Methi Pakodas-Fenugreek Fritters


Its mystifying how much flavor herbs can add to cooking and recipes, without even being one of the main ingredients! But some herbs like Fenugreek(Methi), Cilantro, Mint, and Basil are known for their distinct flavor, and can carry a dish entirely by themselves. Methi Pakodas(Fenugreek Fritters), aslo known as "Methi na Gota" in Gujarat, are one such fried food that is sure to please your palate. These fritters are made by combining Methi with coriander, besan, curd and spices, and are really easy to make. They require no special preparation, so it can be an ideal meal for the days when elaborate dinners are off the table. Fenugreek is used both as a herb (the leaves) and as a spice (the seeds, and has lots of medicinal properties.

The yellowish-colored methi seeds are frequently used in the preparation of pickles, curry powders and pastes; 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(called kasuri methi) have a bitter taste and a strong characteristic smell. All these varieties can be found in any indian grocery store or whole foods market. I am going to send these to Jugalbandi who's hosting this week's edition of Weekend Herb Blogging, originally started by Kalyn.

Ingredients
2 cups packed Methi leaves (Fresh Fenugreek)
1/2 cup coriander leaves - chopped
2 green chillies - chopped finely
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric(haldi) powder
3 cups besan(chickpea flour)
4 tbsp rawa(fine semolina)
1 tsp fruit salt (soda)
2 tbsp fresh curd
1/2 tsp sugar (optional)
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
Oil for frying + 1 and 1/2 tbsp extra
Salt to taste
Water (roughly about 2 cups or less) - to make batter

Method
Mix all the ingredients except soda and oil.

Make a batter with water. Start with just 1/2 cup water, keep stirring or mixing well, then keep adding water a little at a time till you get semi-solid batter. When you hold it in your hand, it should not drop, nor should it be hard enough to be shaped. Its better to use less water than more, and make sure the batter is not thin.

Now add the fruit salt(soda) and 1-1/2 tbsp oil and mix well.

Keep a wok filled with oil on medium flame. Drop one small drop of the batter to the oil. If it comes up(floats) immediately, your oil is at the right temperature. Now lower the flame a little, then drop spoonfulls of batter in the oil and fry till golden brown on both sides. It is advisable to wear oven mittens to avoid oil burns and don't fry more than 4-5 fritters at a time.

Serve the hot Methi Pakodas with Tamarind-Raisin-Date Chutney, ketchup, Roasted Tomato-Peanut Chutney or any other dip of your choice!



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36 comments :

Anonymous said...

Oooh!! I just love these! we used to get the best methi pakodas back in rajkot gujarat, and now I suddenly have this craving to make them after seeing your recipe! the pic looks fabulous Mansi!!

-shamita

Kalai said...

That pic is off the hook, Mansi! Love methi in anything and these look perfectly crispy. :)

Deborah said...

I have never had fenugreek before, but now I am really curious!! They sure do look delicious!

Annu said...

Nice pakodas dear.will try soon....I haven't done this in ages

Unknown said...

Perfect tea time snack Mansi..

Uma said...

pakodas look divine, Mansi! anytime for those pakodas. Good recipe.

Rupa said...

Pakodas look very tasty..hmmm..having my coffee without pakodas :(

Meera said...

Looks so delicious, Mansi.

Cris said...

Mansi!!! Trying to catch up here. The round up was fabulous! Hey, my hubby is in India!!! One of the reasons I haven't been around, I'm home with the kids. Take care.

Madhavi said...

pakodas looks mouth watering mansi!! Nice Entry..

Cham said...

Perfect tea snack and they are crispy too :)

Red Chillies said...

Yummy! Adding yogurt to the batter is new to me. Will try this soon.

Cynthia said...

I never had this before.

Mansi said...

thanks folks! so glad you all liked it!

Cynthia - wish I could send u a batch!:) you should def try this gal!!

Ramya's Mane Adige said...

Very nice!! like you said... methi has an amazing flavor and it can certainly carry a whole dish by itself....

EC said...

Tasty and Healthy tooo

Jayashree said...

I just bought 3 bunches of fresh fenugreek leaves....am definitely trying this out...will let u know how it turns out.

Sia said...

wonderful one again mansi:)
so sorry dear, i have been too busy and couldn't thank you for that wonderful WBB round-up. thanks a lot mansi:)

Finla said...

Pakodas i love them.
I just think onbe can't stop just eating one , we have to eat few of them :-)

Mansi said...

thanks again for appreciating my efforts people! these pakodas came out really good, and I think adding the semolina gives a nice crispiness to them! hope u'll like it as much as we did!:)

AnuZi said...

yumm chica! Looks sooo appetizing. Care to share? ;o)

amna said...

oh yeah, ur methi pakodas are lovely too :)

Priyanka Cooks said...

These look amazing! Perfect appetizer recipe for a small get together that I am having this weekend. Thanks!

giz said...

What great finger food. But I bet you can't say the title five times in a row really fast :)

Simply...Gluten-free said...

These look so yummy. What a great snack!

Anonymous said...

Mansi,

Love your blog, with your authentic take on everything from snacks to main courses-a lot of inspiration to draw from, truly.

Methi Pakodas; what a great treat for the upcoming weekend-thanks to you!

Keep up the great work!

Cheers

Lisa Turner said...

What a fantastic sounding recipe!! I must try this. Thanks Mansi!

Aarjshee said...

hey..wat a coincidence .......was just tryin out makin gotas today ...well addin rava was new to me ....it made them a bit soft n crunchy.....turned out awesome........thanx....i wld be glad if u could help me out wid veg hyderabadi biryani........

Mansi said...

Thanks ppl, your comments, feedback and appreciation is what drives and motivates me! I hope to keep doing better in the future:)

Sheetal - veg biryani is on my to-do list too...I'll post it soon!:)

Rosie said...

Oooooh Mansi those pakodas look divine!!!

Rosie x

Anonymous said...

Hi I find this recipe quite unique...I had never heard of methi being used for fritters. I want to try some unique vegetarian recipes for my in laws and will definitely try this. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

bee said...

i adore these. thanks for a great entry.

Kalyn Denny said...

What a great post. I've heard about the various parts of the fenugreek plant, but it's not an herb I'm very familiar with. I'd love to taste your fritters, they sound wonderful.

Anonymous said...

Fell in love with the flavor of methi leaves with eskay's kasoori methi potatoes and am dying to try these too. There is only one grocer in Hawaii who carries Indian products and I've never seen fresh methi leaves there. Can I use dried for this or is the flavor very different from the fresh? Thanks for a great post and inspiration.

Mansi said...

Manju - I don't think the dried leaves would work here!:( You can try getting the frozen methi though, and thaw it and use it if fresh is not available...but dried leaves would just not work...you might get the flavor, which would be more bitter, but the actual methi leaves in each pakoda bite is what makes them so enjoyable!:) so try getting frozen methi if you can...

-Mansi

Anonymous said...

I didn't know it might be frozen. Maybe that's how it's stocked here. I'll look more closely next time. Thanks for the tip!