Methi Aloo (and Baingan)

"Methi" pronounced "May-thee" are fenugreek greens. Both the seeds, fresh/frozen greens and dried greens are used in indian cuisine. The fresh/frozen greens have a mild, but pleasant, bitterness and goes well with the softness of the aloo (potato). The recipe calls for both sweet and spicy ingredients which give this dish a well rounded flavor. We are very thankful that bags of methi are available at our local indian store as the fresh leaves available in India are mercilessly painful to prepare for cooking. Mom remembers dedicating an entire afternoon to picking good leaves off stems and repeatedly having to clean off the mud and grit. My mom still remembers making this once without cleaning it properly and ending up with a gritty mess which her mother in law (my bapama) never forgot. Mom says the taste of the frozen doesn't compare to the actual fresh leaves from India, but she's willing to comprimise given the considerably lower labor intensity of preparation. In this recipe, mom had some eggplant (baingan) in the fridge that she added which is her Ajji was fond of including in this dish as well.

Ingredients:

1 10-12oz bag frozen methi leaves, thawed (fenugreek)
3 small red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 chinese eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 small red onion, chopped finely
1 tsp black mustard seeds
4 dried red chilis, broken into pieces
2 tbs jaggery or brown sugar
8 oz water
1-2 tsp salt (or to taste)
2 tbs oil

In a large frying pan or wok, heat oil on high. Add mustard seeds and broken red chilis. Watch out for popping and flying of the hot mustard seeds! Add onion and sautee until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add potatoes, eggplant and thawed methi, stir to combine. Add salt and jaggery/brown sugar and water. Cover and turn heat to medium, let cook until potatoes are fork tender and water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Serve hot with fresh chapatis, parathas or wheat tortillas.

Variation (Jhunka): Omit potatoes and eggplant. Increase oil to 4 tbs. Follow instructions, once water is absorbed and oil is present, add 1 cup of besan (chickpea flour). Continue stirring (forever) on low heat until besan is fully absorbed.