Methi Matar Malai | Creamy Fenugreek and Peas Curry
A simple recipe for a rich and creamy fenugreek and peas curry or gravy, popularly known as methi matar malai. Perfectly pairs with Indian flatbread & rice.
60gramsfenugreek leavesapprox 2.25 cups tightly packed. Cleaned and stems removed and roughly chopped
1cuppeasfrozen (thaw it to room temperature)
¾cupwaterdivided
⅓cupheavy creamrefer notes
¼tspgaram masalato garnish
1tbspcilantrofinely chopped to garnish
Instructions
Prepare the spice paste-
Soak the poppy seeds and cashews in ½ cup of water for 30 minutes.
Parallelly you can saute the onions and whole spices.
In a pan, heat 2 tsps of oil and when the oil is hot, add the chopped onion, green chilies, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. (You can first add the whole spices and cook for 30 seconds and then add the onions. But during weekdays, I just add them all together)
Saute until the onion is soft and light brown like below. It takes about 7 to 8 minutes over medium heat. Allow it to cool.
Grind the sauteed ingredients-
Transfer the sauteed onion mixture and ginger-garlic paste (see notes) into a mixer jar or spice grinder. Drain the water from the soaked cashews and poppy seeds and add that as well. Grind into a smooth paste by adding ¼ cup of water. Rinse the mixer jar with ¼ more cup of water and set it aside.
Prepare the curry-
In a pan, add the remaining 2 tsps of oil. I used the same pan that I used for sauteing the onions. When the oil is hot, add the ground paste.
Add the reserved ¼ cup of water and salt and mix well.
Cook this ground paste for 5 to 8 minutes or until it becomes semi-thick. Make sure to stir in-between and do not leave it unattended.
Now add the fenugreek leaves and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
Next, add the peas and cook for a couple of minutes. Finally, add the cream and mix. Simmer over low heat for two minutes and turn off the heat.
Garnish it with cilantro and serve hot with roti or any other Indian flatbread.
Notes
As we are using fenugreek leaves, the curry might be slightly on the bitter side. You can adjust the cream accordingly. Also, you can add a tsp of sugar to balance the bitterness.
I used frozen peas. If you are using dried peas, soak it overnight and pressure cook it. Or if you are using fresh ones, microwave it for 5 minutes to fasten the cooking process.
Adjust the green chilies and salt according to your preference.
I don't add additional garam masala for this curry. I add ¼ tsp towards the end as a garnish. But you can add up to ½ tsp while making the curry.
You can add fresh ginger and garlic. Approx 2 cloves of garlic and ½ inch ginger piece can be used. Saute them along with the onion.
If you are using ginger garlic paste-like me, you can add it along with onions and saute it. As we cook the ground paste again, I added it while grinding.
Instead of heavy cream, you can use whole milk or reduced-fat milk for a healthier option. Or you can use almond milk for a vegan version.