Methi Bhaji is a healthy food ready to make from young, fresh green fenugreek leaves, which have a slightly bitter yet delicious taste. This best Indian sabji is very healthy and tasty, usually eaten with roti or rice. For the preparation of this recipe, the fresh green leaves are washed, cut into pieces, and saut ed in this mixture of spices. To start with, add oil to a pan and proceed with including mustard seeds and cumin seeds, followed by a pinch of asafoetida. All these together will bring forth the aromatic flavour. Onions are chopped finely and saut ed in them along with green chillies and garlic until the onions turn golden, boosting the base of this dish. The fenugreek leaves go into the pan along with turmeric, red chilli powder, and salt, and they're cooked on a slow flame for those flavours to amalgamate well. The curry, at the start of the simmering process of methi bhaji, does emit an aroma through the pronounced flavour of the fenugreek leaves blended so nicely with spices. Potatoes, green peas, or even a bit of besan (gram flour) can be added for some crunchy and nutritious texture to counterbalance the bitterness of the methi leaves. This is a highly nutritious recipe of methi bhaji, very rich in iron and fibre, and will be ready within minutes. Serve it hot along with phulkas, parathas, or rice and indulge in the earthy, aromatic flavours of this classic Indian dish. Great for meals every day; it's just the best way to add greens to your diet!

• 50 gms fenugreek leaves
• 1 potato
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 onion
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 1 green chilli
• 1 pinch turmeric powder
• 1 pinch hing
• Salt

• Wash 3 cups of methi leaves properly in fresh water.
• Methi leaves do carry a lot of dirt and sand with them. So, it becomes necessary to wash the leaves several times till the water runs clean.
• After cleaning, dry out the water completely and keep the leaves resting on a plate or colander so that they dry out completely.
• Now chop the finely shredded leaves of methi and keep them ready.
• Apart from the methi, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Chop 1 medium onion, 1 small potato, 1 green chilli, and 4 to 5 garlic cloves.
• Make sure to chop the potatoes into small cubes, so they cook fast and properly. After chopping everything, put the ingredients aside and move ahead with the cooking procedure.
• Take a medium-sized pan and heat the oil with low to medium flames. Add chopped onions once it gets hot. Stir often until the onions become translucent. This will take about 3 to 4 minutes.
• The sweetness is contributed by the onions, which also balance the slightly bitter taste of the methi leaves.
• After the onions are softened, add chopped green chilli and garlic to the pan.
• Mix well and saut the garlic for a good 3 to 4 seconds. Garlic gives a great depth of flavour and is very nicely complementing the methi leaves.
• Sprinkle a pinch of turmeric powder (haldi) and a pinch of asafoetida (hing) into the pan. These add colour and perfect that flavour in the bhaji. Mix all up and make sure the spices are well spread out.
• Add the chopped potatoes now. Mix potatoes with the onion-spice mixture and coat the potatoes very well with the masalas and turmeric.
• Saute them for around 2 to 3 minutes over low to medium fire so that the potatoes are well started in their cooking process. The soft potato texture and less peppery flavour balance the slight bitterness of the methi.
• Once the potatoes get browned, add chopped methi leaves to the pan. Methi has a robust earthy flavour, but when cooked well, it mellows down and is pretty palatable. Mix up the methi leaves, being sure to get them well mixed with the onions and potatoes.
• Season to taste and mix everything. To cook the methi bhaji, cover the pan with a rimmed lid and some water on top of the lid.
• That is the way steam gets built up in this pan instead of getting water directly added into the bhaji; flavours are preserved, and it will not become watery.
• This method proves very beneficial for a uniform level of cooking of the potatoes and retention of texture in the methi leaves.
• Fry the bhaji on low heat, and occasionally stir it.
• It will be hot when you take off the lid, so be a bit careful at this point. If it gets dry anywhere, you can even add some water to the lid to steam it a little further. The methi will wilt and become a little softer as it cooks, and the potatoes will be soft and mushy.
• Once the potatoes are cooked, check the excess moisture in the pan. When the bhaji has too much water content, remove the lid and continue to fry on medium heat till all the liquid dries off.
• When the bhaji is almost dry, add 3 tablespoons of fresh shredded coconut. The coconut gives it a subtle sweetness and texture; it balances out the bitterness of the methi.
• Mix the coconut well with the methi bhaji and fry for another minute. When done, remove the pan from the stove.
• Serve the recipe of methi bhaji hot or warm with chapati, phulka, or paratha. It also goes very well with a simple dal and rice meal.
• It's not just delicious, but also very nutritious—the healthiest addition to a meal.