Methi Dal/ Lentils Soup with Fenugreek Greens

Methi Dal is a protein rich main course item. Its a popular dish in India. In methi dal lentils are cooked with greens of fenugreek (leaves). This is one of the best food for diabetic patients. Methi dal is easy to prepare and hardly takes 15 minutes if you have left over dal.
This is one of my winter special recipe. In winter season we get abundant green leafy vegetables. and methi or fenugreek leaves are the one. If you are staying in metros like Mumbai, you may get all vegetables in every season. But we get more fresh ones in their respective season. That's why they are cheaper than other season.
I love to make dishes with seasonal specialities. e.g. sarson ka saag (mustard leaves) and bathua saag (pig weed)are available only during winters season (even in Mumbai). So I try to make my dishes from such vegetables. Read my sarson ka saag, palak paneer, bathua raita recipe which are from my winter collection. Similarly carrots and peas have distinctive taste in seasonal varieties. I'm yet to complete my next batch of winter special recipes like gajar halwa, lauki halwa and peas soup recipe for my blog.
If you are looking for more methi recipes, read methi aloo fry, methi moong fry, methi matar pulao, methi paratha or thepla, methi palak kadhi.
How to make methi dal?
Methi dal is one of my favorite dishes of methi greens. This is a comfort food and an one pot dish. You can make this as main course with roti, or rice. Or you can make it as a soup for those chilled winter nights. This is easy to prepare indeed.
Three step process for methi dal recipe:
- Pressurecook lentils for 2 - 3 whistles or till cooked.
- Saute fenugreek or methi leaves with onion, garlic and other spices.
- Mix cooked dal to the sauteed fenugreek and simmer for 5 minutes.
If you are making it fresh then pressure-cook the lentils along with leaves. I have taken yellow gram lentils (yellow moong dal) for this recipe. You can change the type of lentils in your recipe. However this tastes great and equally healthier option.
If you like this dal try other dal recipes
So lets make methi dal for lunch or dinner.
Methi Dal/ Lentils Soup with Fenugreek Greens
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup Methi Leaves Washed & chopped
- Salt as per taste
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 Medium Tomato Diced
- Ghee/ Oil – 3-4 Tbsp
- Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
- Red Chilli – Dry 2-3
- Coriander Powder –2tsp
- Chilli Powder 1 tsp
- Garlic – 5-6 buds crushed
- Green Chilli- 1- 2 sliced/ chopped
Instructions
Method I
- Wash dal properly and put in a pressure cooker. Add diced tomato and finely chopped methi leaves to it. Add turmeric powder & salt as per taste.
- Pressure-cook for 2 – 3 whistles. Then let it cool before opening the lid.
- Place a small pan on medium to low heat to make tampering. Put ghee or refined oil in it. Once the oil is hot put cumin seeds and let it crackle. Add a pinch of hing/ asafoetida. Put green chilli, red chilli and chopped garlic. Once garlic turns slight brown add coriander powder, chilli powder and immediately take out from the flame else the masala will get burnt. Then put the tadka in cooked dal and close the lid so that the flavour will be added to dal.
- Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with chapatti or rice.
Method II
- Wash dal properly and put in a pressure cooker. Add diced tomatoes, turmeric powder & salt as per taste.
- Pressure-cook for 2 – 3 whistles. Then let it cool before opening the lid.
- Heat a small pan on high flame. Add ghee or refined oil. Once the oil is hot put cumin seeds and let it crackle. Add a pinch of hing/ asafoetida. Put green chilli, chopped onion & garlic.
- Once garlic turns slight brownand onion becomes translucent, add chopped methi leaves. Saute for 2 minutes on high flame. Add 1/2 tsp salt. Add coriander powder, chilli powder and cook for another 5 minutes till leaves are cooked soft.
- After the leaves are cooked well, add dal to the kadai. Mix well & simmer for another 5 minutes. Add chopped coriander leaves.
PIN IT FOR LATER
Leave a Comment (And a 5 Star Rating)