Methi Paratha / Methi Parata / Methi Chappathi / Methi Chapati

Fenugreek leaves , methi leaves are nature's gift to mankind. Its rich in minerals like Potassium, Calcium and Iron. Fenugreek leaves have good dietary fiber and are abundant in Vitamin C and Vitamin K..They add an excellent flavour to cooking. In our small vegetable patch, we grow methi, green peppers ( capsicum ), lady's finger(okra), tomatoes, basil this year. Out of these, methi leaves grow faster and are abundant in our garden. So, I use methi leaves in most of our regular cooking at home. This time I made methi paratha, one of our favourites at home for dinner. With a side of good creamy raita, it was delicious.  There are "n" number of ersions of methi parathas and its ratio and taste would be different in every household and I am presenting you my version of methi paratha.

Ingredients

Wheat Flour - 4 cups

Fresh Methi leaves shredded or cut - 3 cups

Turmeric Powder - 2 tsp.

Garam Masala Powder - 2 tsp

Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salt - To Taste

White sesame seeds - 3 tbsp.

Curd or Plain Yogurt - 1 Full cup

Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp

Green chilli paste - 2 tsp

Water - Enough to make the Dough.

Oil - For frying the Methi parathas.

Method

• Wash and cut the methi leaves thoroughly. Cover it with a lid and cook the leaves in the microwave for few minutes to make them softer. Keep it ready.
• On a big basin or bowl, add all the ingredients for making the dough and add water little by little.
• Make a thick dough like poori dough and add little oil in the middle of dough preparation. Knead the dough properly in order to get good methi parathas.
• Keep the dough for few hours. When you are ready to eat, heat the tawa / pan to medium.
• Using a roti maker or using manual methods, make a medium size round parathas and keep them ready.
• When the pan is ready, cook the methi parathas one by one uniformly on both sides with little oil on its side.
• Store them in a round shaped container and enjoy the hot methi parathas with a side of raita , mango chunde or tomato pachidi / pickle of your choice.
• Methi parathas can be stored for even 4-5 days and eat and its an ideal choice for travel too...

Tips

You can make methi pooris with the leftover methi paratha dough and it tastes very good. My kids loved the methi pooris very much.

Try to make the paratha dough atleast 3-4 hours before cooking the parathas.

Coriander Pulav / Kothamalli Pulav / Kothimeera Pulav / Coriander Pulao

Freshness of coriander leaves always add taste and flavour to any food we make. This herb is not only used  for garnishing and its widely used in Indian cuisine for making different varieties of food like coriander chutney, coriander rice / pulav, coriander based gravy in many side dishes, etc., Whenever I go for vegetable shopping, I invariably pick up more coriander bunches than I require for the week. This time, I tried to make coriander pulav / kothamalli pulav for lunch. Without any side dish, we can have this tasty coriander pulav and its an ideal choice for kids too as they like this green colour pulav. Adding few potato pieces and peas to the pulav make the rice more captivating and make it more healthier too..

Ingredients

Fresh Coriander Leaves - 3 or 4 Big bunches.

Tomato - 1 medium

Green Chillies - 3 or 4

Basmati Rice - 1.5 cup

Sugar - 1 pinch

Salt - To Taste

Oil - 3 tbsp

Butter / Ghee - 2 tsp

Onion - 1 Medium

Jeera / Cumin Seeds - 2 tsp

Cinnamon Sticks - 2 big

Lavang - 5 or 6

Cardamom Seeds / Elachi - 4 or 5

Marathi Moggu - 1 big

Garlic Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Potato - 1 medium

Peas - 1 Handful

Method

• Wash the Basmati Rice and soak the rice for sometime.
• Grind the washed coriander leaves, one red tomato, green chillies in a mixer grinder and keep it ready.
• n a non-stick vessel or a flat bottomed thick vessel, add ghee or butter first. Then add oil to the pan and when the oil gets heated, add the spices to the oil. Fry them for a minute.
• Add ginger garlic paste to the vessel next. Fry them for a minute till the raw smell goes off.
• Add onions and the grounded paste and fry them for few minutes. Add the potato pieces and peas while frying. Also add the basmati rice to the oil and fry everything for a minute.
• Add water, enough salt, a pinch of sugar to the rice mix and cook them on a low flame.
• For 1 cup of rice , add 1 3/4 th of water. But it depends on the Basmati Rice type too..So, add water according to the variety you use.
• After its completely cooked, switch off the flame. Turn it upside down and garnish with few cashew nuts and coriander leaves before serving.
• This coriander pulav can be eaten with raita or any side dish of your choice.