Have you ever thought if we can prepare Homemade Kasuri Methi(dry fenugreek leaves)? Probably we never think about it as it is very conveniently available in the shops. Whenever we have to use Kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) in our dishes, we always open a market bought packet. But preparing homemade kasuri methi is not all a difficult or time consuming task.
I believe we all keep kasuri methi in our kitchen as it gives wonderful flavour to our dishes. As fresh green fenugreek leaves are not available all year round so kasuri methi works as a wonderful substitute to fresh leaves. Remember my post on Homemade Dry Mint Powder/ Podina ka powder . We have to follow exactly the same process and homemade kasuri methi will be ready! The only difference you might find in homemade and market bought would be that homemade has stronger flavour than market bought. So, use it carefully in your dishes. The only work is cleaning methi leaves. That you can do even while watching TV or just chatting with your neighbour!!
It has been continually overcast in Bangalore for the last month or so. So I faced difficulty in drying up Methi leaves. I could have used my OTG, but that also is not working and I couldn’t call a technician as we had a covid case in our apartment. So for a few days visitors entry is prohibited. Therefore I kept all semi dried leaves in a steel plate and kept that plate on hot milk vessel. I did that for two days and methi leaves were crisp dry.
But if you have nice sunny days, fresh leaves will dry nicely indoors itself. Never keep leaves to dry out in direct sunlight. Sunlight kills the aroma and the colour of leaves fade. If you are in a hurry, then can use microwave or OTG to dry up leaves faster.
Process:
Pluck out fresh leaves of methi from the stems and wash them with running water. Let them stay in the sieve till the water dries out completely.
Later, spread these leaves on a newspaper or dry cloth to dry out.
Don’t keep these leaves under the direct heat of Sun as that will diminish the flavor. You can keep them under the fan. In the heat of summer, leaves will dry out inside the house too. Leaves will shrink in a day or two.
Now keep them in a broad bowl and let them dry till they become crispy dry. Because of overcast conditions leaves did not become crispy dry. Keep them on top of a hot vessel 3-4 times a day, or use microwave or oven to dry them in case sunlight is not bright enough.
Rub dry leaves with your palms or use them just like that.
Homemade Kasuri Methi or dry fenugreek leaves are ready to use!!
As no moisture is left in the leaves, these can be easily stored in an air tight container without fridge.
