Tag Archives: Methi

Recipes: Methi Malai Mattar Pulao

Posted on by
Reply

For those who watch this space regularly, you would know how much I love one pot meals. Just put everything together in a rice cooker or pan and let it do its thing. Today’s recipe is my spin on the classic and creamy methi malai mattar. It’s a quick recipe and perfect for those days when you don’t want to spend time in the kitchen and also makes a great addition to someone’s lunchbox.

I didn’t have fresh methi, so I used dried methi or kasuri methi, but if you have fresh methi, go ahead and the recipe will be even tastier.

Methi Malai Mattar Pulao

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup basmati rice
  • 1 small onion, sliced
  • ½ cup fresh or frozen peas
  • ½ cup fresh or frozen paneer, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 tbsp kasuri methi (if using fresh methi, use ½ cup)
  • 2 green chillies, slit
  • 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into strips
  • 2 tbsp ghee
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 medium-sized dried bay leaf
  • 3-4 cloves
  • 3-4 cardamom
  • 1 piece cinnamon
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 cups water

Method:

  • Wash the basmati rice well a few times and soak it for at least 30 minutes. Keep aside.
  • In a pan, heat the ghee, and when the ghee is warm, put in the cumin seeds and let the seeds pop.
  • Then add in the bay leaf, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon and stir for a couple of seconds.
  • Add the sliced onions and sauté till the onions become translucent and start browning.
  • Then add the peas and sauté for a bit before adding the paneer pieces.
  • Now crush the kasuri methi in the palms of your hands and sprinkle it over the peas and paneer. If you are using fresh methi, chop it into small pieces and add it to the pan now.
  • Drain the rice, add it to the pan, and sauté for a minute.
  • Season the pulao with salt. My rule of thumb is about 1 tsp of salt per cup of rice, but salt as per your discretion.
  • If you are using a rice cooker, add the contents of the pan to the rice cooker and add 2 cups of water. Switch on and cook until done.
  • If continuing on the pan, add the water, lower the flame to medium-low, and cook covered until the rice is completely cooked. Depending on the rice used, you may want to add more water.
  • Once the rice is done in both the rice cooker and the pan, let it sit for at least 10 minutes before opening it.
  • Fluff the rice with a spoon and serve hot with a raita and some chips or crisps.

Recipes: Methi Malai Mattar Paneer

Posted on by
Reply

A restaurant staple, Methi Malai Matar is a popular North Indian dish known for its creamy texture and delightful combination of fenugreek leaves, or methi, green peas, or mattar, Indian cottage cheese, or paneer and a rich cream-based gravy. Its origin can be traced back to the Indian state of Punjab, where rich and indulgent dishes are prevalent due to the region’s farming and dairy culture. The dish gained popularity over time due to its exquisite flavor profile, combining the slight bitterness of methi with the sweetness of green peas and the richness of cream. I had made this sometime earlier in the year and forgot about it until I chanced upon the photo while clearing my phone’s photo gallery.

Methi Malai Mattar Paneer

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups fresh fenugreek leaves or methi, washed and finely chopped
  • 1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
  • 200 gm paneer, cubed
  • 2 large onions, finely chopped
  • 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
  • ½ cup fresh cream or yoghurt.
  • 2 tbsp oil or ghee
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder (more or less according to your spice preference)
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • ½ tsp garam masala
  • 2 tbsp kasuri methi
  • Salt to taste
  • Water, as needed
  • Finely chopped fresh coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Heat oil or ghee in a pan or kadai over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter.
  • Add finely chopped onions and sauté until they turn translucent and golden brown.
  • Stir in ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a couple of minutes until the raw aroma disappears.
  • Add the finely chopped tomatoes and cook until they become soft and the oil starts to separate from the mixture.
  • Add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, and salt. Mix well and cook for a few more minutes to blend the spices.
  • Add the chopped methi or fenugreek leaves to the pan and sauté for 5-7 minutes until they wilt and become tender. Stir occasionally.
  • Once the methi leaves are cooked, add green peas and paneer cubes to the mixture. Mix gently to combine the ingredients.
  • Pour in the fresh cream or yoghurt and stir well. If you prefer a creamier consistency, you can adjust the quantity of cream or yoghurt to your liking.
  • Add water as needed to achieve your desired gravy consistency. Cover the pan and let the curry simmer for 5-7 minutes to allow the flavours to meld together.
  • Sprinkle garam masala over the curry and give it a final stir.
  • Garnish with finely chopped chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Note: You can use cashew paste as a dairy-free alternative and even in the recipe above to make it creamier or for a special occasion.

Recipes: Methi Palak Dal

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve blogged about dals many times previously and here’s another one today. I had some fresh methi leaves and so instead of making it into a sabzi or kneading it into a dough for methi parathas, I thought of adding it to a dal with some fresh spinach. The result was a super yummy dal that kept well even when we had it the next day.

