Methi na Gota - Savory Indian snack

Prepare this quick and easy Methi na Gota and savor the flavors of fresh Methi!

Methi na Gota is a famous Indian snack that has its roots in Gujarat - a western Indian state. It is usually prepared during winters when Methi (Fenugreek) leaves are available in abundance. Methi na Gota is not only prepared in almost every household in Gujarat but also sold by many snack shops during winter. Eating fried Gota right out of the hot kadhai is such a divine experience. Hence, I try to prepare them whenever I can find fresh Methi (Fenugreek) leaves here in USA. 

What are Methi na Gota?

Methi na Gota are deep fried snack prepared using besan/gram flour, Methi/fenugreek leaves and spices along with some other ingredients. Batter is prepared by combining all the ingredients and then Gota are fried in a kadhai. Methi na Gota are crispy from outside and soft & soft from inside. If you like to avoid frying the Gota, appam/paniyaram pan can be used to prepare them. However, the taste and texture will not be same as the fried ones. You can serve Methi na Gota as appetizers or as evening snack with chai, yellow besan chutney, fried green chilies or yogurt.

 

Methi (Fenugreek) leaves -

Dense in nutrients like Vitamins A, B2, B3, B6, C, K and minerals such as folic acid, calcium, magnesium among others - Methi (Fenugreek) leaves have some amazing health benefits. According to sources, Methi leaves can help control diabetes, reduce cholesterol, reduce blemishes, reduce heart problems and provide many more health benefits. There are many ways to add Methi leaves to your diet. Apart from making Methi na Gota, I usually prepare Methi na dhebra, Methi vada, Aloo methi sabji, Methi matar malai, Methi chaman or just stir fried Methi leaves. Any dish prepared using Methi leaves tastes just delicious, so no need to think twice before preparing any Methi delights. 

Important notes/tips - 

• Be sure to add sooji/samolina flour to prepare the Gota, as it will help make the Methi na Gota crispier. 
• Sugar is needed to cut bitterness of Methi, so don't skip it. 
• Fruit salt/ Eno is very important for this recipe as it causes the flour to rise which will help make soft Gota. You can use baking soda or yogurt as a substitute for fruit salt/Eno. 
• Red chili powder, green chilies or black pepper powder can be added for spiciness in Gota. Use them in combination or either one of them per your convenience and taste. 
• Kasuri methi is optional to this recipe but it really gives that extra kick of flavor to Methi na Gota. 

Methi Na Gota

Prepare time - 20 minutes

Cook time - 10 minutes

Serves 4 

Ingredients

1 Cup Besan/ Gram flour 

2 Tbsp Sooji/ Samolina flour

1 Cup Methi/ Fenugreek leaves (Rinsed and roughly chopped)

1/2 Cup Cilantro/Coriander leaves (Rinsed and roughly chopped)

2 Tsp Sugar

1/2 Tsp Red chili powder

1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 Tsp Kasuri methi (optional)

1/4 Tsp Dry coriander seeds (Crushed)

Serrano pepper to taste (optional, roughly chopped)

Salt to taste

1 Tsp Eno/ Fruit salt

3/4 Cup water (as needed)

2 Tbsp hot oil 

Oil to fry 

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, first add besan/gram flour, sooji/samolina flour, crushed dry coriander seeds, kasuri methi, sugar, chopped green chili, turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt. Combine all the spices well with the flour. Next, add chopped cilantro and chopped methi/fenugreek leaves. Combine the leaves with spiced flour mixture. 
2. Now to make batter, start adding water in the batter. First add 1/2 cup water and mix well. After that, add little water (up to 1/4th cup water) at a time to make thick batter. Cover and let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
3. In the meanwhile, heat up oil at a medium flame in a kadhai for frying. Also, prepare a bowl with paper towels to absorb extra oil after frying Gota. After about 10 minutes, check if the oil is hot enough for frying. Drop a little batter into the oil, if it sizzles and rises up to the surface immediately, our oil is ready for frying. 
4. Take a spoon and add hot oil to the prepared batter. Combine it well with the batter until the oil is absorbed in the flour as shown in the video. 
5. Finally add fruit salt/Eno to the batter and quickly mix it in the batter. You will notice that the flour will become light and airy. That's the perfect batter to make our Methi na Gota soft. 
6. We will fry Methi na Gota at medium flame to make sure they are cooked evenly. Now take handful of batter and plop it carefully in the hot oil using your thumb to cut it out. Alternatively, you can use a spoon to drop Gota in the oil. Drop about 6-8 gota (or as many as you can fit in your kadhai but do not crowd it) into the hot oil. Fry them for about 2 minute and turn them around using skimmer or spider strainer. Let the Gota fry on the other side for another 1-2 minutes. 
7. Remove Methi na Gota from oil once they turn crispy and become golden brown. Soft and fluffy from inside and crispy from outside Methi na Gota are ready to devour. Serve them immidiately with fried chilies or yogurt. 

