Beautiful green leaves with a distinct sweet smell, fenugreek is actually one of the oldest cultivated medicinal plants. Commonly known as ‘methi’ in Indian households, it is a prized ingredient in the culinary world, and can be used as a herb, a spice (seeds) or a vegetable (fresh leaves and sprouts).
How to use fenugreek
India is the largest producer of this ancient herb with over eighty percent of the production centered in Rajasthan. You'll mostly find it as fresh leaves in the market or as a cuboid-shaped, yellow-to-amber coloured seed. The seeds or methi-dana are used as a flavour enhancer while the leaves are used to make leafy delicacies. The quintessential 'Aloo Methi' is a household name synonymous with homely deliciousness. In South India, methi seeds are ground into powder or used whole in various delicacies to boost the flavour of the dish by that extra mile. "You could splutter a little methi-dana in oil and use it to flavour anything from rice to vegetables like okra and even fish (cooked in mustard oil). Or you can add another layer of flavour to fresh chutneys — that can balance sweet, sour and bitter, with the addition of this ingredient," suggests Food Blogger Anoothi Vishal.
Fenugreek in home remedies
No ingredient in an Indian kitchen is truly useful unless it is used as a part of a magical home remedy. Fenugreek seeds contain protein and nicotinic that are extremely useful against hair fall, dandruff and are also known to help in treating a variety of scalp issues like dryness of hair, baldness and hair thinning. It contains large amounts of lecithin as well, which hydrates your hair and strengthens the roots. You can make a hair mask by grinding fenugreek seeds into a paste or you could even soak them in water overnight and later use the strained liquid to rinse your hair.
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