The Steaming Pot - Easy vegetarian recipes from India

The big purple eggplant is generally used for baingan bharta in my kitchen. Not so tonight. A yummy eggplant-ginger chutney awaits the rice that’s still cooking.

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While grocery shopping this weekend, I found an inviting pack of methi dal (coarsely ground fenugreek seeds, also called ‘methi kuria’) in the store and, having never used fenugreek in this form before, was intrigued. Fresh fenugreek leaves and kasoori methi are ingredients I love, but am not so enthused about the whole fenugreek seeds that are used for tempering (tadka) in Indian dishes. I like their flavor when diffused; I do not like the experience of biting into these bitter seeds. This is how I do my tadka with whole methi seeds: add a few seeds to the hot oil and when they turn color, pick them out.

I guessed methi kuria would resolve this problem – since the seeds are ground, the bitterness would get spread out just the way I want it. I bought the spice pack and used it first thing in this recipe with baby potatoes. The guess proved right.

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I must warn you before giving you this recipe – methi chutney (that is, chutney made of fenugreek leaves) is not for everybody. It is bitter, it is really hot. If you are like me, you will love it. If you are not, I warned you, didn’t I?

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Classic imli chutney – a sweet and sour chutney made of tamarind (imli) and jaggery. Drizzle tamarind jaggery chutney over dahi vadas and chaats, dip your samosas and kachoris into it or have it on the side with any Indian meal.

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