BM # 41 Week 4 Day 1
Its always interesting to choose one ingredient and present it in different forms.I really enjoy this theme, so for this week I will be cooking with Fenugreek. Fenugreek seeds and leaves are obtained from herbs, and are commonly called Methi in India. Fenugreek is truly a wonder spice that is widely used in Indian kitchens in different recipes like curries, dals and vegetarian dishes. The methi paratha or Thepla is particularly famous in Indian households for its delicious taste. Methi seeds possess a strong flavor and are bitter in taste.
Recently on my trip to Rajasthan..Jodhpur to be precise I tasted authentic Rajasthani dishes. Methi Keri Goonda was one of the dishes among them. Methi seeds have to be soaked for a good 5 to 6 hours.Once it swells up it is boiled to remove the bitterness. The dish is prepared after that.
Next comes the Rajasthani berry called Goonda. Goonda is a kind of wild berry with a very sticky seed inside, that needs to be removed. These can be boiled and de-seeded or else, goondas can be cut by hitting a pestle on the goonda and splitting it halfway and then removing the seed using a pairing knife dipped in salt water. Salt helps to remove the stickiness so after cutting a few goondas, just dip your fingers in salt and rub them together before rinsing them under water. (You can use gloves while cutting the goondas).
The third ingredient is Keri.Keri is raw mango , and this cuts down the bitterness in the dish.
Coming to the recipe
1 cup methi seeds
1 large raw mango
200 gms goonda.
1/2 cup oil
1tb sp saunf / fennel seeds
1tb sp kalonji / onion seeds
red chilly powder
salt to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp dry mango powder.
Soak the methi seeds for 5to 6 hours.
Wash well and boil with lots of water.
Drain the water and keep the seeds aside.
Heat a pan.
Add oil.
Add fennel seeds, onion seeds and asafetida.
Add the prepared goonda.
Saute for a few minutes.
Add the raw mango and saute.
As soon as these two start shrinking add the drained methi seeds.
Add all the spices and saute on full flame for a few minutes.
Simmer the fire and cover and cook till the mango and goonda are fully cooked.
Let cool and then you can store in frig upto a month.
Notes
If you do not get goonda or raw mango you can make the dish with methi seeds only, in that case the quantity of dry mango will increase.
The dish on the first day is slightly more bitter, but after a day or two the bitterness kind of disappears.
This is a very healthy accompaniment and you would be amazed to know that these seeds are good for hair, skin and many other disorders.
my favorite pickle for the season, the goonda with soaked methi seeds tastes amazing, and your looks so inviting…
Wow Vaishali, such a wonderful dish..never heard of this being made with soaked methi…I love soaked methi..:)..this sounds so healthy!
Methi keri goonda looks my kind of food,goonda i never seen this berries, may be i'll give a try with raw mango.
This is very interesting ish with methi ….must have tasted awesome !
Wow! Such a healthy dish with methi seeds.
Very healthy recipe.. Looks yummy
New recipe to me,sounds very interesting and inviting….
What a flavorful and delicious looking dish.
i make a yummy pickle with sprotued methi – but this one with Goonda is interesting. . ur rajasthan trip seems to have been a foodies' delight ! lovely…
I never cooked directly with methi seeds although I use methi powder a lot. This curry looks interesting.
Great pictures Vaishali! This dish is new to me but I can imagine the mouthwatering flavors.
I have never heard about goonda. The pickle sounds tempting.
Vaishali can we replace the goonda with green mango in the dish?
a unique recipe – similar to the way they use methi seeds in Yemeni food
Never heard about gonda but the curry sounds interesting.