Metkut - Metkoot - Menthya hittu recipe

Karnataka and Maharashtra traditional recipe

Metkut - metkoot - menthya hittu recipe is a traditional Maharashtrian and Karnataka recipe.

It is a lightly spicy powder which keeps for long and may be used in a variety of dishes. The main flavor is methi / fenugreek seeds which have many health benefits.

This powder is known as metkut/ metkoot in Marathi and menthya hittu in Kannada.

Ready metkoot - metkut - menthya hittu

When you do not have time to make anything to accompany rice or chapati, you can use metkoot in different forms. Make it once and use it for months, that is the specialty of metkut.

Menthya hittu may also form a part of diet for baby / toddlers as it provides protein too. For me it is comfort food to have with soft cooked rice, a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of homemade ghee.

How to make metkut - metkoot - menthya hittu

Bengal gram/chana dal - 1 cup
Urad dal - 1/2 cup
Rice - 1/4 cup
Wheat - 1 tbsp, (I used dalia(broken wheat) as I didn't have whole wheat)
Coriander /dhania seeds - 1 tbsp
Cumin/jeera seeds - 1 tbsp
Mustard/rai/mohori seeds- 1 tsp
Fenugreek/methi seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric / haldi powder - 1 tsp
Asafotida / hing - 1 tsp

Optional ingredients

Dry ginger / sunth - a small piece
Big cardamom / masala ilaychi - 1
Nutmeg / jayphal - a small piece
Red chili powder - 1/2 to 1 tsp, according to taste
Black pepper seeds - 10

Roasting ingredients for metkut - menthya hittu

We need to first dry roast the grains / dals, one at a time. Make sure not to over roast to change color too much.

Heat a kadai and roast chana dal on low flame till it becomes crisp. Take out on a plate.
Roast urad dal next on low flame till it changes color and take out on the same plate as chana dal.
Next roast rice, do not let it brown. As soon as it becomes milky white, take out on the same plate.
Next roast wheat/ broken wheat. Take out on the same plate.

You can see all the roasted grains/dals in the plate below.

Now roast the spices one at a time.

1. dhania/coriander seeds

2. jeera/cumin seeds

3. rai/mustard seeds

4. methi/fenugreek seeds and take out on another plate.

Place dry ginger, big cardamom, jaifal/nutmeg on the same plate.

Let everything cool to room temperature.

There is no need to roast haldi/turmeric powder, hing/asafotida and red chili powder(if using). You can see the roasted spices in the plate below.

Now grind all the spices and the dal mixture together. We need to grind to a fine powder. Sieve with a fine sieve if necessary and grind the mixture remaining in the sieve again.

Metkoot is ready. Store in an airtight bottle. Use as and when needed.

Tastes great with plain rice. Add a pinch of salt to hot,cooked soft/mushi rice and some ghee and metkut. You may add a few drops of lemon juice if you wish. Mix well.

You may serve this with some lemon pickle. So yummy. A simple, quick and satisfying meal.

Different ways you can use metkoot:

Mix some metkoot in plain curd. may add tadka(tempering) with oil, mustard, jeera and hing. You may add chili if you wish.
Add some metkut to poha when you make dadpe pohe/lavlele pohe.
Add metkut to chivda.