Methi chutney – Menthi kura pachadi is a Andhra style chutney made with methi leaves aka fenugreek leaves, red chilies, tamarind, jaggery, garlic & spices. Methi leaves chutney is my mom’s signature dish that not only tastes delicious but is also healthy, spicy and very flavorful.
Fenugreek leaves are known as methi in Indian language and are widely used in a variety of dishes like paratha, dal, curry and pulao.
If you have never made this methi leaves chutney before then do try it. It doesn’t taste bitter at all. The bitterness in the leaves is well balanced with the sweet, sour & hot ingredients used in the recipe.
Methi chutney tastes amazingly delicious, spicy, hot, sweet & sour.
This menthi kura pachadi or chutney is best served with hot rice and ghee. It also goes well with paratha, roti or dosa.
We consider this to be a healthy chutney and try to make it as often as possible. It is kids’ friendly recipe, just reduce the chilies and garlic.
How is methi leaves chutney made?
Firstly red chilies are fried until crisp. Do not substitute red chilies with green chilies. It doesn’t go well.
Then onion is fried until golden. Onion can be skipped but it lends a sweet aroma and helps to balance the bitterness in the leaves.
Next methi leaves are sautéed well in little oil until they wilt off completely. There should not be any moisture left in them. This frying of methi leaves is what makes the chutney so very flavorful.
All the ingredients are cooled and blended with tamarind, salt and jaggery which are the key to balance the bitterness.
Methi chutney does not need any tempering. It can be stored for about a week in the refrigerator and used.
Preparation
1. Heat 1 tbsp oil and fry red chilies on a medium flame until crisp. Remove to a plate.
2. To the same pan, add onions and fry until golden. Towards the end add garlic and cumin. Fry just for 30 seconds and remove all of these to a plate.
3. Add another spoon of oil and add the drained leaves. Do not add the leaves with water dripping. The leaves must be fried in oil well stirring often.
4. With in 5 to 7 mins the leaves will wilt completely and turn dry. Turn off the stove and cool them completely.
5. Add red chilies and salt to a chutney jar.
6. Blend them as much as possible to a fine powder.
7. Add onions, cumin and tamarind. I added 1 extra garlic clove here.
8. Add the methi leaves and jaggery.
9. Make a coarse paste. Onion must be crushed well.
Methi chutney does not need any tempering. Remove it to a bowl and serve with plain rice and ghee or with roti, paratha or dosa.
More Methi Recipes
Methi Paratha
Methi rice
Peas Methi pulao
Methi thepla
Aloo methi
More Chutney Recipes
Tomato chutney
Coconut Chutney
Onion chutney
Peanut chutney
Recipe card
Methi chutney | Menthi kura pachadi
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 5 cups methi leaves or menthi kura or fenugreek leaves
- 1 to 1 ½ tablespoon Oil as needed
- 5 to 8 red chilies byadgi or kashmiri (Adjust to suit your taste)
- 1 medium onion cubed (optional)
- 4 to 6 medium garlic cloves (reduce if making for kids)
- ¾ teaspoon cumin
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon Salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp tamarind or tamarind pulp (adjust to taste)
- 1 to 1½ tbsp jaggery (adjust to taste)
Instructions
Preparation for methi chutney
- Pluck and add methi leaves to a large pot of water. I usually spray vinegar and rest them for 5 mins, then leave in the water for another 10 to 15 mins.
- Then rinse them a few times until clean.
- Transfer the methi leaves to a colander for the water to drain off completely.
How to make menthi akku pachadi
- Heat a pan with 1 tbsp oil. Add red chilies and fry on a low flame till crisp.
- Remove them to a plate.
- Add onion and fry until light golden.
- Then add garlic and cumin. Fry just for 30 seconds.
- Remove to the plate.
- Pour another spoon of oil and add the leaves to the pan
- Fry them on a medium to high flame till they wilt off completely.
- The methi leaves should almost not have any moisture. Cool all the ingredients.
- Blend red chilies first to a fine powder, then add rest of the ingredients – tamarind, salt, jaggery, onions, garlic, cumin & methi leaves.
- Blend everything well to a coarse mixture.
- You don’t need to add water. The moisture from the onions will be enough to make the chutney moist.
- Taste the chutney. It should be sweet, sour, pungent & hot.
- Add more salt, jaggery or tamarind if needed.
- This chutney does not need any tempering. Serve methi chutney with roti, idli, dosa, pesarattu or plain rice with ghee.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Methi Chutney Recipe originally published in May 2014, Republished in July 2019.
Hi can we make this with freezed methi too?
Hi,
I haven’t tried. I think it won’t taste good.
Sooo good, super delicious with rice. Enjoyed it a lot with dosa as well. I love methi but it takes long to pick and clean all the leaves. This chutney is the best reward for all that effort! Thank you for sharing your mom’s special dish.
Hi Zanna
You are welcome! Yes you are right! Worth the effort. Thank you so much for the comment
🙂
Thanks for the yummy chutney recipe Swasthi.. All of us loved it
Hi Vidya,
You are welcome. Glad you all liked it.
Can it be stored for more number of days?…just like a pickle??…bcoz im a hosteller…
Hi Sona,
Not this one. We make another kind of pickle which is usually preserved for 6 to 8 months. You can try this. Dry the methi leaves in shade until they wilt completely and turn dry. If it is in summer they will dry in 3 days. Then follow the same recipe as is without using onion. Give a good amount of oil tadka at the end. Store in a glass jar and use clean dry spoons. Hope this helps.
Hi Swasthi, Are there any cookery books available.
Sean
Hi Sean,
No. I don’t have one yet. Thank you.
Thank u
Loved it so much thanks for the recipe. Chutney made this more delicious
Hi Maahi,
Iam glad you liked it. Thanks for your feedback
🙂
I love methi. Would like to give a try with this chutney recipe
Super healthy and definitely satisfying chutney.
Sounds delicious.Happy Holi to you. How r u
Tempting healthy chutney,too good
wow very very flavorful and delicious chutney 🙂
Chutney looks too good…….. Interesting recipe!!
Ooh, this looks delicious! I have never tried making chutney before, but I would like to try it out sometime
i love all chutneys