Ventayam (fenugreek seeds)

Ventayam (வெந்தயம்) is Tamil for fenugreek seeds, the small, hard, pale-brown seeds of Trigonella foenum-graecum. They are bitter, and that bitterness is the point – fenugreek is what makes a vatha kuzhambu taste like a vatha kuzhambu, and what makes a dosa batter ferment.

Where ours comes from

Our fenugreek is grown in the Nilgiris and cleaned before packing. The seeds should be a uniform pale brown, dry and hard – if they are dusty or clumped, they have been stored somewhere damp.

How it is used in South Indian cooking

• In dosa and idli batter – a teaspoon soaked with the rice and urad dal. It helps the batter ferment and gives the dosa its colour.
• In vatha kuzhambu – roasted and ground with pepper, where it thickens the curry and gives it its edge.
• In sambar and rasam powders – roasted with the dals and coriander.
• In pickles – a spoonful in the oil, roasted until it darkens.
• In poriyal – a pinch in the tempering for a faint bitterness.

Storing it

Fenugreek is hard and dry and keeps for two years in an airtight jar. Buy it in small quantities anyway – it picks up a musty smell faster than the other seeds.

Buying and cooking

See pack sizes and prices, and the recipe for Vatha kuzhambu.