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Fenugreek is a popular therapeutic herb that grows in South Asian countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, and a few European countries. Its leaves are boiled and drunk as tea to cure common colds, arthritic discomforts, and body pains. It is widely used as traditional medicine in India and China, but aside from its therapeutic functions, fenugreek recipes are also well-loved by people.
Most dishes involving fenugreek seeds are spicy and curry flavored. While fenugreek leaves are more popularly used for herbal concoctions, it’s the seeds, also known as methi, that make it into the chef’s kitchen. Basically, methi adds power, aroma, spice and bittersweet flavor to a dish.
A sample recipe that is popular among methi lovers is the Chicken with Fenugreek and Tomatoes, an Indian delicacy. This is how it is done.
Cut 8 oz of boneless chicken into cubes. Mix ground sesame seeds, tamarind, chili, salt, ground coriander, cumin, ginger, garlic and sugar to create a spicy paste. Then, mix methi with some onions and deep fry for about a minute in a wok over moderate heat, together with curry leaves.
After a minute of stirring, add tomatoes and the spicy paste. Mix and stir for a few moments before throwing in the chicken. Stir-fry for 2 more minutes. Put in some fenugreek leaves before you lower the heat. Cover and stir occasionally. After 10 minutes, stir in the chili and a tablespoon of coriander and cook for 2 more minutes. Serve the dish while hot, and you will be sure to savor the unmistakable flavor of fenugreek.
Dishes that make use of fenugreek or methi, like Chicken with Fenugreek and Tomatoes, are always spicy and strong. It is a common ingredient for cooking anything with curry. To create a fenugreek-based curry paste, simply mix the following spices together in more or less equal parts (although the amounts are really up to your taste) and bake for 30 minutes: turmeric, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, ginger powder, black pepper corn, cardamom, whole cloves, fennel pepper, black mustard seeds, nutmeg, garlic powder, cinnamon stick, onion powder, dried chili and, of course, fenugreek seeds or methi. After baking, grind all spices on a mortar, and there you have it: your very own fenugreek curry powder.
But perhaps the most popular of all fenugreek recipes is the fenugreek tea both for its taste and nutritional benefit. Follow these simple steps in making your very own fenugreek tea.
Crush a tablespoonful of fenugreek seeds and dunk them into freshly boiled water. Let it stay for about 3 hours. The longer you steep the seeds, the more nutritious your tea becomes. Strain the liquid and drink as hot or cold bittersweet methi tea. That’s how simply it is done, but the benefits are amazing. Methi is rich in vitamins and minerals and very helpful for lactating mothers since it helps produce breast milk. The tea is also used to increase a couple’s sexual performance, so they say. This wonder tea is also said to detoxify one’s intestines and kidneys, and reduce the risk of heart attacks. However, pregnant women should stay away from it since it is said to induce labor.
There are tons of easy-to-make fenugreek recipes on the Internet and on Mediterranean or Asia cookbooks. Try making one your own and getting a dose of tasty, curry-licious, wildly nutritional methi.
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