METHI MALAI MATAR

Methi Malai Matar (Green peas and fenugreek leaves in white gravy)

It is the season for fresh green methi (fenugreek) leaves.  These days, you can find them all over the market place.

The dish marries the flavours of methi, matar (green peas) with malai (fresh cream), exceptionally well.  The white gravy is subtle and gives a good break from the spicy red curries for a change.

The base of this dish is cashewnut and poppy seed paste.  A sprinkle of garam masala and kasuri methi in the end, enhances the overall creamy taste of the dish.

The washed green fenugreek leaves need to be soaked in water with salt in it for 15-20 mins.  Then the salty water is to be squeezed out.  This takes away most of the bitterness from the leaves.

It’s PURE JOY to have this dish piping hot during cold winters days, with roti, naan or  steamed rice with a little pickle and salad as accompaniment.

Hope you like it.

METHI MALAI MUTTER

Ingredients :

• 3 teaspoons oil or ghee divided
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 green chilli chopped
• 1/2 inch ginger chopped
• 2-3 large garlic cloves chopped
• 2 green cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1.5 tablespoons broken cashews
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds (khus khus)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1.5 cups chopped methi fenugreek leaves
• ¼ tsp kasuri methi powder
• salt to taste, around 1/2 teaspoon
• 3/4 cup green peas, which were soaked in warm water for 10 minutes before
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• garam masala to sprinkle

Method :

• Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and wait until they sizzle. Add the green chilli, chopped ginger, garlic and green cardamom. Saute for a minute or two. You don’t need to fine chop the ginger and garlic as we are going to blend all this later on.
• Then add the roughly chopped onion, cashews and poppy seeds (khus khus). Sauté for 2-3 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent.
• Then remove the pan from heat and let it cool down a bit. Transfer the entire mixture to a blender and blend to a smooth paste.
• To the same pan now add the remaining 1.5 teaspoon of oil. Once hot add the prepared paste to the pan and cook for few minutes until the raw smell goes completely.
• Then add the milk and water and give it a good mix. Make sure there are no lumps.
• In the meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp ghee in another pan and toss the chopped methi into it and saute well for 3-4 minutes.  This will give a good flavour to the gravy.
• Let the mixture come to a slight boil and then add the sauted methi and stir. Also, add the salt and mix.
• Now, add the frozen green peas (which were soaked in warm water for 10 minutes) and mix. Cook for 2 minutes.
• Then add the cream and mix.
• Cover the pan and let it simmer on medium-low flame for 4 to 5 minutes. Finally remove the lid and sprinkle some garam masala and kasuri methi on top and switch off the heat.
• Serve methi matar malai hot with naan, roti or  steamed rice.

Tips :

1. Methi is supposed to have little bitter taste but if you feel it’s too much, then after thoroughly washing the methi leaves soak them in water with a tsp of salt and leave them for 20 minute. Then rinse and squeeze out all the salt water. That should reduce the bitterness.
2. To keep the gravy looking nice and creamy, keep the onions transluscent don’t turn them brown.
3. If you don’t have poppy seeds (khus-khus) you can still make this dish by increasing the quantity of cashewnuts, instead.
4. Always use fresh methi leaves not the dried ones for this recipe.
5. You can add a pinch of sugar incase you find the gravy too bitter for your taste. I don’t add it though. So it’s totally optional to add sugar.
6. Initially, go slow on the salt while cooking the dish, since the methi leaves were already soaked in salt water.  The salt can be always adjusted later on.
7. Sauting of the methi leaves in ghee before adding it into the prepared gravy, is an important step.  It will ensure the flavours of methi is brought out and will enhance the dish.