Methi Matar Malai

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

Include methi in your everyday diet because of its nutritional benefits. Here are some more Methi Recipes that you can try – Aloo Methi, Methi Paneer, Baingan Methi, Kashmiri Methi Chaman, and Gajar Methi.

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

About This Recipe

Rich, creamy, sweet, and very slightly bitter Methi Matar Malai is the 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 and heavy and apt to make for special days when you are not counting your calories.

Check out the detailed video recipe on my youtube channel.

Ingredients

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

Fenugreek Leaves (Methi) – Try to use fresh methi leaves to make this curry but if it’s not available you can use frozen leaves as well. Kasuri methi can also be used in case fresh or frozen leaves are not available.

If using Kasuri 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 in reducing cholesterol, lowers the risk of heart disease, helps in losing weight, 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 are using fresh peas, cook them until they are 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 to use in this curry is steamed corn, it tastes delicious too.

Heavy Cream (Malai) – This adds richness and creaminess to this dish. Replace it with milk to make the curry lighter.

Ground Masala Paste – To make the base of curry, we will make a ground masala paste using onions, ginger, garlic, cashews, tomatoes, and green chilies.

Other Ingredients – Other than the above-mentioned ingredients, you will also need some basic ingredients like vegetable oil, green cardamoms, cinnamon, salt, red chili powder, garam masala powder, sugar, and lime juice.

How To Make Methi Matar Malai

Preparation

Start by cleaning the methi leaves. Discard the hard stems as they are bitter in taste and keep the leaves and soft tender stems. Wash the leaves 2-3 times with water to get rid of any mud. You can add 1 teaspoon vinegar or baking soda to the water while washing the leaves to get rid of any insecticides. Now drain the leaves well and measure 2 cups packed leaves. Chop the leaves finely using a knife.

Note – Chopping the leaves finely is important as we are not going to puree them later. If they’re too big in size, they won’t feel good while eating.

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

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

Gather the remaining ingredients.

Cooking The Methi Leaves

Heat 5-6 cups of water in a large pot over high heat and 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 to stop the cooking process. 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 sliced onion, 1 teaspoon chopped ginger, 1 teaspoon chopped garlic, ½ cup cashew nuts, ½ cup chopped tomatoes, and 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 along with ¼ cup water.

Blend to make a smooth paste.

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

Add 1 cup 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 heavy cream and 1 teaspoon sugar and cook for a minute.

Add 1 teaspoon lime juice and mix well.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Serving Suggestions

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

You can also serve it along 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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