surface.


Serve hot with plain yogurt and pickle.

Vazhakai (Plantain) Puttu

This is a typical Tirunelveli recipe.

Ingredients

Raw Plantain - 3 (Choose Naatu Vazhakai)
Onion - 1
Green Chilies - 5-6
Freshly Grated
Coconut - 4-5 tbs
Curry Leaves - few
Mustard Seeds &
Urad shal - 1tsp
Salt

Method

Take a deep pan or a kadai and cook the plantain with skin in enough water without the lid. Cook until the skin becomes blackish green. Peel the skin and grate the plantain. Mix the grated Plantain with coconut and salt and keep it aside. Take a tbs of oil in a skillet. Tamper the mustard seeds , add green Chilies, onions and curry leaves. Saute the onion till it become golden brown and add the grated plantain. Give a nice stir for a minute or two and switch of the flame. It becomes dry if you cook for a long time.


Serve with rice-Pulikozhambu (spicy tamarind Gravy) combo.



Notes: Use small onions instead of big to get a nice flavor.