Aloo methi, Indian potatoes with cumin, turmeric, and fenugreek. Fenugreek microgreens stand in for methi leaves with the same nutty, mushroomy taste and gentle bitterness.
INGREDIENTS
- 800 g - waxy potatoes (Yukon Gold or red)
- 3 tbsp - neutral oil
- 1 tsp - whole cumin seeds
- 3 cloves - garlic
- 1 - green chili, or 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp - ground turmeric
- 1 tsp - salt
- 50 g - fenugreek microgreens
STEPS
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1/2 in (1.5 cm) cubes. Thinly slice the garlic and slice the chili into rounds.
- Heat the oil in a wide heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin and fry for 20-30 seconds, until the seeds darken and smell toasty.
- Add the garlic and chili and cook for 30 seconds. Add the potatoes, turmeric, and salt and stir for 2-3 minutes to coat the potatoes in oil and spices.
- Cover and cook over medium heat for 12-15 minutes, stirring twice, until a knife slides into the potatoes with no resistance.
- Uncover, raise the heat, and fry for 2-3 minutes more, until golden and crisp at the edges.
- Stir in 40 g fenugreek microgreens and keep on the heat for 1-2 minutes, until wilted. Serve topped with the rest of the fresh microgreens.
Fenugreek Microgreens in Aloo Methi
Aloo methi is a North Indian dish of potatoes and fenugreek leaves (methi). Fresh fenugreek leaves can be hard to find outside Indian grocery stores, while fenugreek microgreens are easy to buy or grow. The flavor is the same: warm nutty, mushroomy notes and a gentle bitterness that comes through a moment later. Next to potatoes and cumin, that bitterness turns savory, the way onions do in home fries.
The microgreens go in at the end and stay on the heat for 1-2 minutes, just until wilted. Keep some fresh for serving.
About the Ingredients
Fenugreek microgreens: 50 g for four servings, 40 g in the dish and 10 g on top. Dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) from an Indian grocery work too, 1 tbsp in place of 40 g.
Potatoes: waxy ones that hold their shape, like Yukon Gold or red potatoes.
Cumin: whole seeds. Ground cumin burns in hot oil within seconds.
Turmeric and chili: chili to taste, fresh or flakes.
Technique: Potatoes Covered, No Water
Don’t boil the potatoes first. Cut them raw into 1/2 in (1.5 cm) cubes, toss them in the spices for 2-3 minutes, then cover and cook over medium heat for 12-15 minutes, stirring twice. Steam under the lid softens the potatoes while the bottom gets a golden crust. Check with a knife: it should slide in with no resistance.
Variations
- With peas: 100 g frozen peas for the last 5 minutes.
- With cauliflower: swap half the potatoes for florets to make aloo gobi methi.
- With tomato: one chopped tomato after the spices for a juicier sauce.
- With paneer: cubes of seared paneer at the end.
Serving and Storage
Serve with chapati or rice and a bowl of yogurt on the side. Leftovers keep in the fridge for 2 days; reheat in a skillet to bring back the crust, then add fresh microgreens. How long a container of microgreens lasts is in our wiki: microgreen shelf life.
A Ukrainian potato dish with microgreens: Deruny (Ukrainian potato pancakes) with onion microgreens.
CHEF'S TIPS
If the potatoes stick, add 2 tbsp water and cover again: the steam will release them.
Don't leave the fenugreek on the heat long: after 5 minutes its bitterness turns harsh.
