TL;DR: Aloo methi = Potatoes and Fenugreek leaves. Spiced potatoes and herbs to help you ascend to carb nirvana.
Ahh the potato. That humble tuber responsible for countless food comas around the world. When cooked in hot oil and salt, potatoes are irresistible. I have rarely met a french fry I wouldn’t eat. Add spices and aromatics to the mix and potatoes become absolutely undeniable. There are tons of mouthwatering potato-based dishes in Indian cuisine, like dum aloo, aloo vindaloo, and aloo gobi to name a few. This aloo methi recipe is a bit different from these more popular dishes as it combines the texture of parboiled-then-pan-fried potatoes with the awesomely commanding presence of methi (fenugreek) leaves. The combo of skillet-cooked potatoes, Indian spices, and fenugreek is fantastically unique and downright addictive.
Side note: don’t be scared to eat potatoes! Maybe it’s the current anti-carb hysteria, but potatoes get maligned as unhealthy, fattening, devoid of nutrition, etc. This talk is patently BS. Firstly, potatoes are jam packed with nutrients and minerals (especially with the skin on) such as vitamin B6 and potassium. And yes potatoes are largely carbohydrates, but as long as you don’t overindulge on them or solely consume the deep-fried kind, you can probably enjoy potatoes without negative consequences. Furthermore, if you lift, do endurance sports, or are generally active, potatoes can be a great source of essential energy. Of course, all this is totally up your personal dietary considerations, activity level, health factors and so on.
TOOLS & TIPS: Use parboiled russet potatoes for great texture.
This aloo methi recipe is a dry curry so the texture of the potatoes is super important. The potato pieces won’t be swimming in sauce (like in dum aloo) so you’ll want to get a nice and crispy exterior and fluffy interior. The best way I’ve found to make that happen here is to parboil the potatoes until they’re just getting soft, and then finish the cooking in the pan (cast iron is best) to get nice and crispy edges. Also, while red or purple potatoes look really cool, I’ve found that good ol’ russet potatoes perform the best for this dish. Not to mention the color contrast with the methi leaves is nice.
The good folks at Serious Eats have put together a magnum opus on potato selection, texture and cooking techniques here if you want to dive into the deep end on this stuff. I use their research and recommendations to help get the most of out this and other potato dishes.
Onwards to the aloo methi recipe!
THE PROCESS: Parboil potatoes, cook the aromatics, add the potatoes and methi leaves.
Get the aloo methi recipe ingredients together. I like ginger/garlic paste instead of fresh here because it coats the potatoes really nicely. Also if you don’t have Maggi spicy chilli sauce, you can substitute tomato paste and/or ketchup.
Dice the potatoes. I peeled them here but if you like the skin go ahead and keep them on, they’re nutritious.
Add potatoes to a pot of cold water and bring to a boil and simmer for around 5 minutes or until they just start to get soft. If you want really crispy potatoes, add a 1/2 tsp of baking soda to the water. This will get the exteriors really starchy and loose, which actually helps create a more crispy exterior when it hits the pan.
Drain and set aside.
Throw the cumin seeds, dried chilies, cashews and hing in butter until everything is a bit browned but not burnt.
Next add the onions, salt and pepper, and cook until nice and soft.
Then stir in the spices, green chilies, ginger/garlic paste, and chilli sauce and cook for just a couple of minutes.
Potato time! Add the parboiled potatoes and stir to evenly combine everything together. Cook for about 10 minutes or so. Resist the urge to continuously mix them around, at least at first. This will help develop crispiness on the potato chunks. Try to flip them around just a few times to get them nice and evenly cooked.
Finally, add the methi (fenugreek) leaves. I use frozen methi here but if you have fresh leaves, go ahead and use them!
Cook for a few minutes to let the bitterness of the methi mellow out. Check for seasoning and serve!
This goes really great with rotis, rice, quinoa, or all by itself.
Aloo Methi Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb russet potatoes diced into medium chunks
- 1 large onion sliced
- 25 g cashews (18 cashews)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 dried red chilies
- dash asafoetida (hing)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 2 tbsp Maggi spicy chilli sauce
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 2 green chilies sliced
- 80g frozen methi leaves (1/2 cup)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Put diced potatoes in sauce pan and fill with water, bring to boil and simmer for about 5 minutes or until potatoes are just barely soft. Drain and set aside.
- Add butter to pan over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds, dried red chilies, hing and cashews. Cook until seeds and cashews are lightly browned but not burned.
- Add sliced onions, salt and pepper and cook until onions are soft and translucent.
- Add sliced green chilies, ginger/garlic paste, turmeric, garam masala and Maggi spicy chilli sauce (if unavailable substitute ketchup and/or tomato paste). Combine and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add potatoes and stir to evenly combine with onions and spices. Cook for about ten minutes or until potatoes are crispy on the outside. Try not to mix the potatoes too much, this will help the potatoes develop a nice and crispy exterior.
- Add frozen methi (fenugreek) leaves and stir to combine. Cook for about 5 minutes to help mellow out the bitterness of the methi.
- Check for seasoning and serve!