Fenugreek rocks

Two things I have learned in my adventures in Indian cooking.

1) Fenugreek and fennel are not the same thing.

2) Fenugreek is a very flexible and wonderful spice.

The powder form is the strongest smelling component in curry powder which is a British invention: a standardized and always-ready imitation of some Indian spice mixes. I find myself only using curry powder when I want something quick, such as seasoning for my ramen noodles. The individual spices are made so much more flavorful by roasting them whole, and/or by mixing preground powders to taste.

I started out roasting whole methi seed in curries, at about the same time I add cumin seed (another typical component in curry powder) and it definitely enhances the flavor. Then I bought some frozen and dried methi leaves at the Indian grocer and that was where I bailed from the learning curve for several weeks.

But then these two recipes popped up on one of my favorite Indian cooking blogs and I tried the first one; fully intend to try the second.

I learned from this recipe that methi greens taste very much like spinach though more bitter unless tempered with softening flavors. Closer actually to collard greens. I added milk and yoghurt to take the edge off. For obvious reasons (it’s green and looks/tastes like spinach) this gravy was NOT a hit with the kids, so I served tomato soup to them, alongside fried chickpea/gram flour dumplings or kadhi pakoda for us all.

Fenugreek Leaves Gravy (Menthya Soppina Saru)

I can’t wait to try:

Egg Curry with Dried Fenugreek (Kasoori Methi)

By the way, I love the recipes at aayisrecipes.com. Shilpa’s instructions always work for me and I am a total amateur; often having no idea how a recipe is “supposed” to taste!