Fenugreek leaf rice (Vendayakeerai sadam)

Fenugreek is common in Indian cooking; the seeds are used as a spice, and the leaves are used as a geen. They have a pleasingly bitter taste that is mild.

Fenugreek is believed to have been brought into cultivation in the Near East. It is uncertain which wild strain of the genus Trigonella gave rise to domesticated fenugreek. Charred fenugreek seeds have been recovered from Tell Halal, Iraq (carbon dated to 4000 BC) and Bronze Age levels of Lachish, and desiccated seeds from the tomb of Tutankhamen.

Fenugreek is considered to have numerous health benefits according to Ayurvedic and modern medicine.

This is a lovely rice dish. The rice and the lime temper the bitterness of the fenugreek leaves. The dish is vibrant both in colour and on the palate. It makes for a perfect side dish, with lightly flavoured dishes to complement it.

This is another cookbook from Chandra Padmanabhan that I adore. The recipes vary across India's southern states, and each turns out very well. Like this one, the recipes are authentic and wonderfully flavoured. This cookbook is for those who want to go beyond the ordinary and enjoy very localized cuisines from the South.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

For the spice powder:

2 tablespoons splithusked black gram (urad dal)

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 cloves

3-4 dried red chillies

For the temper:

4 tablespoons ghee

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon split husked black gram (urad dal)

1/2 teaspoon asafoetida powder

1 dried red chilli

10-12 curry leaves

For the rice:

1 cup basmati rice, cooked

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 cups fenugreek leaves, chopped

Juice of 1/2 lime

Salt, to taste

Dry roast all the spices individually in a dry frying pan until aromatic and lightly toasted. Cool completely, then grind to a fine powder in a spice mill. Set aside.

Heat the ghee in a pot on medium-low heat. Add the mustard seeds; they will pop in 10 seconds. Add the black gram, asafoetida red chilli and curry leaves and stir for 5 seconds.

Add the ground spice paste and turmeric and fry for 10 seconds, careful not to burn the spices. Add the fenugreek leaves and toss them well, coating them with spices. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the leaves are very soft. Add the salt, rice and lime juice and toss well, coating the rice with the ghee and making sure the cooked fenugreek leaves are evenly integrated.

Serve hot.