Stuffy delights

I remember my school days, when my mom used to mix in a few methi leaves (fenugreek) in our chapattis for that extra nutrition in our lunchbox. And having no other options available in the school premises, we would gobble up our lunch in hurry only to come back with a rage, fighting with her for doing the same.

Now that we have realized the importance of including greens in our menu, I often end up aking for more recipes using the greens from my mom. Below are the two such recipes of methi stuffy delights, which she taught me when I first went out of my home for work. One is for the beginners and the other for more experienced ones.

Methi-fenugreek leaves

1.Methi Delights for the beginners:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup wholewheat flour
• 1/2 cup methi leaves
• 1/2 tsp.cumin powder(jeera)
• 1/2 tsp.chilly powder
• a pinch pf asafoetida(hing)
• 1/4 tsp. Garam masala
• salt as desired
• 2 tsp. Oil
• water to knead flour

Method:Pluck the methi leaves and wash it with water. Dry the leaves on a kitchen towel. Shred the leaves finely. Take a big bowl and put the flour in it. Add all the ingredients except water & methi leaves. Mix it thoroughly using both hands. Add methi leaves and again mix it. Pour in little water if required to bind the dough. (water present in the leaves will bind most of the dough). Take a small portion of dough and make a perfect round. Sprinkle little flour on the board and roll the chapatti slowly giving very little pressure.

Heat a tawa put the chapatti on it and dry cook both the sides. Sprinkle little oil on both the sides and cook it again for a few seconds till it becomes light brown in colour. Serve it with curd, sauce, chutney or any other accompaniments of your choice.

Note:

• Since the stuffing is directly mixed into the flour, it becomes easy to roll out, good for beginners.
• Mix in ginger-garlic paste for more taste.

methi paratha

2. Methi delights for more risk takers

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup mehti leaves
• 1/2 tsp.chilly powder
• 1/2 tsp.cumin powder(jeera)
• 2 tsp chickpea flour(besan)
• 1 small onion
• 1/2 tsp.garam masala
• a pinch of asafoetida(hing)
• salt as desired
• 2 tsp.oil
• water to knead the dough

Method:Pluck and clean the leaves. Shred the leaves and mix chickpea flour, salt, asafoetida and the other dry spices in it. Knead the flour with water to make a dough. Take a small portion of the dough and make a perfect round , flatten it using both hands. Fill the stuffing of leaves made earlier in the flattened dough. Close all the sides of the dough carefully to make a ball again. Make sure the filling does not peep out.

Sprinkle little flour on a board and roll out a small chapatti . For easy execution roll the chapatti keeping the dough in between two plastic sheets. Heat tawa and fry both the sides using little oil.

Note:

• Do not roll these chapattis too thin, else the filling will come out.
• The stuffing inside gives it more taste than the one in which filling is directly mixed with the dough.
• Make sure the leaves are dry enough before filling it inside the dough. Add more chickpea flour if the filling becomes too liquid.

....