Methi Rice is a flavourful rice dish prepared with methi leaves, vegetables, and rice.
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Methi Rice is a dish prepared with methi or fenugreek leaves, vegetables, coconut and rice.
This recipe of methi rice is a Karnataka version prepared with a base masala of coconut, green chilli, ginger and garlic. Several rice-based dishes in Karnataka have this combination of masala to flavour the methi pulao.
This methi rice goes very well with any form of raita along with papad or chips.
This dish also goes by the name of Methi Pulao, methi leaves rice.
Ingredients for Methi Rice Recipe
Fresh Methi Leaves – 1 big bunch. Always pick a bunch that has all green leaves, avoid buying the ones with the yellow leaves.
Vegetables – Potatoes and peas – This is a classic combination of methi, potatoes and peas.
Rice – I like to use Sona masoori rice, but you can also use basmati rice.
Whole Spices – bay leaf, cloves, star anise
Coconut, green chilli, ginger and garlic – these 4 form the base masala for the rice. If you do not have grated coconut, you can always use chunks. Before you add the other ingredients to the masala, pulse grind the coconut chunks to a grated texture to avoid coconut balls in the masala.
Cooking oil – I almost always use groundnut oil, but gingelly (sesame) oil will taste great as well.
Spices – Mustard seeds
How to make methi rice?
The main arduous task in making this rice will have to be plucking the leaves and washing it. This will take roughly 30 minutes. Wash the leaves thoroughly, allow them to partially dry and chop into small pieces.
Wash your rice and add water in 1:2 ratio and pressure cook the rice. Once the pressure cooker has cooled, remove the rice and spread the rice on a plate to let it cool down.
Into a small pressure cooker, add frozen peas, a potato (peeled) diced into two along with 1/2 tsp salt. Pressure cook for 3 whistles and let the pressure come down naturally. If you are boiling the vegetables on the stove, you can first add diced potatoes along with salt into boiling water and allow it to simmer until cooked. Add the frozen peas when the potatoes are almost cooked, and cook them for another 2-3 minutes. Remove the potatoes and peas from the boiling water and let it cool down.
To the small mixer jar, add grated coconut, green chilli, ginger and garlic. Grind it into a smooth paste.
Place a kadai on medium heat, pour in 2 tbsp of cooking oil. Next, add the whole spices to the oil. Let the spices release their flavour into the oil. Next, add cashew nuts and roast until soft.
Now, add the coconut masala that you’ve prepared and let it cook down until all the moisture is gone. Do this slowly on a low flame, allowing the oil to come out once the moisture is gone.
Next, add the chopped methi leaves along with 1/4 tsp salt. The leaves will wilt in less than a minute.
Finally, add the cooked rice and mix thoroughly. Adjust salt levels.
Serving Suggestions
Methi rice goes very well with onion raita and potato chips. This is the combination that I love to make every single time. Tomato ratia along with papad is also another good combination. But always make sure to serve it with a curd-based side dish.
Shelf Life and Storage
Methi rice is an excellent tiffin box item for both kids and adults. It tastes great even when cold. Since it has coconut, it’s best to consume it at the mealtime that you intended it for. If you make it ahead of time, allow the rice to cool down and store it in the fridge so that you can reheat it later. Reheat only once.
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Recipe
Methi Rice
Ingredients
- 1 bunch Methi Leaves
- 2 cups Cooked rice roughly 200g raw rice
- 2 tbsp Grated Coconut
- 1 inch Ginger
- 3-4 cloves Garlic
- 1-2 small Green Chillies
- 1 Onion medium sized
- 2 tbsp Cooking Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 Cloves
- 1 Star Anise
- 1 cup Vegetables potatoes, peas
- 1 handful Cashew Nuts
- ¾ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Pepper
Instructions
- Pluck the methi leaves, wash them thoroughly and chop into small pieces.
- In a separate pot or pressure cooker, boil potatoes and peas with a little salt, let it cool down and chop the potatoes into small cubes.
- Make the masala paste of coconut, ginger, garlic and green chillies in a mixer into a smooth paste.
- To a pan, add oil – the whole spices, mustard seeds and cashew nuts. Let the cashew turn golden,
- Next, add the onions and saute until soft. To this, add the ground coconut paste and let it cook until all the moisture evapourates and the oil comes out.
- You can now add the chopped methi leaves along with a 1/4 tsp salt and stir until the methi leaves cook down.
- Add the potatoes and peas and mix well. Sprinkle in some pepper if you want more heat.
- Finally, add the rice, mix well. Adjust the salt.
- Enjoy methi rice with onion raita.
