Methi (also called fenugreek) is a popular herb in many cuisines, including Indian and Middle Eastern. It’s delicious when used fresh—it has a slightly bitter taste that mellows and becomes sweeter as it cooks. Methi can be dried and ground into a powder, but it’s best used fresh; the powder loses its flavor over time. So how do you keep your methi fresh? Here are four tips:
Could you not wash the methi before storing it?
It would help if you did not wash the methi before storing it. This is because washing the leaves will remove the natural oils that are there to protect them from going bad. You can wash the methi just before using it, but if you store washed methi for too long, you may notice that it has turned brown or yellow and smells bad. It’s better to use a cotton cloth or paper towel to wipe off any dust or dirt on your leaves instead of washing them with water.
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Wrap the stalks in a damp paper towel and place them in a polythene bag to store
- Wrap the stalks in a damp paper towel and place them in a polythene bag to store.
- Store it in the refrigerator and keep it fresh for up to 1 week
Chop the leaves if you don’t need their whole. This will help Methi fresh for longer.
Chop your methi leaves if you don’t need their whole. This will help the leaves stay fresh for longer and make it easier to use them in different dishes. You can use a knife or kitchen shears to chop the leaves (or keep a pair of scissors on hand!)
Cutting up your methi can also help you use it in different ways:
- Add chopped fenugreek to curries and stews.
- Chop up some fresh fenugreek leaves as an alternative to cilantro in salad dressing, chutneys, and sauces.
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Don’t store methi near tomatoes and potatoes. They both emit ethylene, a gas that causes vegetables to spoil earlier.
It would help if you never stored methi in a plastic container, as it will absorb the chemicals in the plastic and become stale. Similarly, you should also avoid storing your fenugreek in an airtight container as this will cause it to lose its freshness quicker.
To keep your fenugreek fresher for longer, store it in a container that is not transparent and preferably not made of plastic.
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Conclusion
Let’s face it, we all love fresh herbs and vegetables. But what if you can’t find any at the market? Or do you need to store them for longer than just a few days before using them again?
That’s where these tips come in handy. They’ll help keep your methi (and other herbs, too!) fresher for longer so that next time you’re ready to use them, they’ll taste just like they did when they first came out of the ground!
