methi wala kaddu.. and oven baked mathi

in my growing years, there was only one member of the gourd family that made an appearance on our dining table, very simply cooked, with just a smattering of methre/fenugreek. and i hated it -

so nothing could be more appropriate to inaugurate this blog with a recipe inspired from that plain old ghiya - methis wala petha....and it was so delicious...that i ate it...not in front of the tv...but quietly, relishing the subtle flavours, of my lunch....here is how it was cooked...

~`~petha/kaddu/sitaphal/ and methi ki sabzi

- cut the kaddu/petha/sitaphal/pumpkin into about 1 inch squares and remove the really tough skin and the soft seedy part on the inside - this was a bit of a challenge and needs a little show of strength, and skill to cut through the pretty tough skin of the pumpkin...and a really sharp knife..

- pick and wash the methi leaves....
quantity - i used equal volumes of pumpkin and methi, but for next time...would go for more, methi, since fresh methi is not all that strong...and after cooking almost disappears...

-in a heavy based pan....heat the ghee - now i was a bit torn whether to use sarson ka tel, which gives a nice pickle taste to the dish, but instead chose ghee...i usually let the pan, get nicely hot first and then add the oil/ghee..so as not to over heat and destroy the flavour of the fat.

- into the hot ghee...add....methre, i.e. methi seeds....to give depth to the methi flavour and aroma, full sized red chilles...and a small quantity of a mixture of - sauf, jeera, kalonji, rai....wait for them to splutter nd release there delicious nutty aroma...

- into this pop in the cubed petha...and toss around on high heat for a few moments...and then saute on mid heat....

- once the petha begins to look a little soft....add the methi leaves...can add green chillies ere...full or chopped...i did not have any so skipped......add salt, some powdered jeera, dhaniya and red chilli, haldi, salt, a wee bit of hing, gently stir the vegetables so masala is evenly spread...

- now cover and leave to simmer....check occasionally....and scrape the bottom...a adjust a few spoon fulls, of water..if needed to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.....

- by the time i had prepared a salad, and dough for chapatis - the methi wala petha was cooked to perfection......that is....the petha is soft to touch....and is completely dry...

i ate my lovely meal with some.....onions pickled with vinegar...fresh mooli, tomatoes and ginger freshly cut and sprinkled with salt and lemon juice....

delicious...and so easy to prepare...i think it would have taken me all of 30minutes or so to cook this dish from scratch - for one person....

do try and let me know how it went for you....

~`~oven baked mathis

the oven baked mathis were a big hit...and so simple to make....i was rather skeptical about the taste- but they had all the flavour of a mathi without the deep fry....

- i took 2 1/2 cups of maida, sifted..with....3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon ajwain, 1/4 teaspoon jeera...i did not add methi here was not sure whether to use fresh or dry...but today for holi i plan to make a fresh batch....this time i think i will try adding fresh methi....

...to this mix i added in 1/2 cup of oil, ideally this should have been ghee... since this was pure experiment, i was not sure of the end product and so did not want to waste ghee....but next time for sure will use ghee...

- knead well, with a little cold water...to make a hard dough....

-preheat oven i did at 220c

- break dough into small balls....and flatten to desired size, press in 2 peppercorns into each mathi....

-lay them out on a baking sheet...i used a pizza pan....and pop into the oven....for about 20 minutes at 180 - 200c and then for about 15 minutes at 220 to get that golden finish on the mathis...

i had about 15 small sized mathis with this quantity....and it took hardly 20 minutes to prepare plus the cooking time...too wonderfully easy..for the great taste.... i love a little savory with my evening tea...and these were just perfect....