Methi Mutter Malai, Punjabi Methi Matar Malai Recipe

Methi Mutter Malai Video by Tarla Dalal

1. In a mixer grinder, take roughly chopped onions.
   
2. Add around 2 roughly chopped green chillies. You can increase the quantity if you like spicy food. This would be a mildly sweet gravy overall so, we have put 2 spicy variant of green chillies.
   
3. Now add 1" piece ginger. Clean, peel and roughly chop the adrak piece before adding to the mixer jar.
   
4. Add garlic cloves to it.
   
5. Add the broken cashewnuts. Kaju is the most important ingredient of Punjabi white gravy. You can use blanched almonds as a substitute for kaju.
   
6. Add poppy seeds. Khus khus has a pleasant sweet taste and helps to make the gravy rich.
   
7. Add around 2.5 tbsp of water.
   
8. Grind into a smooth paste and keep aside.
   

1. In a small non-stick tadka pan, take 1" piece cinnamon.
   
2. Add 4 cloves. The pungent taste balances the flavour of masala overall.
   
3. Now add 2 cardamoms pods.
   
4. Add black peppercorns.
   
5. Add the cumin seeds.
   
6. Roast everything for 1-2 minutes or till the spices turn a little brown and release aroma.
   
7. Cool and blend into a fine powder in a mixer jar. Also, you can use a mortar pestle to grind the whole spices but, a blender will give better results. Keep aside.
   

1. Clean and remove methi leaves from the stem.
   
2. Chop the fenugreek leaves.
   
3. Wash the fenugreek leaves so that the dirt goes away.
   
4. Sprinkle ½ tsp of salt and mix well using your hands.
   
5. Keep aside for 15 minutes. Squeeze out the water and discard it. This is the trick to get rid of the bitterness of methi leaves, as all the juices are drained before adding them to a gravy.
   
6. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a kadhai and add the cumin seeds. You can even use ghee/butter for this tempering.
   
7. When the seeds crackle, add the fenugreek leaves. Sauté on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes. Alternatively, many people even blanch it in 2-3 cups hot water.
   
8. Remove the fenugreek leaves and keep aside.
   
9. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil in the same kadhai, add the onions.
   
10. Sauté on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes or till they turn translucent.
    
11. Add the prepared paste, 2 tbsp of water and sauté on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes, while stirring continuously.
    
12. Add the tomato pulp. Here is a detailed recipe on how to make fresh tomato pulp at home.
    
13. Now add the prepared dry masala powder.
    
14. Mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes.
    
15. Add the green peas. If you are using fresh green peas then boil them in salted water until soft. You can boil the peas in a pressure cooker or microwave. If you are using frozen green peas then you can use them directly without cooking.
    
16. Add the sautéed fenugreek.
    
17. Add the milk. Vegans can make use of almond milk.
    
18. Finally, add the sugar and salt.
    
19. Add the fresh cream. The quantity of cream can be adjusted to taste and preference. Substitute with cashew cream if you are a vegan. For a lower calorie version, use more milk as compared to the quantity of cream.
    
20. Cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Consistency of the gravy should be medium thick so adjust it by adding more or less water at this stage. Mix well and your methi mutter malai subzi is ready!
    
21. Serve hot with roti, naan, parantha. It also goes well with jeera rice, plain rice.