Friday, March 17, 2006

Methi Pudas

Hmm, thats what its called in Gujarati, I guess a good English translation could be Fenugreek Pancakes. This is my brother's favorite little dish. I, personally am not a huge fan of methi but this is a very common snack in our house. Sometimes, ma just makes it for dinner and we have it with ketchup and spicy coriander chutney.

I do not have the picture uploaded but I promise it shall be up sometime soon.

Ingredients: ( I have no idea what exact quantities to use because ma usually always plays it by the ear and just measures stuff....I guess it comes with experience...I too am usually able to get the quantities right)

Equal parts wheat flour, chickpea flour/besan, and rice flour - 1/4 or slightly more of each cup will do. We just want to make sure that we do not use so much flour that we dont see the methi :P
A bunch of methi/fenugreek leaves
A few cloves of garlic - minced
Green chili and ginger paste : 1-2 tsp
Water
Salt- swad anusaar ( I love it when they say that on Hindi Cookery Shows)
Oil

Method:
1)Mix all ingredients in a bowl and add water last.
2)Mix it well and make sure the flour does not form clumps.
3)Break all clumps. I do this by hand but if you have a hand device that whisks, that would be great! Me and ma are just used to the old way.
4)Add enough water to make a thin soupy/pancaky paste - one that you can easily pour with a ladle.
5)Heat a pan. I usually let the pan heat while I am the mixture, that way I have a nice hot tawa to cook on.
6)Spread the mixture onto the pan with a ladle/tbsp. Gently make circles with the back of the ladle/tbsp and spread it on the pan like a dosa.
7)You can make it as thick or as thin as you want. My preference: slightly thin.
8)When one side is cooked, flip it and spread some oil or butter on the top. Flip the other side when its cooked and do the same. You can also cover to help it cook faster.
Methi pudaa tyaar!

Variations: Because as a child.... well and even now, I usually whine about methi pudas mom sometimes added onions to it. You do not have to use a mixture of all three flours..only besan or only wheat flour will also do. rice flour is skippable if you dont have any.

Try it with all kinds of chutneys!

Published in the Garvi Gujarat category.

A Note to Remember: Good cooking is more about using the right ratios than using the right quantities. Each hand its own dish! Eat away!