Simplicity Coimbatore, Gujarati ‘methi no masalo’ </a
When I was in Bombay in early March this year,we went to visit the shops which are famous for their typical Gujarati snacks. Each neighbourhood has several small outlets where these wonderful specialities like bhakarwadi , khakra, varieties of chikki , an array of roasted lentils and lots of other crunchy munchies are arranged on long shelves.
At first my senses were overwhelmed on not knowing what to buy to bring back home. After taking a moment to think of the things we all love to eat, the choice seemed less daunting. While browsing ,one of the things which I spotted were, packets of the famous Gujju ‘methi masala’. It is a powder which is on the table in most Gujarati homes and used to flavour an endless list of home cooked dishes .At our friend’s home in Mumbai it was placed on the table at every meal, in a small glass jar. I bought a small quantity to bring back.
After my trip, the masala was put away and forgotten as we began to process the looming threat of a global pandemic. A month ago , my mother sent me a square shaped glass bottle ,filled to the brim with the same vibrant red methi masala. When I use the word “vibrant” it is no exaggeration. As you can see from the images (no filter) it is a fiery red powder.
Soon after receiving it I got a call from my mother,saying that they had made it at home, using a recipe given to her by her late friend Anila and that it turned out really good. Well it did look appetising ! “Use it on anything you want” she said before disconnecting the call.
It has taken me this many weeks to truly understand and appreciate this wonderful powder. Maybe it’s the season which has me looking to add warming flavours to my food…going from a Gounder special molagu podi to a Gujarati methi masala !
As the name suggests, this masala tastes predominantly of fenugreek. Vendhayam and vendaya keerai feature prominently in Gujarati food. When I tasted a bit of the powder from the glass bottle, which ma sent, the familiarity of taste brought back so many memories. This was the beautiful powder that we ate ,strewn on soft white dhokla at Aunty’s house ! This masala was also the one used to flavour pickles, sprinkle on khakra and also on the translucent thin roti which was dished out to us siblings .
The flavours are not rounded like they are in a South Indian podi. It jumps out in layers. First there is the obvious saltiness, then the spice from the red chilli powder, followed by the sharpness of mustard seeds and then the lingering bitter after taste of the roasted fenugreek seeds. For those who haven’t been exposed to it, fenugreek might be a bit too bitter.
The mustard seeds used in this recipe are the yellow split mustard seeds which grow more towards the North of India. The fenugreek seeds are also of the split kind .Both the seeds are well roasted individually, powdered and then mixed in with the red chilli powder and salt. Apparently the best place to source these ingredients in Coimbatore ,for making this masala, is Sangam stores. One has to request for “kadagu paruppu” and “vendayam paruppu” apparently.
There are numerous recipes for this methi masala online. I am guessing that like our sambhar masala the recipe for this one too varies from home to home. The one constant however is that colour.
When I was reading up to learn more about it, the write up on the Tarla Dalal website says ,”The warmth of the ‘methi no masalo’ on your tastebuds is a joy to experience especially during the winter and monsoon days” .
It certainly seems like we are on the right flavour track with regard to the season.
I did want to cook with it rather than just use it as a topping on a few dishes. The information I came across suggested that it can be added to spice up a favourite dal or just about any vegetable. I needed no further prompting and decided to experiment on one of the safest ingredients; potatoes. Everyone knows that it’s hard to ruin a potato dish, it usually comes out tasting delicious. This is not to say that I had no faith that the methi masala can hold it’s own ,the hesitation was about me experimenting with such a beautiful home-made masala. For me anything which has been slaved over and made by hand ,using a traditional recipe is equal to a treasure.
We had these perfectly sized baby potatoes ,from our favourite grocery store, just waiting to be cooked. It was one of the quickest and simplest lunch dishes I have ever made. All it took was to boil the potatoes and allow for it to cool. Peel the skin, heat oil of choice in a deep clay pot (traditional utensils always) and add in about a tablespoon of methi masala for 250 gms of cooked potatoes. We like to halve them because then it allows for more of the sides to crisp up. Those crispy edges on cooked potatoes are so delicious and everyone’s favourite.
The one thing to keep a watch for is to not let the masala burn. So it was important to keep the flame low and keep stirring the potatoes back and forth to ensure that it didn’t stick to the bottom and that the masala didn’t turn brown. What we noticed while tossing was that the masala components began to sort of unravel and we could easily see the different ingredients that went into it. For me that was a revelation! Usually any sort of powder or masala just stays together but with this one the bits of broken mustard seeds, the fenugreek and micro particles of red chilli was easily visible as it coated the surface of the potatoes.
What started as a vibrant red coating, soon mellowed into a burnished coat as it continued to cook and roast in the pan. I did add a small pinch of salt. The initial idea was to add some curry leaves for texture and colour but once the dish was done,it tasted so complete that anything else would have just been unnecessarily extra. It also feels good to hold back and not feel the need to add too much to one dish.
Post lunch , the verdict was positive,the potatoes finished down to the last crisp crumb. What more can we ask for ?
If you would like to try a different version of methi potatoes ,not with the greens but with the methi masala, give this recipe a try. If I were you I would do it before the rain clouds move away .
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