Green Blog Project – Fish with baby methi (fenugreek) leaves

Methi was a foreign vegetable for me until I started to blog. Foreign in the sense that I have never tasted it. This wasn’t available in Kerala when I was growing up, and even when I was in Delhi, I never ventured to try it. But most Indian food blogs and many non- Indian bloggers featured this veggie, and I had to try it. And of course, I loved it.

Fenugreek is used both as an herb (the leaves) and as a spice(the seed). The yellow, rhombic fenugreek seed is frequently used in the preparation of pickles, curry powders and pastes, and is often encountered in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent and Thailand. The young leaves and sprouts of fenugreek are eaten as greens and the fresh or dried leaves are used to flavor other dishes. The dried leaves have a bitter taste and a strong characteristic smell which means they need to be used sparingly.( Link)

Then Green Blog Project came along, and most of us started to work the soil and grow food. Indira showed me that methi can be grown in a pot, and so I sprouted methi seeds and potted them. They are growing very well, some in a pot and some directly in the ground.

I harvested some baby methi today to make this recipe. I just snipped the tops of the methi plants. I am not sure if they will keep growing and put out more leaves but we will see. The dish was so wonderful and is wonderful with rice. Thanks Harshita for the recipe.

Recipe

One pomfret cleaned

Chilly powder 1/2 tsp, pinch of turmeric and a pinch of garlic powder ( Combine all the above, and apply on the pomfret. Set aside for about 30 min)

Curry leaves 1 sprig

A handful of methi leaves, cleaned.

Ginger 2 large cloves and ginger 1/2 tsp crushed
Green chillies 2 slit

Onion 1/4 of a big onion, and tomato 1/4 of a big tomato both diced

Coriander powder 2/3 tsp, a Pinch each of jeera/cumin powder, garam masala and fenugreek/asafoetida powder(optional)

Water

Oil

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves for garnish

Method

Heat a non stick pan to fry fish. Add some oil to the pan, place a sprig of curry leaf on the bottom of the plan. Place the fish on top. Fry on both sides till the fish turns brown on each side. I turn the flame on low after the initial sear, and keep the fish covered so it cooks well.

Once the fish is done, we prepare the gravy. In another pan, add some oil. Add onion, garlic, ginger and chilies. After 3-4 min when the onions start turning brown, add the coriander and turmeric powder. Let it cook for a min or so. Then add methi, followed by tomato. Once the tomatoes and methi cook down, add the fish to this. Add the jeera powder, garam masala and asafoetida. I added some water into the pan to make some gravy. After about 4-5 min, it is done. Sprinkle coriander leaves just before serving.

LG, here is my submission.
One question, some methi plants have some black spots on their leaves? Any ideas as to what this is?

Here is another dish with methi- Aloo methi

This is my submission for weekend herb blogging hosted by Sweetnicks.