Sing pak (Crushed peanut bars) with jaggery

Sing pak or crushed peanut bar is my childhood favorite winter goodie that my mom prepared for us every year in winter. Mostly people either prepare this delight at home but you can easily buy it from the street side vendors or local grocery stores. Sing pak is prepared specially around the festival of Uttarayan or Makar Sankranti when Sun enters into Makar rashi (Capricorn zodiac) - moves northwards - indicating end of winter and beginning of spring season. It is also called a harvest festival and is celebrated across India. 

It is very easy and simple to prepare Sing pak (Crushed peanut bar) with just 3 ingredients - peanuts, jaggery and ghee or coconut oil. These ingredients boost immunity and help our body fight against changing season. Sing pak is protein rich and provides energy to keep up with change in the season. I have seen sometimes people add dried ginger powder or cardamom powder to it but I just love the original plain Sing pak without any add-ons. Sing pak (Crushed peanut bar) can be a healthier snacking option for kids and adults. Once you learn how to prepare the Sing pak, you can prepare the same using any type of nuts like cashews or almonds. 

What is Sing pak?

Sing pak is a winter delicacy from Gujarat, where Sing is a Gujarati word for peanuts and pak is something very close to a texture like fudge. Sing pak is completely different in texture from Sing chikki. Sing pak has texture like fudge that is hard enough to hold together peanuts and jaggery but easy to break and bite on it without much efforts. While Sing chikki has a texture like brittle or candy. 

Jaggery vs Sugar?

Sing pak can be prepared using either jaggery or sugar. However, using jaggery is not only healthier but also more nutritious and of course it tastes so much better in my opinion. Even though jaggery and sugar both have same amount of calories, jaggery is rich in iron, magnesium and potassium. To prepare Sing pak (Crushed peanut bars), you just need to learn how to obtain the correct texture for jaggery. 

Sing pak - Crushed Peanut bar

Prepare time - 10 minutes

Cook time - 5 minutes

Yields - 10 to 12 squares

Ingredients

3/4 Cup Raw Sing/Peanuts (blanched)

1/2 Cup Gol/Gur/Shaved/powdered Jaggery

2 Tbsp Ghee or Coconut oil 

Instructions

Begin with greasing a tray or a plate with high rims with some ghee. 

Now roast peanuts in a kadhai or heavy bottom pan on a medium heat. Be sure to stir peanuts frequently to evenly roast them without burning them. After 2-3 minutes, you will notice brown spots on peanuts, indicating peanuts have turned crisp and you can easily remove the skin (if using peanuts with skin). Turn off the heat and transfer the peanuts in a plate. 

Once the peanuts cool down a little, take a paper towel or cloth napkin and rub the peanuts to remove skin easily. This is just one additional step to perform if using unblanched peanuts. 

Now, add the blanched roasted peanuts in a blender and grind them in pulses. This will ensure the oil from peanuts does not separate. Transfer the crushed peanuts in a bowl. 

Next heat up the same kadhai or heavy bottom pan and add ghee. Once ghee is melted, add shaved or powdered jaggery to it. Once jaggery start melting, it will turn bubbly and mix well with ghee. Be sure to stir jaggery frequently so that it melts evenly. 

Quickly turn off the heat and add crushed peanuts to jaggery. Combine jaggery and peanuts well and transfer the mixture to greased plate. Spread and flatten the Sing pak with the help of a flat bottom bowl or spatula. Alternatively, you can place parchment or butter paper on top and spread it by rolling pin. 

Mark the lines on Sing pak (Crushed peanut bars) using knife while it is still warm. 

Allow Sing pak (Crushed peanut bars) to cool down completely before cutting into pieces. Store in airtight container and enjoy this winter goodie! 

