Aaloo-soya-maethi

So fine, the name of this dish is a bit misleading- In Hindi, fresh dill is known popularly as "Soya"- and has nothing to do with Soy or Soy products. Other than that, there is no mystery to this quick stir fry vegetable with tons of dill, and an unusual green, fenugreek: both of these are fairly easily available in Indian and Middle-Eastern grocery stores .

This dish was pretty much a staple back home; my one quibble: my family used too much oil, frying the greens to pretty much a crisp, and killing them entirely- this is my low-"er" fat version.


What I used:

• 3 medium potatoes, boiled and diced.
• 2 large-ish bunches of dill, leaves only- stems discarded- about 1/2 lbs.
• 3 medium bunches of fresh fenugreek, leaves only- stems discarded.- about 1/2 lbs.
• 1 green chili, minced
• 1 tbsp dhania powder (dried cilantro powder)
• 1/2 tbsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt to taste

What I did:

• Add the oil into a wok/good sized pan on medium heat.
• when hot, add in the cumin seeds and potatoes.
• Sprinkle in the salt, green chili and dhania and turmeric powders- keep on stirring.
• Once the potatoes turn golden and a little crusty (it will happen- give the potatoes time to sit on each side- since we want these to crisp without adding a ton of oil), add in the dill and fenugreek- stir for a minute.
• Reduce heat and cover the pan.
• Uncover the pan after 5 minutes- the leaves would have exuded moisture, which you can reduce or evaporate completely- I prefer this dish pretty dry, so I stir the veggies around for another 5 minutes, till done.

Serving:
Dig in with good 'ol "Deep" brand home-style parathas and boondi raita (Spiced yogurt with boondi- fried chickpea dough dots). Parathas and boondi available at- u guessed it- your friendly neighborhood Indian grocery store :)