Gajar-Methi ki sabzi (Carrot-Fenugreek leaf vegetable)

Gajar - Methi ki sabzi 

Come winters and in Indian subcontinent market is flodded with Red juicy carrots(Gajar) and fresh green methi (fenugreek leafs). In most of the places methi is ssold in bunches, but many places we get pickied leafs of methi by weight. What ever the way we get it, the green and red color of methi and carrot compliment each other exactly in the same way as the sweet taste of carrot and slightly bitterish taste of methi compliment erach other.
Gajar-Methi ki sabzi is an Indian vegetarian savory packed with micronutrients and dietary fibers. It is normally paired with Roti /parantha. I love to have with dal-chawal (boiled rice and pulses).
Diabetic people who cannot consume potatoes, this vegetable preparation is excellent substitute to aloo-Methi.
Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Serving: 4 large servings

Nutritional Value: (Approx. values) for vegetable made from 200g methi leafs and 100 g carrots.
170 Cal
28g Carbs
10g Protien
15g Dietary Fibers
140mg Sodium
12g Sugars
10g Fats
200mg Calcium+
5mg Iron+
1070mg Potassium+
12066IU Vitamin A+
110mg Vitamin C+

Ingredients Required For making Methi-Gajar Ki Sabzi:

• 200 gm Cleaned Fresh Methi Leafs (Approx. 1 thick bunch)
• 100 gm Carrots (Preferably red carrots not orange one)
• 10 ml. Cooking oil (I use Mustard oil)
• 1 Teaspoon Cumin seeds
• 1 Whole red chili
• 1Pinch Hing(Aesafotida)
• Salt To Taste

Direction For Making Gajar-Methi Ki sabzi:

• Wash the clesaned methi leafs in flowing water. Transfer the washed methi leafs in a sieve and allow all water to strain from it.
• Wash and cut the carrots to small pieces.

Chopped Carrot 

• Chop washed methi leaves finely.

Chopped Methi 

• In a thick bottom wok take oil and heat on high flame (do not heat it to smoking state). To the hot oil 
• Add 
• Cumin seeds
• Red chili
• Hing 
• When thr seeds have spluttered and red chili color changes wonderful oroma of tempering will come. Add carrot and bring hr heat to medium and cook till carrotspieces loose there shape and color changes. (Carrot pieces will shrink.)

Carrots added to the tempered oil 

Carrots cooked

• Add chopped methi leafs. Mix Nicely and cook on high flame for 1 minute.

Methi added to cooked carrots

• Add salt and mix.
• Cover and cook on low heat with intermittent stirring for 3-4 minutes. Methi leafs will wilt and will look a bit more darker. This is the state at which the heat should be switteched off. Cover and allow the vegetable to cook in the steam and residual heat.

After 3minutes of cooking 

• Removed ther cooked vegetable in a bowl and serve hot with Roti/Parantha, or Dal-Chawal.

Gajar-Methi ki sabzi 

Tips:

• Allow all water to drain from washed methi leafs. Else excess water in methi will ask for longer cooking and this changes the color and taste of vegetable which is not desired.
• Cut bcarrot to smaller pieces. Thick pieces of carrot give wrong texture to vegetable.
• Add methi only when gajar is almost done. Because methi i9s cooked for short time to retain its color, texture and taste.
• Overcooking of methi will cchange its atste to unsavory bitterish taste.

Suggested Variations: None.

Gajar Ka Halwa /गाजर का हलवा (Carrot dessert)

Gajar Halwa

Carrots are much sought after vegetable in winters when they come in dark red color and are extremely juicy. Apart from being used in salad and soups they are used to make cakes and desserts. In winters piping hot Gajar ka halwa is the most favorite of all Gajar preparations. Whenever carrots used to be in my vegetable basket my son and daughter would start salivating at the thought of treat of Gajar ka halwa so I had no options but to make it time and again till the red juicy carrots lasted in the market.

Nutritional Value/100 gm (approx. Value) :

Saturated Fat 0.037g,  Polyunsaturated Fat 0.117g,  Monounsaturated Fat 0.014g,  Sodium 69mg,  Potassium 320mg,  Total Carbohydrate 9.58g,  Dietary Fiber 2.8g,  Sugars 4.54g,  Protein 0.93g,  Vitamin C10%,  Calcium 3%,  Iron 2%.  Thus with nuts sugar / jaggery added to it along with the milk it makes wonderful, nutritious, healthy very filling dessert.

Preparation Time: 20 min. Cooking Time: 90 min Servings: 6 medium helpings Ingredients Required For Making Gajar Ka Halwa: 1 kg. Carrots (Gajar) Carrots 1.5 Lt. Full Cream Milk 150 gm. Sugar 10-15 Almonds 10-15 Cashew nuts 15-20 Raisins 1 Teaspoon Ghee (Clarified butter) 100 gm. Khawa (Optional) 2-3 Green Cardamom Directions for Making Gajar Halwa: Wash carrots nicely of all dirt attached to it. Grate carrots. Grated Gajar Pound the green cardamom. Cut the nuts  finely. Take ghee in a thick bottom wok and heat on high flame till it is smoking hot. Lower the flame and add pounded green cardamom and cook for 30 seconds. In one Teaspoon of Ghee 2 pounded Green Cardamom Add grated carrots to the oil and cardamom mixture. Grated Gajar added to Ghee cardamom mixture Bring the flame to high and mix the carrots and oil nicely cook for 2-3 min. on high flame with constant mixing. Lower the flame and cook till all the juices of carrots are dried up. It will take 20-30 min. After 20 min. of cooking on low flame Add milk to the Pan fried carrots and mix nicely. Bring the flame to high till the milk starts boiling. Milk added and brought boil  Once the milk boils bring the flame to low and cook with occasional stirring till the mixture dries up and the carrots get cooked. Stage when Sugar should be added  Add sugar and mix nicely. The mixture will become slightly wet again as sugar will lose its water so cook  on low flame with constant stirring till all liquid dries and the halwa becomes semi-dry. Sugar added Sugar mixed and cooked for 10 min. on low flame Stage when Khawa should be added Take a thick bottom wok and heat it on gas. Lower the flame and add Khawa to hot wok and cook it for 2 min.  Khawa being cooked for 2 min. on low flame Before the Khawa starts becoming brown add the halwa in it and mix properly. Carrots cooked with milk and sugar added to khawa Cook for 2-3 minutes with constant stirring. Khawa mixed Add finely cut almonds, cashew nuts, raisins and mix. Nuts added to Gajar Halwa Gajar ka halwa is ready to be served. Take some halwa in a bowl put some nuts on the top of it and serve. Gajar Halwa Tips: Regular stirring is a must to ensure that the halwa does not get settled at the bottom and get burnt. Cooking must be done on low flame to ensure proper cooking of carrots and halwa not getting burnt. Wok or container in which halwa is being made should be thick bottom. Suggested Variations: The amount of milk can be increased to 2-3 lt. from 1.5 lt. If you do not wish to add Khawa then milk: carrot should be 2.5: 1Kg. For making the halwa more healthy and nutritious sugar can be replaced with jaggery. Halwa with jaggery is especially good for ladies post-delivery. Before adding Khawa cooked halwa can be pan fried with 4-5 teaspoon of ghee. Green cardamom powder can be added before adding the nuts. Pistachios, Walnut can be added along with other nuts. To make halwa quickly carrots can be cooked in 1/2lt. milk and then 500 gm. milk made can be added to it and cooked to semi-dry state. Amount of sugar should be reduced I to 75 gm. if milk made is added.