Hulba [Fenugreek] — حلبة
July 1, 2011 by lamyaalmas
Prophet (s.a.w.s.) once said: “If my peopleknew what there is in fenugreek, they would have bought and paid its weight in gold.”
You can’t ever talk about Yemeni food without mentiong Hulba–or fenugreek. It is eaten ALL over Yemen and it is very very healthy, although makes your sweat stink a bit if you eat too much of it. It is reported the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) once said: “If my people knew what there is in fenugreek, they would have bought and paid its weight in gold.”
This is a dip very popular in Yemeni dishes. You will need ground fenugreek for this recipe. Be careful one tblsp of ground fenugreek goes a long way.
Step 1: soak one tblsp of ground fenugreek in water, preferrably over night. Why? It gets rid of the bitterness of the fenugreek and that’s how our mother’s taught us to make it.
Step 2: After you have left it to soak overnight –throw away the water and take the fenugreek paste (yes it has turned into a paste like mixture) and place in a blender.
Step 3: Add one tomato (preferably still a little hard–not ripe and mushy), a clove of garlic, 3 tblsp of cilantro chopped, 1 green chilly (or less if you like), juice of one whole lemon, salt to taste.
Step 4: blend until it is a frothy consistency.
Step 5: Pour into a bowl and serve with bread. If it is too thick, thin with more lemon. Some use vinegar.
Usually in Yemen , women mix this with a special wooden tool for the purpose–but nowadays they use an electic hand mixer so as to retain the frothiness that the wooden tools lends the fenugreek.
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Posted in Condiments | 36 Comments
it won’t turn white…….ugh…
Where did you buy it from? What color is it?
Fenugreek can be hard to find. If you love it and use it as a staple, make sure to get a large supply.
One very nice thing is that fenugreek is a source of soluble fiber and this is very good for persons who want to prevent or manage diabetes. Helpful for cholesterol, too.
Barley and legumes such as lentils (aka dal) are also nice sources of soluable fiber
However, do make sure to talk with your health care provider if you have been identified as prediabetic or diabetic–one may need to have ones medications adjusted. Make sure to keep up with daily blood tests and monitor the health of your hearts, eyes and kidneys.
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Sorry, I have just now seen your response to my comment. I got it from a yemeni friend who got it from yemen. It is like yellowish when dry and then after soaking it stays the yellowish color and also after mixing. It just won’t turn white!!
[…] fresh slices of lemon or lime that’s squeezed in for more flavor. We also make some “hulba” [fenugreek] on the side and then take a spoonful and mix it it as […]
My father is Yemeni (Ba3dani) and I’ve visited Yemen several times. Now that I’m living with my mom in the States, I’ve been searching HIGH AND LOW for these recipes and ingredients. Thank you soooooo much. Please keep it up! I love you recipes!
So glad that you found us Mouna :)
my husband is from yemen and he wanted helba .the recipe i came up with in the end is very close to yours but i dont put cilantro and my husband goes crazy and i have to serve it with every meal! lol
He is a REAL Yemeni if he wants it every day lol ! But why don’t you like adding cilantro to it?
i think it was too strong with cilantro maybe if i put less in, then he will like it. :-) yes hes real yemeni lol :-D he did have to cut back for a while because he did stink like helba a few times :-)
Yeah Hulba gives off a stink if eaten every day. We only eat it once in a while :)
My father was from Muqbana (Shamiri )near Ta’iz. We used to have this on our chicken soup most of the time. I can remember buying the hulba ( Fenugreek ) from our local chemist but we also bought another substance powder which we called udah hulba, (not sure if l have spelt this right ) and we added a very small amount to the Hulba after it has been soaked a good few hours or over night and drained. Does anybody know of this Udah Hulba, l am sure this was pink in colour but not 100% on that.
Yes, yes Norman you are right. It is a powdery substance that you add to the Hulba after it is soaked and then you start really beating it to the frothy consistency you want it to be. I have no clue where to get it from but Yemen.
Shukran Lamya for confirming that, but could you give me some more information on the additive to the Hulba as l can do some research to my Yemeni brothers.
I don’t know much about it. I just know that it is called Udah as you said. We just add it to the hulbah and start literally whipping it to a frothy consistency. I think it makes it frothier–maybe that is why they use it. But no clue where to buy it. I plan to ask insha Allah the next time i am in Yemen.
