Fenugreek leaves Stir fry | Methi Bhaji

I use various varieties of greens- green/red amaranth, methi, palak and dill leaves regularly in my cooking and I make it a point to use them at least 3-4 times a week to pair with my Jowar bhakris.I prepare either stir fry or dal with red and green amaranth but methi and palak are very versatile greens and can be used for various preparations-snacks,dal,stir fry,curries,gravies,rotis,parathas etc. However, if I want to serve the greens with bhakris,I prefer it in the form of either a simple stir fry or Saag.
This is a typical Maharasthrian style preparation of greens,you can adapt this recipe to prepare any greens stir fry.It is called as 'Methichi Bhaji' in Marathi.Usually Maharashtrians do not add any tempering in the greens and keep the garlic to dominate the flavor in the stir fry.I just love this simple stir fry and I sometimes add soya chunks or fried mini urad vadis to it, to add a nice bite to them.

Fenugreek leaves Stir fry | Methichi Bhaji Recipe:
Serves 2-3
Preparation time: 15 mins | Cooking time: 20 mins | Total time: 35 mins
Recipe Cuisine:Maharasthra - Indian | Recipe Category: Side dish for Rice/Roti

Ingredients:

1 big bunch Fenugreek leaves/Methi
15-20 Soya Chunks(optional)

1 big Onion,roughly chopped

4-5 Green chillies,finely chopped

5-6 Garlic pods

2 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

Method:

• Clean the fenugreek leaves and wash them properly and soak it in salted water for 8-10 mins.Chop the leaves finely along with tender stalks.
• Boil water in a small pot and add soya chunks and boil them for 4-5 mins until they are done.Drain them and cool them slightly,squeeze the extra water from it and drop them in normal water and squeeze them again and repeat it one more time.If you are using big soya chunks,chop them into small pieces roughly and ignore it if you are using mini soya chunks.
• Heat oil in a kadai and add chopped garlic and fry until they turn slight brown in color.
• Add chopped onions and green chillies and fry for few mins until onions turn pink.
• Add squeezed soya chunk pieces and stir fry for 2 mins.
• Now add the chopped methi leaves and fry for 10-12 mins until the fenugreek leaves are cooked.Take care that you would not over cook the greens,they taste best when they are cooked right.You can initially cover it slightly for 2-3 mins and then remove it later and fry it with out lid.

Serve it hot with Roti/Rice/Jowar Bhakri/Bajra Bhakri.

Notes:

1. You can use green amaranth leaves or red amaranth leaves or spinach and follow the same process.
2. I usually do not add any seasonings in the oil as I like the garlic flavor to dominate in the recipe.You can reduce the garlic if you are not a big fan of it.
3. I like to keep this recipe simple as it tastes best as it is and I love to eat this with Jowar or Bajra Bhakris.
4. Use only tender stems of the greens for this recipe.Chop them roughly.
5. The addition of soya chunks is entirely optional,I like to add them as they give a nice bite in the curry.They absorb the flavors beautifully too.