Fenugreek Leaves Stir Fry (Methe Palle Upakari/Methi Sabzi)

Ever since we were kids we have been told leafy greens are good for us and we need to include them in our diet. Fenugreek leaves taste great in parotas, sambars, pulavs and in spicy, dry side dishes to go with rice or chapathis. But I usually prefer to prepare fenugreek leaves stir fry. You ask why? Because it's simple, tasty and healthy. The fenugreek leaves are stir fried with onions and capsicum for added taste. With a flavourful spicy seasoning and a little jaggery to balance the bitterness from the fenugreek leaves, this stir fry is just delicious. Give this side dish a try if you haven't and you'll agree with me.

Stir fries are called upakari in Konkani. Methe pallo means fenugreek leaves in Konkani. Hence, the name methe palle upakari in Konkani for this methi sabzi.

Ingredients:

2.5 cups of fenugreek leaves
1 medium sized onion chopped
3/4 of a medium sized capsicum chopped
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon of urad dal
2 leaflets of curry leaves
1-2 tablespoons of jaggery
3 tablespoons of oil
2 green chillies
1 dried red chilli
2 tablespoons of grated coconut (optional)
Salt to taste

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 20-25 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Preparation Method:

1. Pluck all the fenugreek leaves off their stems, wash them well, drain all the water, keep them aside.

Some also add tender stems to this stir fry. But I prefer just the leaves in the stir fry. You do not have to chop the leaves.

2. Heat oil in a frying pan, add in mustard seeds and set the heat to medium.

3. When the mustard starts to splutter, add in urad dal, curry leaves, red chilli broken into small pieces, slit green chillies and fry them until urad dal starts to brown.

4. Then add in chopped onion, little salt to fasten their frying process and fry them until the onions become translucent.

5. Then add in chopped capsicum, little salt and saute well. Salt fastens the cooking of capsicum. Fry capsicum for a minute or two. 

6. Then add in fenugreek/methi leaves, 1/2 cup of water (just enough for fenugreek leaves to cook), jaggery, salt and mix well. Add jaggery (1-2 tablespoons) depending on how sweet you would like your stir fry to be. 

7. Cook them closed until fenugreek leaves, capsicum and onions are done. Leafy greens should not be cooked for long so don't overcook them.

8. Check in between to make sure all the water hasn't evaporated. 

9. Once the veggies are cooked, add in grated coconut, mix well and remove off heat.

10. Serve the stir fry hot as a side dish with a bowl of steaming hot rice for lunch, dinner or serve it as an accompaniment with hot chapathis.

Find more Konkani cuisine side dishes here. 

Tags: Upakari, methi, fenugreek leaves, stir fry, Konkani recipe, Konkani dish, Konkani cuisine, Udupi cuisine, Mangalore food, Konkani food, healthy, methi pallo, bachelor recipe