Free Imagine Things

MENTHYA SOPPU/METHI & VEGGI DRY CURRY
This is a side dish which is very nutritious as it has a great variety of vegetables mixed in it. I had bought frozen METHI LEAVES/FENUGREEK/MENTHYA SOPPU in the Asian shop, as it was only 5oogms, when we cook the greens they reduce in quantity, I cannot feed all the family with it, I decided to add some vegetables to it. As fenugreek leaves have a bitterness in them I add a bit of Tamarind to reduce it, I decided I will add the vegetables, wherein they go well with the tanginess of the Tamarind, so I added all these vegetables and it was a real surprise because everybody in the house liked it especially my children. I have used whole black channa dal or KADALE KALU in this recipe, actually I had not intended to, I had soaked kadale kalu for a different purpose, as i could not do it, I did not want to waste it so, I used them with the other vegetables and it added to the taste. well, that's a new dish I found out and here is the recipe for it.


















Ingedients:

• 500 gms Fenugreek leaves (fresh or frozen)
• 1 bitter gourd
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 Brinjal
• 1 cup whole black channa dal(optional)
• 2 tbsp tamarind extract

seasonings:

• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp channa dal
• 1tbsp urad dal
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 tbsp oil

Dry curry powder (Palyada Pudi)

• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp Jeera
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 4 tbsp channa dal
• 2 tbsp urad dal
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1/2'' cinnamon
• 3 cloves
• 5-3 red chillies (Guntur-Badgi)
• 4 to 5 tbsp dry coconut

with a tsp of oil roast all the above ingredients except for dry coconut or copra, add this in the last when you are grinding all the roasted ingredients to a coarse powder,( you can also roast copra after you put of the stove for a minute ) and keep this in an air tight container and use when ever you want and to the required quantity for the dry curries or palyas.

METHOD:

1. First of all soak the kadale kalu or whole black channa dal for 6 to 7 hours. cook them in a pressure cooker.
2. Take a wok, add oil and the seasonings as usual add the methi leaves, if it is fresh take out the tender leaves wash them and cut them into pieces and use them immediately, if they are frozen shredded ones u can put them directly into the kadai and start cooking them.
3. With that you can add sweet potatoes. sprinkle water now & then if it is not frozen or if it is frozen
4. In a different pan add a tbsp of oil and fry bittergourd until it gets cooked ( I use bitter gourd directly once i cut it and do not allow it to soak with salt for an hour or so and then squeeze & throw out the water from it, because I like the bitterness in it & also as it is good for health).
5. Then fry brinjals & cook them too.
6. Now mix all the vegetables, until they all get cooked evenly, add tamarind extract, then add 2 tbsp of dry curry powder or palyada pudi & salt to taste mix well and leave it for some time about 5 to 10 minutes until the vegetables absorb all the above ingredients.
7. Use the powder according to your taste as it might be more or less spicy for induvidual tastes.
8. serve it as a side dish with hot rice & rasam or sambhar or with chapatis or induvidually to mix with rice & eat.