Menthia Keerai Paruppu Usili Recipe - Steamed Lentil Crumbled With Fenugreek Leaves
If you have never tried this dish, then today is the day. The Menthia Keerai Paruppu Usili, is a lip smacking dish of steamed toor dal crumbled tossed along with methi leaves. Serve it along with a tangy Vathal Kuzhambu and hot steamed rice topped with ghee.
Menthia Keerai Paruppu Usili Recipe is a traditional South Indian dish which is a combination of steamed crumbled lentils combined with finely chopped steamed beans or sautéed fenugreek leaves or carrots or capsicum or vazhaipoo (banana flower).
The steamed lentils are stirred in with vegetables and spiced with red chillies and asafoetida to get the burst of flavours.
Serve the Menthia Keerai Paruppu Usili with Vathal Kuzhambu (a tamarind based curry/gravy) along with hot white Steamed Rice for warm and comforting lunch.
Did you know: Fenugreek are known to have a storehouse of minerals and are also known to be a rich source of vitamin C and K as well. A certain study suggest that fenugreek seeds may be helpful to people with diabetes because they contain fiber and other chemicals that are thought to slow digestion and the body’s absorption of carbohydrates and sugar. Fenugreek is said to be an effective heartburn or acid reflux remedy because the mucilage in fenugreek seeds assists in soothing gastrointestinal inflammation, and coating the stomach and intestinal lining.
If you like this recipe, you can also try other Dry Vegetables Recipes that you can make for your everyday meals:
10 M
40 M
50 M
2 Servings
Ingredients
- 200 grams Methi Leaves (Fenugreek Leaves) , finely chopped
- Salt , to taste Ingredients to be ground
- 1 cup Arhar dal (Split Toor Dal) , soaked for 3 to 4 hours
- 4 Dry Red Chillies
- 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi) Ingredients for seasoning
- Sesame (Gingelly) Oil , as required
- 1/4 teaspoon Mustard seeds (Rai/ Kadugu)
- 5 Curry leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon SSP Asafoetida (Hing)
How to make Menthia Keerai Paruppu Usili Recipe - Steamed Lentil Crumbled With Fenugreek Leaves
To begin making the Menthia Keerai Paruppu Usili Recipe, we will first soak the toor dal also known as pigeon peas in water for about 3 to 4 hours.
Once the dal is soaked until soft; drain the excess water. Into a food processor, add in the toor dal, adding very little of the water from soaked dal, salt to taste, one or two halved dried red chillies, you can add more if you like it spicier. Blend the lentils into a coarse mixture. You want the Paruppu Usili to have a coarse texture when steamed.
Grease the steamer plates or idli plates with a little bit of oil and spoon the ground toor dal (paruppu usili) mixture into the steamer plates.
Place the filled steamer plates into the steamer and steam for 10 minutes on high heat. Once steamed, turn off the heat.
Transfer the steamed dal into a bowl and allow it to cool until we prepare the methi leaves for the usili.
If you are using steamed vegetables proceed the similar way and if you are using green capsicum or vazhaipoo you will have to cook them on low heat until softened. Proceed with the instructions below.
Heat 1 teaspoon of sesame oil in a frying pan, add in a teaspoon of mustard seeds and allow it to crackle. Add in the chopped curry leaves, hing, and stir fry for a few seconds.
Next add in the cooled and crumbled steamed toor dal mixture into the leaves. Stir fry the steamed toor dal in the seasoning until it gets well coated.
Cover the lentils and allow it to simmer until we get the methi leaves ready.
To cook the methi leaves, heat a teaspoon of oil into a pan; add in the chopped methi, also known as fenugreek leaves into the oil and saute until the methi leaves are softened.
Add in the sauteed methi leaves into the lentil crumble and stir well to combine the leaves into the usli. Check for salt levels and adjust according to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl.
Serve the Menthia Keerai Paruppu Usili along with Vathal Kuzhambu (a tamarind based curry/gravy) along with hot white Steamed Rice for warm and comforting lunch.