Lamya
Assalaamu alaikom brother Lamya. Has there been any progress on finding out what iingredients is udah hulber. I cannot wait to find out. Shukran lak.
hello! marvellous to get the recipe of the “hilbe”.. I’ve been trying to find it for a long time.. you wouldn’t have the recipe for the yemenite bean soup too?
I know there are some white beans and a half potato in it when served, but the taste is so good there must be something else too.. do you have any other vegetable or fish soups from yemen or are they always with meat?? i have some diggestion problems and have to avoid too much meat – other than that yemenite soups are really nourishing and they are good for me :)
by the way here in Finland you can find fenugreek in health stores with organic food and natural medicines – i would think in U.S. and britan it would be the same??
Hello Kaisa,
We don’t make fish soup in Yemen. Not in Aden at least. We do have many fish recipes in the south of Yemen since it is primarily what we eat. For that reason I have quite a few fish dishes on my blog. I will add some more as the days go by.
There is fenugreek here too, but it’s not the same as Yemen’s. Ours is finely ground and very pungent. I just always prefer to get mine from Yemen. But i am sure the ones at the organic stores would work fine. Do you grind it before you use it, or does it come in fine powder?
Lamya
thanks for answering.. i’ll wait for the fish recipes.. you know what..after writing that message to you, something changed.. all the fenugreek has dissapeared from the country and you can not find it even in finnish internet stores…
the reason is, it used to be egyptian fenugreek and some people got sick after eating it (here they usually eat it as “sprouts”) and now I have no idea where to get the fenugreek anymore. i have no idea if there is any yemenite people living in this country whom i could as about it – i have never met anyone (I guess we have refugees all over the middle east, but yemen.. i do not think so..)
any idea how to get it?? could i order it through internet somewhere??
yours, kaisa
p.s. i am so dissapointed, since i was so happy to recieve your recipe just so short while ago.. :)
You can get fenugreek at any indian food store which has a good selection of spices, its an essential part of Sub-continental cooking. Its called “methi”. It might not be like the Yemeni kind buts its definitely fenugreek.
Yeah Kaisa. You should be able to find some fenugreek in the Indian food stores [South Asian]. They have it for sure. And as said, it is called Methi. Try that.
Lamya
ok. thanks again!!! i’ll go looking after it then! if you ever hear of any yemenites living in finland, please let me know.. would love to contact them!!!!
And of course i’ll keep up following your delicious recipes..
Thanks.
dear Dr. Lamya Almas, I was finally happy to find the indan fenugreek here, – an african lady sold it to me and said she will always be having it in her shop, but:it was the whole one. If I understood correctly, you use the grounded one.. ? Is it possble to use the whole ones as they are and if not, how should I get it grounded. I do not have any machnes to use for it at home..
..
I will have to ask about this. We buy it ground, so i am guessing that you will have to grind it to a fine powder. The one that we use is very fine powdered fenugreek. I will ask and let you know.
Lamya
thanks a lot!! I’d be happy to learn to make it for good. :)
You’re very welcome.
Salam. I wanted to know. Can one put dried fenugreek leaves in boiling water to make a tea from it? Would that be as effective as the seeds?
I don’t know Ali. I have never used to the leaves. I don’t think I have ever seen the leaves either. Take a picture and post it for me , and I will ask around and let you know Insha Allah.
Lamya
Jazakallahu khair
salam. every time I try to make hulba it does not froth up and it does not whiten up. I buy mine from the indian/middle eastern store here where I live in Gibraltar( besides Spain). I guess the Yemeni hulba powder has some ingredient that makes it really frothy. sadly here in Gibraltar there are no Yemeni people. Gibraltar population is only 40 thousand people,Its a very small place. am fascinated with Yemeni cusine and love your recipes. I have learned a lot from you. thank you for posting all these great recipes!
Salaam Ziad,
Have you tried , after soaking it overnight and pouring out the water, to put in the freezer for 10 minutes and then use an electric whisk. Maybe that will help. Otherwise, it’s just the quality of the hulba. I am so happy that someone living in Gibraltar is fascinated with Yemeni cooking :)
Thank you for your comments.
Lamya
salaam Dr Lamya, I will follow your instructions and shall let you know how it turns out. Thank you.
Saalam Dr Lamya, i did exactly as you instructed and the hulba came out slightly better but still not as frothy and thick as it is ment to be. I guess it must be the quality, i used the Natco brand. but i shall try to buy the seeds and grind them myself and see, i shall keep trying. many greetings to you from gibraltar!