How to Use Fenugreek Seeds

Co-authored by John Burson

Last Updated: January 30, 2023 References Approved

Fenugreek or methi seeds, long used in India and other areas for health benefits, have spread across the world as alternative medicine. Unfortunately, they also come with a bitter, burnt sugar taste, so you may want to toast them first over the stove to mellow the flavor. The seeds are often steeped in boiling water to flavor tea or crushed and used as seasoning in many foods, including curry.^{[1]
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Ingredients

Vindaloo Paste

2 cloves garlic
1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger
4 dried red chilies
1 tablespoon turmeric
½ teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons tomato puree
2 fresh red chilies
1 small bunch of fresh coriander
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
4 cloves
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Cooking Fenugreek Seeds

1
Soak the seeds overnight in water. Soaking the seeds before use is optional, but it can tone down that burnt taste you may find revolting. It’s very easy to do, since all you need is a container of water. Let the seeds sit in the water overnight and when you roll out of bed in the morning, dry them.
- Some people choose to drink the soaking water. If you’re willing to brave the flavor for the alleged health benefits, including reducing digestive problems and inflammation, feel free to put that water to use.^{[2]
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2
Heat a pan over medium heat until it is warm. A regular frying pan is all you need to toast the seeds. Set your pan on your stove and kick up a medium heat. The seeds burn quickly, so don’t turn it up too high. After a minute or two, the pan should be warmed and ready to go.^{[3]
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3
Add the seeds to the pan. You don’t even need oil for frying! Simply pour in dry seeds. Fill the pan with enough of them so they spread out on the bottom. Make sure they form a smooth layer so all of them get to drink up the heat that grows them nice and toasty.
4
Stir the seeds to prevent them from charring. Keep the seeds moving along. No idling shall be allowed in the communal stovetop whirlpool. Let your wooden spoon be the guide that keeps the young seeds moving along. It’ll prevent them from burning.^{[4]
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5
Roast the seeds until their color deepens. After a few minutes, the seeds will turn an evened-out shade of dark brown. Remove them as soon as they turn out to be the seeds you hoped they’d become. Lighter roasting takes away some of the bitterness. Leaving the seeds in too long causes them to become bitter.^{[5]
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- Lighter seeds are often used for vegetables and dals in Indian cooking. Darker seeds can be used in pickle masalas.
6
Crush the seeds into a powdered spice. While the seeds are used whole by plenty of people, they are also crushed into powder and mixed with other spices, including in some garam masala recipes. Both toasted and untoasted seeds can be used, although toasted seeds have left overall flavor left in their little bodies. You’ll need a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder for mashing them coarsely into powder.^{[6]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making Fenugreek Tea

1
Place a teaspoon of seeds in a teapot. Fenugreek tea is made similarly to the way you’d make any other tea. To start, all you need is a teaspoon of raw seeds in your pot.
2
Pour boiling water over the seeds. Boil the water as you normally do. Whether you use a kettle or have to microwave a cup of water is up to you, but water never gets in the way of tea. When you’ve got the water piping hot, pour it into the teapot.^{[7]
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3
Let the tea steep for five minutes. Time flies and after all that hard work you did, it’s time for a well-deserved break. After about three minutes, the water will have already begun taking on the flavor of the seeds. However, let the seeds continue to steep for five to ten minutes. The tea you’ll get will be similar to black tea with a nutty flavor, which is way better than drinking fenugreek soaking water.^{[8]
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- The tea can be altered however you wish. Some tea-drinkers like adding milk or honey. Others like brewing tea with both seeds and tea leaves.
4
Strain out the nuts. It may be obvious, but don’t swallow the nuts while you’re trying to sip your tea. Hold a mesh strainer over your teacup and filter the water through it. These tea strainers shouldn’t be hard to find, so look wherever kitchen or tea supplies are sold.
5
Reuse the seeds for a second cup of tea. Maybe you like the tea so much you crave a second cup. Maybe you swallow it for the health benefits. Luckily for you, you can make yourself more tea no matter what. Add the seeds back into a second batch of hot water and go wild.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Cooking Vindaloo Paste

1
Peel garlic and ginger. Garlic is the spice of life, so take two cloves and peel off their skin. Even if you bought pre-peeled garlic, you’ll have to help out the ginger. A sharp knife scrapes away its skin, and all you need is a small portion as big as your thumb. Unlike your thumb, slice or grate the ginger to break it down.
2
Set a frying pan over medium-high heat. You can’t get away from the stove no matter how you try to use your seeds. Again, high heat risks burning your spices before you get them out of the pan. Let the pan rest on the heat for a minute or two until it becomes warm. Beyond that, you may end up fleeing home due to charred spice smells.
3
Toast the garlic and ginger to a golden brown. Throw the garlic and ginger into the dry pan. The toasty aroma of crisping spices may make you hungry, but you’ll be all right. Hang on and watch the spices, because in a few minutes they’ll turn golden brown. Remove the pan from heat and get the spices out.
4
Place the ingredients in a food processor. Add in a teaspoon of whole fenugreek seeds. You’ll also need four dried red chilis, two fresh red chilis, and two tablespoons of tomato puree. Season with a tablespoon of turmeric, half a tablespoon of sea salt, three tablespoons of peanut oil, a small bunch of fresh coriander, one teaspoon of black peppercorns, four cloves, two teaspoons of coriander seeds, two teaspoons of fennel seeds, and the garlic and ginger.
5
Grind the ingredients in the food processor. A food processor may not be the tool you expected to use to finish your food. Nonetheless, it is the easiest way to combine all the ingredients. Blend them down into a smooth paste. When you’re done having fun watching it swirl, add the paste to any meat you cook.

Warnings

Fenugreek seeds are safe for most people to eat, but you should let your doctor know if you eat them regularly.

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These seeds may interfere with blood clotting and diabetic medication. Monitor your blood sugar and get your blood tested regularly to spot any changes.

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