Methi Matar Malai

Methi Matar Malai in a bowl with salad and naan on the side in bowls.

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5 from 1 vote

A delicious and indulgent curry; Methi Matar Malai is amazing to put together for a special meal.

Made with fenugreek leaves, peas and cream; this one comes together quickly and is perfect with paratha, naan or rice!

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian, Punjabi

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 349kcal

Author: Smruti

Ingredients

For the paste

2 teaspoon oil
½ medium onion (diced)
3-4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 inch ginger (chopped)
2 green chili (chopped)
¼ cup cashews
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
½ cup water
½ teaspoon salt

Other Ingredients

2 cups methi leaves
1 cup green peas
½ cup cream
2 teaspoon kasoori methi
2 teaspoon oil
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
⅛ teaspoon asafetida
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2-3 curry leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

Soak the methi leaves in water and remove all the dirt from the leaves. Drain and set aside.
2 cups methi leaves
Chop the leaves fine and keep them ready.
In a pan heat oil.
2 teaspoon oil
Once it is hot, add the aromatics. Sauté till the raw flavor vanishes.
3-4 cloves garlic, 1 inch ginger, 2 green chili
Then add the onions and sauté. Add a pinch of salt so they cook quickly.
½ medium onion, ½ teaspoon salt
Add some water and deglaze the pan.
½ cup water
Then add cashews and poppy seeds.
¼ cup cashews, 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
Cook till everything is soft and turn down the flame.
Transfer to a blender jar.
Blend to a smooth paste and set aside.
In the same pan heat the remaining oil.
2 teaspoon oil
Then add the tempering ingredients and sauté till the seeds pop.
½ teaspoon mustard seeds, ⅛ teaspoon asafetida, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 2-3 curry leaves
Transfer the paste to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Then add the methi leaves.
Sauté and mix everything together for 4-5 minutes.
Also add the green peas, sugar and salt. Mix everything well.
1 cup green peas, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt
Cook for 5-6 minutes, till the peas soften.
Turn down the flame and add cream and kasoori methi.
½ cup cream, 2 teaspoon kasoori methi
Mix everything well.
Serve with your choice of naan, paratha or rice.

Video

Notes

Use fresh methi for best results. Both frozen and kasoori methi work, but they do not make the sabzi taste the same.
Wash the methi leaves really well. Often if some mud is stuck in the joints or leaves, the resultant sabzi tends to have bits of mud and it has to be trashed.
Cook the onions till they are completely soft. Raw onions tend to taste different in the curry.
To make this mild curry spicy, simply increase the number of green chili. If we add red chili or garam masala, the signature white color is lost.
If you need a sabzi with lower calories, reduce the amount of cream. The taste will not modify greatly.
Use raw cashews and not roasted ones. The roasted ones tend to make the gravy darker in shade and it remains gritty even after processing.
To make the recipe Vegan, replace cream with coconut cream. The sabzi will have hints of coconut but taste great nevertheless.
If you would like the methi to not taste bitter, simply add salt tp the washed and chopped methi leaves. Mix well and rest for 10-15 minutes. Then squeeze the leaves and remove all the liquid and use the leaves. They tend to be much less bitter after these steps.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates using an automated calculator. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition