Topic: Fresh Fenugreek Leaves

[haldi]

I see fresh fenugreek leaves for sale, at all the Asian shops
In fact there is as much fenugreek as coriander and mint
So it's very popular
But what do you do with the stuff?

I see a few mentions in books, I have
I use it a lot as a dried herb
Now fresh fenugreek is a totally different animal
It is almost odourless and uncooked tastes almost like a dandilion leaf.
(hands up who's tried dandilions!!)

So I wanted to use fresh fenugreek in something and decided to make pakora
I par boiled a few potatoes
I chopped loads of fenugreek and fresh coriander
I sliced a little onion and made the spiced gram flour batter

The pakoras turned out really well
But I can't actually tell what difference the fenugreek makes
Why is it so popular?

I remembered a Dipping sauce someone posted
I'd printed it out
It's from someone called Martin and it goes with a Glasgow Pakora recipe.
I can't find it on this site, now
I searched (probably me being thick)
But THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

This sauce is absolutely fantastic with the pakora I made
That's the sauce on the right of the picture
It's only tomato ketchup, onion, fresh tomato, sugar, salt, water, chilli, mint sauce and water.
But wow!
Fantastic!!!!

[JerryM]

i keep trying the dried stuff now and again but i still can't say it works for me at all.

i'd not realised until seeing your photo that fresh existed and agree there's loads of it in the shops.

i've found in non curry cooking that fresh herbs taste miles better than dry and consequently feel i need to try the fresh out (i could imagine restaurants using it on price).

i would use it in curry dishes only. i think i may just be adding too much of the stuff whenever i try it (a good pinch using fingers and thumb).

[joshallen2k]

I tried fresh fenugreek once as an experimental replacement for dried in a Madras... yuk.

Seems to be one of those leaves that really takes its flavour once its dried.

To me, its a must-have in something like a Madras, Bhuna or Vindaloo. Whenever I haven't used it, I've always felt something is missing in terms of taste, but more obviously, in aroma.

-- Josh

[SnS]

I tried using them fresh last year, but as Haldi says, might as well be dandelion leaves - okay for Guinea Pigs I suppose!

Drying fresh fenugreek leaves in the airing cupboard magically transforms them into good quality methi (with a silent h), and they then give off that lovely curry aroma. I'm still using stuff I grew from fenugreek seeds last year.

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2446.msg24758#msg24758

SnS  ;D

[haldi]

Tell you what, folks
Disgusting, though it is, I must report this
One day after eating the fenugreek pakoras, I stink of curry
The smell seems to be coming mainly from my armpits but some I have a "curry" aura
It's not like a garlic stink, it's more like the smell of box, where I keep my spices.
Beware fenugreek!!

[SnS]

See here for more strange stuff

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2446.msg21482#msg21482

[Bobby Bhuna]

Tell you what, folks
Disgusting, though it is, I must report this
One day after eating the fenugreek pakoras, I stink of curry
The smell seems to be coming mainly from my armpits but some I have a "curry" aura
It's not like a garlic stink, it's more like the smell of box, where I keep my spices.
Beware fenugreek!!

YES YES YES!!!! I've stopped crumbling the dried kasoori methi by hand, because even several showers later, you just can't shift the smell! It's engrained in the skin! I try not to touch the stuff for the most part, now a tsp goes in the coffee grinder and that's that.

[joshallen2k]

The smell seems to be coming mainly from my armpits but some I have a "curry" aura

Haldi - perhaps you have not conquered "the taste", but it sounds like you have "the smell" well under control  ;D