Shamballa spice: useful properties, application, recipes and reviews

What is Shamballa? Spice? Spice? Tea? This annual bean plant in Latin sounds like Trigonella foenum-graecum. The last two words gave the European name Shamballa - Fenugreek. It means "Greek hay". In Europe, fenugreek is used not as a spice, but as a feed for livestock and a medicinal plant. The brewed gruel from the leaves is applied to rare hair to strengthen them. Fenugreek and hair loss are treated. But from India to the Caucasus, shamballa is used as a spice. It is a part of curry and hops-suneli. But in ancient Egypt with the help of shamballa mummified the dead. But now in this country the purpose of the plant has changed. If a European tourist experiences indigestion from unusual food, he is offered "yellow tea". It is nothing but the same shamballa. What is this universal plant? How to apply it and how to cook? Is it as useful as they say? This article, based also on the responses of people who have tried Fenugreek, will answer these questions.

Names of plants

The birthplace of Trigonella foenum-graecum is India. But the surprising adaptability of the legume plant allowed it to spread throughout all areas where the subtropical climate reigns. And this happened at the dawn of civilization. In ancient Egypt, the plant was part of ointments for mummification. In ancient Europe, "Greek straw" was fed to cattle. In the Middle Ages, Fenugreek was granted the status of a medicinal plant. In the Arab world, it was used by women to give the figure an attractive roundness. In Pakistan, the plant was called Abish, camel grass. In Armenia, the plant is known as spice chaman. In Ukraine and Moldova, in the south of Russia a close relative of Shambala grows - a blue fenugreek. This is a low plant with leaves, like a clover. But the spicy shamballa with an intense smell in the territory of the former Soviet Union is found only in the republics of Central Asia - there it is called "mushroom grass". This species is called "fenugreek hay". Such a plant with a height of half a meter and with leaves like clover used in medicine, cooking and cosmetology.

What is used in the plant

The widely known spice of shamballa is dried fenugreek seeds. They are like small oblate beans. But in the plant not only fruits are valued. In India, where shamballa is used very widely, young shoots and fresh leaves are eaten. And of course, fruits. They are found in pods that develop from flowers. Seeds are like small yellow beans. Without them, it is impossible to prepare the crown dishes of Indian cuisine, such as saute chutney, curry, far. The smell of fenugreek can be compared with the aroma of burnt sugar: sweet, with a little bitterness. And the taste of beans is nutty. If you are preparing a dish, in the recipe of which among the ingredients shamballa is listed, you can replace it with a slightly fried hazelnut in a dry frying pan. However, the flavor will still not be the same. Reviews are advised to still buy this seasoning.

Spice fenugreek (shamballa): useful properties

In cooking, the galactomannan substance, which is found in the plant, is valued. It was called "fenugreek gum". The substance is used as a safe supplement E-417. The range of application of the plant in medicine is quite wide. This is an expectorant, which strengthens the heart, and stimulates the digestive tract. It will lower blood pressure and enrich the blood with iron, too, Shamballa. Spice, whose properties are highly appreciated by Hippocrates, is invaluable to women's health. It alleviates pain during menstruation, smooths the effects of menopause. Indian women after birth are eating fenugreek fruits with brown palm sugar to increase the flow of milk. Tea made from beans helps to relieve stomach cramps and intestinal colic. In China, the plant is also used as a remedy for calming pain in the abdomen. And recent studies of fenugreek showed that it regulates the sugar content in the blood, and therefore, it is useful for diabetics.

Shambhala in cosmetology

Kashitsu from seeds and leaves is used for premature baldness. The plant promotes the growth and strengthening of hair and nails. Seeds are ground into a paste and applied to furuncles. The reviews claim that this ointment also has a beneficial effect on wounds and ulcers. Often used in food spicy shamballa increases the breast and gives female forms a charming roundness. Fenugreek seeds are rich in calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, magnesium, folic acid and vitamins (B1, B2, C, PP). The juice of the plant soothes irritation of the skin. A helba, or "yellow tea", is not only pleasant to taste. It also eliminates sweating and bad breath.

Where to buy fenugreek hay

Shambhala is a spice that was previously available to us except in the Georgian mix of hops-suneli seasonings. But now fenugreek can be bought in various specialized stores of Asian products. Spice is produced by many manufacturers. It looks like beans of a yellowish or light brown hue. This is pure and natural raw materials. A fragrant seasoning costs an average of forty rubles per hundred pack. Other parts of the plant can be purchased at pharmacies of alternative medicine, as they are widely used in Ayurvedic practice.

Helba

Shambhala is a spice, the use of which in cooking is difficult to overestimate. But before you bring the recipes of dishes with this seasoning, learn how to prepare "yellow tea", or helbu. It is not only delicious, but also a healthy drink. Dessert spoon with the top of the seeds of fenugreek should be washed before. Then brew a glass of boiling water, like regular tea. But helba becomes the most delicious, if it is a little (five minutes) to cook. In such tea, as in ordinary, you can add lemon, honey, ginger, milk. The medicinal properties of the drink are especially felt by women. Tea helps relieve pain with menstruation. And the drink treats intestinal disorders associated with dysbiosis. Tea helba has an expectorant property, so it is good to drink with bronchitis, cold and pneumonia.

Vegetable soup in Indian

Shambhala - the spice is universal. From it you can make tea or add it to the soup. For small shamballa beans to fully reveal their taste, they should be heat treated. But roast the spice you need carefully: overdo it - instead of flavor and nutty taste get bitterness. Four potatoes and a small head of cauliflower cut into pieces, pour water and set to boil. Add 200 ml of milk to the broth. Continue to cook over low heat. On a small frying pan pour a little vegetable oil and fry a spoonful of shamballa and a pinch of coriander, asafoetida, turmeric, chili. In a minute, add four cut tomatoes. Stir, give a boil. Refueling poured into the soup. We will salute him. Fry two tablespoons of semolina. Let's add it to the soup, when the cabbage and potatoes are soft. We'll cook another five minutes. The soup is ready!

Spicy potatoes

We set to bake in the oven for about ten medium-sized tubers. Separately, we will prepare a spicy paste. It consists of a spice of shamballa (two teaspoons), salt, black pepper and a pinch of chopped green dill or parsley. These spices should be grinded with a glass of sour cream and 50 g of cheese until smooth. The resulting sauce to serve to the potatoes.