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.
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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.
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