Gujarati Methi na Gota are irresistible deep-fried fritters made with gram flour and fresh fenugreek leaves. They’re famous for being served at tea time with besan kadhi chutney during the rainy season. This is the only time I welcome the rain!
Deeply savoury, a bit spicy, and slightly bitter from the fresh fenugreek, these methi na gota are crispy outside and airy and fluffy inside. I love them hot with steaming adrak chai ! You can also serve them as a farsan as part of an authentic Gujarati thali .
They’re different from dakor na gota which are made with dairy and have sugar. Methi na gota are also a bit more airy, whereas dakor na gota are made with coarse chickpea flour, making them a bit more grainy.
Perfect Methi na Gota should be:
- Pale in colour – methi na gota should not brown when frying in the oil.
- Light and airy inside and lightly crisp outside – they puff up into round balls as they fry.
A note on ingredients & Recipe Tips
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
- Fine chickpea flour – aka fine besan which forms the base of the batter. I like to sieve the flour to keep it extra fine and get fluffy methi na gota.
- Fenugreek leaves – methi when deep fried has a unique taste and aroma – similar to frying methi makai na vada . My hack for the best flavour – I always purchase methi on the day of, or only day before using in my recipes. The fresher, the better.
- Spices – black pepper and coriander seeds. I like crush the whole spices instead of using them in their powdered form for maximum flavour and texture.
- Green chillies – you can use spicy or milder ones here depending how brave you feel!
- Bicarbonate of soda – I like to add this just before frying to keep the methi na gota light and airy. A spoon of lemon juice added to the soda helps it fizz.
- Oil – you need this for the batter and to deep fry. My preference is sunflower oil or vegetable oil which gives a crispier fry. I like to add a spoon of hot oil into the batter – it helps the gota cook all the way through.
A few tips for the batter and oil temperature:
The batter should be light and airy so that the methi na gota automatically rise to the surface and flip themselves in the oil. The oil temperature should be on medium heat – too high and the gota will brown.
To get the batter light whisk before and after adding the baking soda to trap in as much air as possible.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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Methi Na Gota
Ingredients
- 2 cup besan sieved
- 1 cup methi roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon rice flour optional
- 1 tablespoon black pepper crushed
- 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds crushed
- 3 tablespoon green chillies chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt or per taste
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- oil for deep frying
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl add sieved besan, crushed coriander seeds, black pepper, chillies, methi and salt.
- Give it a good mix and add half a cup of water to make a dropping consistency batter. You may need more or less water.
- Set aside for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile heat oil in a kadai on medium heat.
- Once again whisk the batter using a baloon whisk or your hand for a couple of minutes.
- Add baking soda and pour lemon juice to activate the soda.
- Then take a tablespoon hot oil from the kadai and add in the batter.
- Whisk the batter in one direction for at least 40 seconds.
- Take some batter (about a tablespoon) with your fingers and carefully drop in hot oil.
- Wait for the fritters to automatically rise to the surface of the oil. If they don’t turn by themselves within a few seconds to half a minute, turn them yourself using a slotted spoon.
- Fry for a further minute or so and remove from the oil. Repeat for the remaining batter.
- Serve hot.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Methi Na Gota
Ingredients
- 2 cup besan sieved
- 1 cup methi roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon rice flour optional
- 1 tablespoon black pepper crushed
- 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds crushed
- 3 tablespoon green chillies chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt or per taste
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- oil for deep frying
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl add sieved besan, crushed coriander seeds, black pepper, chillies, methi and salt.
- Give it a good mix and add half a cup of water to make a dropping consistency batter. You may need more or less water.
- Set aside for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile heat oil in a kadai on medium heat.
- Once again whisk the batter using a baloon whisk or your hand for a couple of minutes.
- Add baking soda and pour lemon juice to activate the soda.
- Then take a tablespoon hot oil from the kadai and add in the batter.
- Whisk the batter in one direction for at least 40 seconds.
- Take some batter (about a tablespoon) with your fingers and carefully drop in hot oil.
- Wait for the fritters to automatically rise to the surface of the oil. If they don’t turn by themselves within a few seconds to half a minute, turn them yourself using a slotted spoon.
- Fry for a further minute or so and remove from the oil. Repeat for the remaining batter.
- Serve hot.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Creamy pasta meets spicy Indian masala to create a pasta dish that explodes with flavour! So simple yet extremely satisfying. Who can say no to an extra plate?
Lately, I’ve been spotting Indian style pasta all over social media and it take me right back to childhood weekends at my auntie’s house! She would serve up bowls of spicy Indian pasta made with desi masala.
Long before fusion food was trendy, East African Indians like my family were already mixing it up. In the late 60s and 70s, they worked with what they had to make western staples with trusty Indian spices.
In a way, you could say they were the OG influencers … just without the instagram!
So I can quite easily say that today’s recipe is inspired by them and ofc, the trending vodka pasta!
Another fusion dish that’s quick to make are my tandoori fries .
Recipe Details & Ingredients Notes
The vegetarian sauce is easily made with garlic, onions, tomato paste, cream and spices. I like a good helping of cheese to make the sauce extra creamy and rich. It really complements the spices.
The secret ingredient for the silky sauce – lots of pasta water!
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
Pasta – I’ve used macaroni this time but pretty much all other shapes work. The only ones to avoid are small shapes like orzo.
Garlic and onions – finely chopped to form the base of the sauce.
Tomato puree – I like using tomato puree (the stuff you find in tubes) as it doesn’t require much cooking – just squeeze from the tube directly into the pan, mix, and move onto the next step. If you don’t have it, you can use passata and cook it down for a minute or so.
Spices – I’ve gone for Kashmiri chilli powder, curry powder and red chilli flakes. Curry powder is easy to find and combines common Indian spices in one. I use my homemade mild curry powder but if you don’t have it, use ground cumin coriander powder and garam masala instead. Kashmiri chilli powder provides colour without heat. Adjust the spices to your liking.
Cream – any pourable fresh cream works. I’ve used double cream here (heavy cream in the US) but single cream is just as fine.
Cheese – I’ve gone for good old cheddar as it’s the most common cheese I keep in the fridge. You can sub in parmesan / hard cheese (check its vegetarian if that’s a diet you follow)! Soft cheeses work pretty well too but they will thicken the sauce considerably.
Pasta water – reserve a good ladle of this. The starch helps the sauce to cling to the pasta whilst preventing it from clumping.
Optional – coriander for garnishing. Parsley works too!
Serving Ideas
I’ll be honest, this masala pasta tastes good enough to eat directly from the pan. I speak from experience …
But, to make a meal of it, there’s definitely some dishes you can add.
Try this Indian style mushroom focaccia – pillowy focaccia is topped with do pyaaz mushrooms
Top salad leaves with Indian salad dressing .
Finish with gelatin free mango panna cotta .
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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Masala Pasta (Indian Style Pasta)
Ingredients
- 250 gram pasta (uncooked)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 100 gram tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
- 1 teaspoon curry powder see substitutes in the post
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder
- ¼ cup cream
- ¼ cup cheddar cheese
- salt to taste
- coriander optional for garnishing
Instructions
- Boil pasta according to packet instructions. Drain and reserve some of the pasta water.
- Heat oil in a pan and add the garlic. Sauté for a few seconds then tip in the onions. Cook until the onions have softened.
- Add the tomato puree and stir. Add the spices – chilli flakes, kashmiri chilli powder and curry powder. Season with salt. Pour over some pasta water to prevent the spices burning.
- Pour over the cream, mix to combine and stir through the pasta. Toss to combine and add more pasta water to loosen.
- Add the cheese and mix. Garnish with coriander if using and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
