Methi matar malai – fenugreek leaves leaves cooked in paneer and a creamy base – a delicious creamy side dish that goes with pulao and roti equally well.

While I have no issues adding cream to my dishes (paneer butter masala, anyone?), I decided to make a version of this recipe with no cream by using or white melon seeds. You can very well use cashew nuts instead but I loved the nuttiness of melon seeds in my paneer makhani so decided to use up the rest in this methi matar malai recipe – or should I say methi matar no malai.

The methi matar malai you get in restaurants has a white base since most don’t add tomatoes. I wanted to give my version a bit of tang so used some canned tomato sauce which lends itself well to a smooth gravy for the curry. You can definitely omit the tomatoes.

I also didn’t add too much masala to the methi matar malai, deciding to keep it simple and let the flavours of the methi, peas, and basic spices shine through.

Looking for more methi leaves recipes? Check out my top 3 favourites – methi pulao, aloo methi, and methi paratha.

Methi Matar Malai Recipe

Author: nags
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 20
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: Serves 4
Category: Curry
Method: Cooking
Cuisine: Indian
Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

Methi matar malai is a simple dish made with peas, fenureek (methi) leaves into a curry. My version uses no dairy cream but white melon seeds to make that creamy base.

Ingredients

Scale

1/2 cup of onions, cubed
1/2 cup of onions, sliced thin
2–3 cloves of garlic
1″ piece of ginger
2 green chillies
1 teaspoon of jeera or cumin seeds
1/3 cup of canned tomato sauce or 1/2 cup pureed tomato – optional
3 tablespoons of melon seeds (or 1/4 cup cashew nuts) soaked in water for 15 mins
2 cups of packed methi or fenugreek leaves
1/2 cup of green peas
1 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of garam masala or Kitchen King masala
2 teaspoon of ghee or butter or oil

Instructions

1. Grind together the cubed onions, green chillies, ginger, and garlic to a smooth paste.

2. Add the melon seeds or cashew nuts and grind further to a smooth paste, adding a few spoonfuls of water.

3. Heat the ghee (or butter or oil) in a pan and add the cumin seeds.

4. When they splutter and turn fragrant, add the sliced onions and sauté until lightly browned.

5. Add the ground paste and tomato sauce (if using) to this and simmer for 3-4 mins.

6. Meanwhile, pick the leaves of the methi and wash well.

7. Chop roughly and add to the simmering paste along with the green peas.

8. Add the milk and some salt. Mix well.

9. Cook covered for about 10 mins until the peas is cooked soft.

10. Uncover and add the garam masala and more salt if needed.

11. Mix and remove from fire. If the gravy is too thick, add more water or milk and bring to boil again before removing from flame. If too watery, you can simmer it longer but remember that the gravy will thicken as it sits.

Notes

Methi matar malai is a lovely blend of sweetness + bitterness + saltiness. Adding a pinch of sugar won’t be a bad idea but mostly, the sweetness will come from the onions

Use frozen methi leaves if you can’t find any fresh ones. You can also use kasuri methi soaked in water instead of the fresh leaves. Reduce quantity in this case to about 3/4 cup since dried methi leaves are much more intense in flavour than the fresh leaves

You can, of course, omit the melon seeds or cashews and add cream in the end along with the garam masala to make restaurant-style methi matar malai. Tastes delicious that way too.

Step by Step Methi Matar Malai Recipe

Grind together the cubed onions, green chillies, ginger, and garlic to a smooth paste without adding any water

Add the melon seeds or soaked cashew nuts and grind further to a smooth paste, adding a few spoonfuls of water to keep it moving

Heat the ghee (or butter or oil) in a pan and add the cumin seeds. When they splutter and turn fragrant, add the sliced onions and sauté until lightly browned.