By Shweta Jindal
Mar 25, 2017 4 min read

Methi Malai Paneer

When the winters move out , and spring set its foot ,but you still want to enjoy the winter’s veggies, you try this curry ! Methi (fenugreek) is undeniably the most lucrative and healthy gift of winters . Just after the weather makes a U-turn, lets devour some Methi with Paneer this time. 🙂

Methi Malai Paneer is an Indian curry which is served with Roti, parantha or naan . Methi Matar Malai is also a good option that goes well with these breads. Any green leaves are best cooked , when consumed raw or slightly blanched. Since these have a natural bitter taste , they keep the sugar level in check and help cleanse our system from inside. I blanch them in gravy , which maintains their nutrient levels and curb their bitterness.

Also a bit of Methi wouldn’t disappoint your kids who would eat it in lieu of paneer. 😉
Lets begin the recipe now..

INGREDIENTS:
1. Fresh Fenugreek leaves ( Methi ) – 1 cup
2. Oil – 2 tsp
3. Cumin seeds (jeera) – ¹⁄₂ tsp
4. Black cardamom or green cardamom (elaichi) – ¹⁄₂ tsp crushed
5. Whole Black peppercorns (kali mirch) – 3 to 4
6. Ginger (adrak) – ¹⁄₂ inch
7. Onions (pyaz) – 1 big
8. Tomatoes (tamatar) – 1 medium or small
9. Green chillies (hari mirch ) finely chopped – 2
10. Fresh cream (malai) or heavy whipping cream – ¹⁄₄ cup
11. Indian Cottage cheese (paneer ) chopped in slices – ¹⁄₂ cup
12. Tumeric (haldi) – ¹⁄₅ tsp (optional)
13. Kashmiri red pepper powder (lal mirch) – 1 tsp
14. Garam Masala (Indian curry spice ) – ¹⁄₄ tsp
15. Salt (namak) – 1 tsp or to taste
16. Sugar (cheeni) – ¹⁄₂ tsp (optional)
17. Coriander powder (dhania) – ¹⁄₂ tsp
18. Fennel powder (saunf) – ¹⁄₂ tsp
19. Dry fenugreek powder (kasoori methi ) – 2 tsp for garnishing
20. Cashews (kaju) – 10 to 12

METHOD :
| Preparation time : 20 mins | Cooking time : 35 mins | Makes 3-4 servings |

Take your Methi leaves bundle, separate the good fresh leaves from the stem and discard the old, rotten ones. Wash all the separated leaves in fresh running water 3-4 times till you don’t see any impurity floating in the water. Chop it roughly or fine and keep it aside.
Chop the onion, tomato and ginger roughly. Boil some water in a pan and add them with cashews in the hot water. Let them boil for 2 -3 mins.
Take them off the heat and sieve them through a colander in another bowl. Wash them in cold water. Let them rest at room temperature on the counter to cool them a bit.
In the meanwhile , heat oil in a wok(kadhai). Add jeera to it. Let it sizzle. Next add the cardamom , black peppercorn and roast them on medium heat for a minute. Once the boiled vegetables are cooled, blend them in a jar or food-processor in a thick paste like curry. Add it to the wok and stir it continuously.
After about 5 mins add the spices like green chillies, kashmiri red pepper, haldi, garam masala, coriander powder , Fennel powder etc to the gravy. Stir these spices ,cover the wok and cook for another 2 mins.
When you see that the gravy has thickened, add little water and Methi leaves. Let them boil for 2 mins.
Next add the paneer slices or cubes. Let it cook for another 2 mins covered on medium heat.
When the curry has reached the desired consistency (I prefer medium thick ) ,add the Heavy whipping cream or fresh malai, cook for 1 -2 mins and then turn off the heat. Remember that gravy thickens by itself after resting for a while on the counter too. So adjust water accordingly.