Restaurant Style Methi Matar Malai (Fenugreek Green Peas Curry)

Methi Matar Malai is a rich, creamy restaurant-style curry made using fresh fenugreek leaves (methi) and green peas. It pairs beautifully with naan or lachha paratha. Try this restaurant-style recipe in the comfort of your home (vegetarian, gluten-free).

Jump to:

• About Methi Matar Malai Curry
• Ingredients
• How To Make Methi Matar Malai
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage Suggestions
• You Might Also Like
• Recipe Card

About Methi Matar Malai Curry

Rich, creamy, sweet, and very slightly bitter Methi Matar Malai is a restaurant-style dish if you are looking to make something unique for a special occasion or a festive meal.

It is a perfectly balanced North Indian curry where the bitterness of methi (fenugreek leaves) is balanced with sweet matar (green peas) and malai (cream).

This vegetarian and gluten-free curry comes together in just 30 minutes, and once you make it at home using my easy and simple recipe, you will never order it from a restaurant again.

Keep in mind that this is not your everyday curry. It is rich, heavy, and apt to make for special days when you are not counting calories.

This methi matar malai recipe serves 4-5 people, but you can easily double or triple the recipe.

Here are some more methi recipes

• Aloo Methi
• Methi Paneer
• Baingan Methi
• Kashmiri Methi Chaman
• Gajar Methi
• Methi Keema
• Paneer Methi Masala
• Bajra Methi Dhebra

Ingredients

You will get all the ingredients to make this curry at any Indian grocery store.

Fenugreek Leaves (Methi) – Try to use fresh fenugreek leaves (fresh methi leaves) to make this curry, but if it’s unavailable, you can also use frozen leaves. Kasuri methi can also be used if fresh or frozen leaves are unavailable.

If using Kasoori methi, soak it in warm water for 10 minutes to rehydrate the leaves. Squeeze and add it to the gravy.

Notes – Rich in Iron, methi, or fenugreek leaves helps reduce cholesterol, lowers the risk of heart disease, helps in weight loss, and improves digestion. So try to include methi in your everyday diet and eat it as often as possible.

Green Peas (Matar) – Use fresh or frozen green peas. Frozen peas can be used directly, but if you use fresh green peas, cook them until tender before adding them to the curry.

Note – Freeze green peas when they are in season to use them throughout the year using my simple recipe.

One great substitute for green peas in this curry is steamed sweet corn kernels; it tastes delicious too.

Unsweetened Heavy Cream – This adds richness and creaminess to this dish. Replace it with milk to make the curry lighter. You can also use malai (fresh cream) instead of heavy cream. Just blend it in a blender to make it smooth.

Ground Masala Paste – To make the base of methi mutter malai curry, make a ground masala paste using onions, fresh ginger, garlic, cashew nuts, fresh tomatoes, and green chillies.

Some people also add white poppy seeds to the masala paste to make it richer.

Other Ingredients – You will also need some basic ingredients like vegetable oil, green cardamoms (hari elaichi), cinnamon (dalchini), salt, red chili powder, garam masala powder, sugar, and freshly squeezed lime juice.

You can add a little turmeric powder to get a bright yellow curry.

Add paneer cubes to this recipe and make methi malai matar paneer :). You can also add corn kernels, baby corn, mushrooms, etc.

How To Make Methi Matar Malai

Preparation

Start by cleaning the methi leaves. Discard the hard stems as they are bitter, and keep the leaves and soft, tender stems. Wash the leaves 2-3 times with water to remove any mud.

You can add 1 teaspoon vinegar or baking soda to the water while washing the leaves to remove any insecticides. Now drain the leaves well and measure 2 cups of packed leaves. Chop the leaves finely using a knife.

Note – Chopping the leaves finely is essential as we will not puree them later. If they’re too big, they won’t feel good while eating.

Cook 1 cup of green peas in water until tender if using fresh peas. If using frozen, rinse with water.

Slice the onions and chop ginger, garlic, green chilies, and tomatoes.

Gather the remaining ingredients.

Cook The Methi Leaves

Heat 5-6 cups of water in a large pot over high heat.

When it comes to a boil, add chopped methi leaves and peas and cook for 2 minutes.

Drain the water and run the leaves under tap water in a colander to stop cooking. Drain and keep aside.

Cook The Other Ingredients

Heat 3 cups of water in the same pot over high heat.

When it comes to a boil, add

• 1 cup of sliced onions
• 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• ½ cup cashew nuts
• ½ cup chopped tomatoes
• 2 teaspoon chopped green chilies

and boil for 5 minutes.

Drain and keep aside.

Make The Masala Paste

Add the boiled onion-tomato mixture to a blender jar along with ¼ cup water.

Blend to make a smooth paste. Scrape the sides of the blender a few times while blending.

Make The Curry

Heat 4 tablespoon vegetable oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat.

Once the oil is hot, add 3 whole green cardamoms and a 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick and fry for 3-4 seconds.

You can crush the cardamoms and cinnamon lightly for a more intense flavor.

Add the onion-tomato paste to the pan and fry for 3- 4 minutes on medium heat. Keep stirring while frying.

Now add 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, and ½ teaspoon garam masala powder, and cook for a minute.

Add 1 cup of water and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the cooked methi and peas to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Now add ½ cup unsweetened heavy cream and 1 teaspoon sugar and cook for a minute.

Add 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice and mix well.

Check for salt and add more if required.

Garnish with heavy cream swirls. Serve hot with naan or laccha paratha.

Frequently Asked Questions

Serving Suggestions

Methi Malai Matar tastes excellent with almost every Indian bread, such as Tandoori Roti, Naan, Missi Roti, Tawa Parathas, or Phulka.

You can also serve this creamy curry with Steamed Rice, Jeera Rice, Matar Pulao, or any other lightly spiced Pulao.

I like to serve it for my festive meals along with Dal Makhani, Jeera Rice, Boondi Raita, and Roti.

Storage Suggestions

Methi Malai Matar will last in the refrigerator for about a day or two.

If you want to store it for 3-4 days, don’t add the cream and store it in an airtight container. Add the cream after reheating it.

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