Methi Dal Recipe

Methi Dal is a tasty dal preparation made from fresh fenugreek leaves and Toor dal. As its winter , fresh greens are in season , so making this dal preparation is most common at home. Methi dal preparation is similar to any other dal preparations but with addition of some tomatoes and amchoor powder .Tanginess of tomatoes and amchoor powder brings balance to bitterness of Methi/ Fenugreek leaves .

I add Methi / Fenugreek leaves in almost everything from spicy non veg mutton curry to humble dal – roti . Flavors of Methi leaves gets along well with many spicy curries, both vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes. Dishes in which I use methi leaves are Molake Hurali Saaru | Horsegram curry , Keema Matar Masala , Meat Ball Curry . Also I use fresh Methi leaves in Tomato Bath , Vegetable Bath and Avarekalu Bath | Surti Papdi Pulao .

Eating green leafy vegetables regularly is very important .Addition of Leafy vegetables along with Dal is one of the simplest way of incorporating greens in our diet. Dal fry and different dal preparations are regular at my home. So that body gets protein and other nutrients from both dal and greens together. Also Massida Soppu Saaru| Assorted Greens Sambar is a combination toor dal with assorted greens , a most common South Indian regional sambar . Recently I had also done Cholai Ka Saag | Amaranth Greens Gravy which was finger licking good.

I also add chopped fresh methi leaves in Akki Roti | Rice Flour Bhakri  and Ragi Roti | Nachni Bhakri . Also Methi Paratha , Methi Thepla and Methi Khakhra are my all time favourite.

Methi leaves nutritional benefits needs no introduction. Fenugreek leaves , as well as seeds, are a rich source of dietary fiber and also protein content is high in them. Also it contains major vitamins  and minerals like folic acid, thiamin, vitamins A, B6 and Vit C , potassium, iron, phosphorus and calcium. Most importantly Fenugreek leaves are acclaimed worldwide for the cure of arthritis.

Recipe card for Methi Dal

Step by step directions on making of Methi Dal:

Rinse and wash Dal , place dal in a pressure cooker add 2.5 cups water ,pinch of turmeric and 1/2 tsp oil .

Pressure cook for 2-3 whistles, allow pressure to settle on its own.Open the lid,mash the lentils and set aside.

In a deep kadai/pot , heat 2 Tbsp ghee / oil , add chopped garlic and ginger , fry well.

Add slit green chillies and chopped onions , fry well till onions turns translucent.

Then add in chopped tomatoes ,pinch of salt ,1/2 tsp amchoor powder stir well and saute for 2-3 minutes.

Add chopped methi leaves , mix well ,till the methi leaves wilt and oil starts realising from corners.

Now add cooked dal and 3/4 to 1 cup of water ,3/4 tsp of salt and mix well and simmer dal for 4-5 minutes.

Whilst Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a seasoning pan , add 1 Tsp  jeera/cumin seeds once it crackles , add broken red chillies .Turn off the heat ,add  hing / asafoetida  , 1/2 tsp red chilli powder and 1/2 tsp garam masala.Dont burn the spices

Pour the tempering on cooked methi dal , mix well and cook for a 1-2 minutes.

Serve hot with Roti or steamed rice.