Punjabi Aloo Methi

From the garden

• 6 cups fresh fenugreek greens (methi), leaves picked off the stems and roughly chopped · about two big garden bunches, loosely packed; they cook down to almost nothing
• 1 lb waxy potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 hot green chiles, slit lengthwise
• 1 tsp fresh turmeric, grated (optional) · or 1/2 tsp ground turmeric, for the yellow that sets off the dark greens

From the pantry

• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 3 tbsp neutral oil · the potatoes want a generous pan to brown properly
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp chili powder
• 1 lemon · juice only, added off the heat in place of the traditional amchur
• 1½ cups long-grain rice · cooked, for serving
• salt · to taste, plus a teaspoon for drawing the greens

1. Strip the methi leaves off the stems, which stay tough however long they cook, then wash them in a big bowl of water and lift them out. Toss the chopped leaves with a teaspoon of salt, leave 10 minutes, and squeeze them gently dry. This takes the sharp edge off the bitterness without losing the flavor that makes methi worth growing.
2. Heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium-high until it shimmers, add the diced potatoes in one layer, and fry 10–12 minutes, turning every few minutes, until browned at the edges and nearly tender.
3. Push the potatoes to one side, add the garlic, green chiles, and ginger to the bare part of the pan, and cook 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the cumin, turmeric, and chili powder for 30 seconds, keeping everything moving so the spices toast rather than scorch.
4. Add the squeezed methi a handful at a time, folding each addition through as it wilts. Cover and cook over medium-low 6–8 minutes, until the greens are dark and soft and a knife slips into the potatoes.
5. Uncover, raise the heat, and cook 2 minutes to dry the pan out, since aloo methi should be dry and clingy rather than saucy. Finish off the heat with the lemon juice, taste for salt, and serve hot with rice or warm flatbread.