Split Green Moong Dal (Lentil) Chillas - 3 Ways

Split green moong dal (Lentil) Chilla is one of my favorite dish of all time. I have basically grown up having these protein packed chillas prepared by my mom. She prepared these Chillas in the most traditional way by grinding the dal in stone mortar and pastel, especially during the monsoon season. I have so many memories attached to this simple breakfast Chillas and also fried dal vadas (fritters) snacks! 

I have been preparing these Chillas at home for years now using mom's recipe. My toddler loves it too, especially when prepared with some delicious toppings. So, I have improvised the recipe a bit for kids by adding some tasty toppings. I have prepared these Chillas 3 ways - the basic Chilla, Tomato mozzarella Chilla and Onion Chilla - to please the taste buds of different age groups. 

These split green moong dal Chillas are not only gluten free but they are also vegan friendly. They are packed with protein, healthy carbs, fibers, Vitamin B, magnesium and many other minerals and essential amino acids that are essential for our body.

Important Notes/Tips

Be sure to soak the Split green moong dal (lentil) at least 4-6 hours and preferably overnight so that the dal (lentil) will soften up to grind into smooth batter.

I have used only 1 green chili for the recipe as I was preparing the Chillas for my toddler. But feel free to adjust the spice level per your taste.

I have prepared the batter in a food processor but you can also prepare it in a blender. You may have to blend it for a little longer to gain a smooth consistency depending on the type of blender.

To make this recipe completely vegan, just replace the dairy cheese with vegan cheese. 

Hing/asafoetida is an essential ingredient for the recipe, try not to skip it. It is easily available in any Indian grocery store or even on amazon. 

Split Green Moong Dal Chilla 

Prep time - 10 minutes

Cook time - 10 minutes

Yields - 6 to 8 Chillas

Ingredients 

1 Cup dry = 3 Cup soaked Split green moong dal/lentil (Soaked overnight or at least 6 hours) 

1 Green chili (Seeded)

1 Large piece Ginger

1/2 Tsp Hing/Asafoetida

1 Cup Cilantro (finely chopped)

1 Medium Tomato (Finely chopped)

1/2 Cup Mozzarella cheese 

1/2 Cup Red onion (Finely chopped)

Salt to taste

Water to prepare batter

Oil or Ghee to pan fry Chilla

Instructions  

Start by draining water from soaked Split green moong dal and adding it to a blender. Next add green chili, ginger, hing/asafoetida, half of the chopped cilantro and salt to moong dal. Adjust the quantity of green chilies as per your preference of spiciness. 

Now, blend everything to a smooth batter while adding water as necessary - the soaked split green moong dal already has some water content in it. So, add little water at a time. 

The batter should be thick but pouring consistency that can be spread over on a tawa/griddle. See the video for guidance. 

Now add few drops of oil and rub it over the tawa/griddle with a tissue. 

Heat up a tawa/griddle at medium high flame, it should be hot and ready to make Chillas. 

Turn heat down to medium, take ladle full of batter and pour it in the center of the tawa/griddle. Quickly spread the batter evenly in circular motion about 6 inches diameter, it should be slightly thick. See video for guidance.

From this point onwards, we can prepare the Chillas in 3 ways! 

for Basic Chillas

Drizzle some oil/ghee around the edges of Chilla, let it cook for 1-2 minutes. As the edges start leaving the sides, flip over the Chilla and cook for another minute. Fold the Chilla in half and the basic Split green moong dal (Lentil) Chillas are ready to serve.

for Tomato Mozzarella Chillas 

Sprinkle finely chopped tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and finely chopped cilantro over the Chilla. Drizzle some oil/ghee around the edges of Chilla and cover with a lid. Cook the Chilla for 2-3 minutes on medium flame until the cheese is nicely melted. We will not flip this Chilla because of the toppings in it. 

Fold the Chilla in half and delicious Tomato Mozzarella Chilla is ready to serve. 

for Onion Chillas

Sprinkle finely chopped red onions and cilantro over the Chilla. Drizzle some oil/ghee around the edges of Chilla and cover with a lid. Cook the Chilla for 1-2 minutes on medium flame. 

Fold the Chilla in half and tasty Onion Chilla is ready to serve. 

You can serve the Split green moong dal (Lentil) Chillas with green chutney or ketchup. We love these delicious protein packed Chillas for our morning breakfast or evening snack.