Methi and Palak Dal

Ingredients:

  • 1 bunch of fresh methi or fenugreek leaves, plucked, cleaned and chopped
  • 1 bunch of fresh palak or spinach, cleaned and chopped
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 1 bulb garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 large tomato, finely chopped
  • 1 cup yellow moong dal, washed and soaked in water for 15-20 minutes
  • 1 tbsp ghee or oil
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • ½ tsp green chilli paste or 1 tbsp finely chopped green chillies
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala powder
  • 1 tsp jaggery (optional)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • Soak the chopped spinach and methi in some water so that any dirt gets to the bottom. Wash it well and keep it aside.
  • In a pressure cooker, heat the ghee and oil and when warm, add the cumin seeds. Let the seeds pop and then add the garlic and saute for a few seconds.
  • Then add the minced garlic and saute for a few seconds.
  • Now add the finely chopped onions and saute till the onions turn translucent.
  • When the onions are translucent, add the finely chopped tomatoes and some salt and let the onions cook.
  • When the tomatoes start to turn mushy and are fully cooked, add in the chopped greens and saute till the greens start to wilt.
  • At this point, add in the soaked dal and add salt, jaggery, red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala.
  • Add in water to cover the dal, close the cooker and cook it for three whistles. If you are cooking on a stovetop, cook until the dal is completely cooked and the dal is completely dissolved.
  • Open the pressure cooker and mash the dal and greens together and switch on the flame again
  • Adjust seasonings and add water to bring it to the consistency you desire and when you are satisfied with the taste and consistency, switch off the flame and add the lemon juice.
  • Serve hot with rice or rotis or any Indian flatbread.

Recipes: Methi Matar Pulao

Posted on by
Reply

During this lockdown when we can’t go out much, sometimes, you have pretty much nothing left in the fridge to cook with. Last week was one of those times. I was staring at a an empty fridge and still had to make lunch. So I decided to make this Methi Matar Pulao with what I actually had which was an onion, some frozen green peas and dried methi plus some spices. It actually was super delicious and GG even said that this could have been eaten on its own though I paired it with some onion boondi raita and some potato chips or crisps. Do try and let me know if you liked it!

Methi Matar Pulao

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup basmati rice, washed well and soaked for 20-30 mins
  • ½ cup frozen green peas
  • 1 onion, sliced finely
  • 2-3 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves or Kasuri Methi
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 4-5 cloves
  • 4-5 cardamom pods
  • 1 inch piece of cinnamon
  • 1 green chilli, chopped into 1 inch pices
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tbsp oil or ghee

Method:

  • After the basmati rice has been soaked for 20-30 mins, drain the water from the rice and keep aside.
  • Heat the ghee or oil in a pan and when the fat heats up, add the cumin seeds and let them pop.
  • After the cumin seeds pop, add the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon and stir for a few seconds.
  • Then add the green chilli and ginger and stir for a few seconds. After this add the onions and stir until the onions are translucent.
  • Now add the frozen peas and stir. Once the peas have been coated with the oil, take the dried fenugreek leaves in the palm of your hand and crush it lightly to release the oils. Sprinkle this dried leaves over the peas and stir.
  • Add the drained rice and salt and stir well.
  • If you are using a rice cooker, pour this into the rice cooker, add the appropriate amount of water and cook until done. I generally use slightly less than 1 cup of water for every cup of basmati rice, but you can play with this depending on your rice.
  • If you are cooking on the stovetop, add slightly less than the water needed and cook covered. If you feel you need more water, add towards the end when the rice is almost cooked so you can control how much water you add.
  • When the rice is cooked, let it rest for at least 10 minutes before you fluff it up with a fork. Serve hot with a raita.

Recipes: Sweet Sour Methi Dal

Posted on by
Reply

I had some methi or Fenugreek leaves going bad and so instead of adding them to my roti dough, I decided to make it into a dal. I was experimenting as I made the recipe, but the dal turned out amazing. This recipe is a definite keeper and takes hardly any time to make.

Sweet Sour Methi Dal

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup toovar dal (split pigeon peas)
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh methi (fenugreek) leaves
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp ghee or oil
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2-3 dried red chillies
  • 1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
  • 1 tsp jaggery (can substitute brown or white sugar for this)
  • 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Wash the toovar dal well and soak in hot water for 10 minutes. Then cook it in a pressure cooker till it is soft and mushy. If you don’t have a cooker, then cook it on the stovetop till you get a soft and mushy dal. Once the dal reaches that state, whisk it thoroughly and keep aside.
  • Finely chop the methi leaves and wash them and keep aside.
  • In a smaller skillet, heat the ghee and when the ghee warms, add the cumin seeds and let the seeds splutter.
  • Next break the dried red chillies and add them, stirring a couple of times. Add the asafoetida powder and then the washed methi leaves.Stir well and let the methi cook a while.
  • Add the cooked and whisked dal and stir well. Season with salt and add the jaggery or sugar and let the dal simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Switch off the flame and then stir in the lemon juice and the coriander leaves.
  • Serve hot as part of an Indian meal with rice and a stir fried vegetable.