Methi makai - Fenugreek and corn in an aromatic gravy

This is the low-cal version of the popular methi malai matar (fenugreek, cream and peas in a cashew-rich gravy)

I substituted the peas with corn, cashews with pumpkin seeds and did away with the cream. I had saved the seeds the last time I bought a pumpkin - rinsed them well and dried them in the sun and stored them in an air tight jar
Pumpkin seeds are a pretty good substitute for cashews. I discovered this on one of the episodes of Master Chef India and gave it a try here.

The masala is very aromatic, so try not to substitute with store-bought garam masala



The original recipe is from a caterer based in Mumbai. He makes some absolutely fabulous food and caters at most of our family get-togethers there (We have a large family, we need caterers, honestly...)

What you need -

3 cups chopped methi/fenugreek leaves
2 chopped onions
2 tomatoes
1 cup cooked corn kernels
1/2 - 1 cup milk
1/2 tsp sugar
salt to taste

Masala 1 -

1 onion
4 green chillies
1/2" piece ginger
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds (or cashew nuts, if you like)
2 tsp khus khus / poppy seeds

Masala 2 -

2 sticks cinnamon
4 cloves
4 cardamoms
4 pepper corns
1 tsp cumin seeds

What you do with it -

Roast and powder all ingredients for Masala 2
Grind all the ingredients listed under Masala 1
Wash the methi leaves. Add 1/2 tsp salt and soak the methi leaves and salt for 15 mins and then drain out
Blanch the tomatoes, peel the skin and puree it
Heat a tbsp of oil in a deep bottomed pan and add the cumin seeds
Add methi and cook for 3-4 mins. Remove and set aside
Heat oil, add onions and the ground paste (masala 1)
Fry till the raw smell goes away. Add tomato puree and dry masala and fry a bit
Add corn, methi leaves, milk, sugar, salt, 1/2 cup water and bring to a slow boil

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Some good-for-the-heart oatmeal cookies for Valentines Day...



Simple, easy to bake, crunchy oat cookies that I made straight from this recipe here.



Have a great day people...

Water chestnut, mushroom and broccoli stir fry

I've seen these water chestnuts (singhada) a lot around here...never tasted them before, but seen them at roadside stalls, steamed and served up especially during winter..

They don't look very pretty, and they don't have a distinct taste of their own, but having read about these used in stir frys, I decided to give it a shot..
Once they were cleaned and peeled, the texture was like any other tuber. It added to the crunch in this dish, but would I like it on its own, I'm not so sure !



To clean these, I first put them in a big bowl of water and washed them. Then used a knife to peel the skin off. Washed them again and cut them in slices



What you need -

3-4 cloves garlic
1 fresh red chilli / red capsicum chopped
1 small broccoli cut into florets
2 cups mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp sugar
1 cup chopped water chestnuts
1 tbsp sesame oil

What you do with it -

Heat the oil in a wok and add chopped garlic
Add broccoli and water chestnuts and sprinkle a little water over it
Turn heat on high and allow the broccoli to cook slightly
Add the mushrooms and chilli / capsicum along with soy sauce and vinegar
Add salt and pepper and sugar and stir on high heat till the sauces are absorbed
Serve with fried/steamed rice or noodles