Kasoori Methi, Home Dried Fenugreek leaves
Kasoori Methi
Mamta Gupta
Most of the North Indians who cook, use dry methi or Fenugreek leaves in various dishes. They are frequently added to curry sauces for meats or vegetables or dals or various vegetable bhajies. Add them to various chapatti, paratha and poori dough or to Pakora (called bhajies in UK) etc.
Kasoori Methi is available ready dried from Indian grocers, but home dried is cleaner, with no stick like dry stalks and fresher. And it is easy to dry these leaves. All you need is a hot conservatory or kitchen window.
Ingredients
5-10 bunches of fresh Methi leaves. Buy the freshest you can find
Instructions
Open the bundles of Methi leaves (they are usually sold in bundles)
Pick leaves off the thick stems. If left in, thick stems become like dry sticks.
Wash well in a sink or bucket full of clean water.
Drain
Spread out on a few layers of newspaper and leave in a hot conservatory or window. Turn the keaves over every day, for them to dry evenly.
In my conservatory, it usually takes 4-5 days to get them completely dry and crisp.
Pack in dry containers, label and store.
Notes
The containers I am using are about 20-25 years old. They were supposed to be disposable containers in which I bought some ready made soups when busy at work. They have lived a long life as spice jars, for freezing leftover soups, dals and curries, still going strong.
