Aloo Methi Curry Recipe | Simple Vegan Potato Curry

Learn how to make Aloo Methi Curry ~ Vegan potato and fresh fenugreek leaves in spicy tomato gravy

Fried, boiled, baked, mashed, stuffed, being stuffed(?!), roasted, grilled…

The above mentioned are some avatars of potato that come out of my kitchen at least once or twice a week. There is something about Potato, isn’t it? The unassuming tuber grows out of sight, underground and when pulled up it looks like a part of the earth. Have you ever seen it competing with other colourful vegetables or trying to take away the spotlight from other vegetables? This spud is neither good looking with frills of cauliflower, nor has beautiful glossy colours of bell peppers. This tuber neither has the clear complexion of white eggplants, nor the radiance of sweet corns. It is oddly shaped unlike slender beans or round tomatoes and sometimes even comes with ugly black spots on its muddy body! Have you ever seen any vegetable seller singing its songs of praise, trying to attract his buyers? When he is praising the goodness and beauty of other vegetables, you will find the dirty sack of potatoes sitting quietly in some dark corner, trying very hard to stay out of spotlights and looks of admiration!

Ingredients for Aloo Methi Curry

That is how I see the potato; humble, unpretentious and highly adaptable. Cook it with any ingredient, vegetables or spices and it transforms into something irresistible. The down to earth and simple looking raw potato transforms into an exquisite and tantalising dish!




Potato perhaps is the most loved and cooked vegetable in our home. We have to have a potato dish at least once a week or we feel deprived of good old comfort food and act a little weird. It may be the carbs or the taste or the ease of cooking or just the fact that they are so comforting makes it our favourite veggie. What not to love? Cook it with any other vegetables and it makes the dish taste better. Cook it with any spice and it enhances the taste. Deep fry, roast it, pan-fry, mash it, and cook it whole with its peel or without, the potato tastes good every time! It teaches the great lesson of life that one should never judge a book by its cover. Yes, we need to learn a lot from this humble spud!



Today I am posting one of my favourite ways to cook the spuds, Aloo Methi Curry! Soft, almost melt in mouth potatoes cooked with bitter fenugreek leaves in sweet and tangy tomato gravy along with few aromatic spices makes this dish a crowd pleaser! I cook this classic Aloo Methi Curry at least once in a month as it is a quite simple recipe that goes well with rice or with any Indian flatbreads. I use just a handful of spices as I like to keep the fresh flavour of fenugreek leaves to come through without the overpowering taste from spices. Feel free to add your favourite spice mixtures and you will still be pleasantly surprised to find a bowl of delicious tasting spuds with greens. So, shall we start cooking? Let’s go…

Fresh ingredients for Aloo Methi Curry

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Aloo Methi Curry (Potatoes and fresh fenugreek leaves in sweet and spicy tomato gravy)
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Recipe Level: Beginner/Easy
Spice Level: Low to Medium
Serves: 6-7 people
Shelf Life: Can be refrigerated for up to 3-4 days
Serving Suggestion: With any Indian flatbreads

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Ingredients:
5-6 medium potatoes (about 600 gms)
1 large bunch/ 1 tightly packed cup methi/fresh fenugreek leaves
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1-1½ cups tomato puree (about 4 large pureed tomatoes)
4-5 large garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1-1½ inch ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1-2 tbsp jaggery or palm sugar (as per taste)
Salt to taste

Spices Used:
½ tsp haldi/turmeric powder
1-1½ tsp Kasmiri chilli powder
2 tsp dhania/coriander powder
½ tsp jeera/cumin powder
1 tbsp kasuri methi/dried fenugreek leaves
1 tsp kitchen king masala (optional, but recommended)
½ - 1 tsp garam masala

For Tadka/Tempering:
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
¼ tsp hing/asafoetida
1 tbsp oil

Method:
Preparation:

1. Boil the potatoes in enough water in a saucepan until they are cooked through. It will take around 12-15 minutes on medium heat. Alternatively, pressure cook the potatoes for 2 whistles on medium heat.
2. Pick the fresh fenugreek leaves and discard the stems. Wash them in a large colander under running water to remove dirt and impurities. Keep it aside until needed.
3. While the potatoes are cooking, pound roughly chopped ginger and garlic with ¼ tsp salt in a pestle and mortar into a fine paste. You can use a spice grinder or mixer grinder to make fresh ginger-garlic paste or use 2 tsp of store-bought ginger-garlic paste.
4. Peel and finely chop the onion. Puree the tomatoes into a smooth paste in a food processor or use canned tomato puree.
5. Peel the boiled potatoes and dice them into large bite-size pieces. Keep them aside until needed.

Proceed to cook:

1. Heat oil in a frying pan or casserole pan on medium heat. Once hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and hing and let the spices sizzle and splutter.
2. Add chopped onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes on medium heat until it turns translucent. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for about 3 minutes or until the raw smell disappears.
3. Add turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder and give it a quick mix. Mix in fresh fenugreek leaves and sauté until it wilts, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add tomato puree and mix it well. Bring the mixture to a boil by stirring it in intervals. Take care as the moisture in tomato puree will spit and splutter.
5. Reduce the heat to low and mix in jaggery and salt to taste. Cover and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Add diced, boiled potatoes and mix them well so that the potatoes are well coated with gravy. Increase the heat to medium and cover and cook for 5-6 minutes.
6. Add 2 cups of water and mix them well. Bring the gravy to boil before adding crushed kasuri methi, kitchen king masala and garam masala. Mix them all well and let it cook uncovered for 5-6 minutes or until the gravy thickens.
7. Turn off the heat and let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes for all the flavours to blend well. Serve this delicious Aloo Methi Curry garnished with finely chopped coriander leaves with any Indian flatbreads and enjoy!

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Sia’s Notes:

• To save time, you can pick the fresh fenugreek leaves in advance at spare time and store in a refrigerator for 3-4 days. Simply wash the leaves to remove any mud or impurities before cooking.
• Adjust the quantity of water to get desired consistency of gravy. The gravy will thicken as it rests due to starch in potatoes.