Methi Malai Paneer (Restaurant Style)
Methi Malai Paneer recipe is a restaurant style delicious recipe made with fresh fenugreek leaves (a.k.a methi), onions, tomatoes, cashews, cream and spices. The curry is creamy, mildly sweet with hints of bitterness from fenugreek leaves. Serve it with roti, paratha, naan or with steamed rice for a rich and delicious meal.
About Methi Malai Paneer
Methi malai paneer literally translates to fenugreek, cream, Indian cottage cheese a.k.a paneer. Though, the English translation is too plain and does not do justice to the actual dish.
However, the Hindi words methi malai paneer are apt for this dish. Say methi and any Indian will know what it tastes like. So is the case with malai and paneer. Finally what one expects of this dish is what one gets.
The gravy or curry is creamy, mild and lightly sweet. there is a hint of bitterness coming from the fenugreek leaves without getting overpowering. The soft paneer cubes bring a lot of texture to the otherwise smooth gravy.
Methi or fresh fenugreek leaves are often cooked at home. Usually I end up making the very simple and homely Aloo Methi Recipe.
Rich curried dishes with methi like Methi Matar Malai or Methi Paneer or methi malai paneer, I only cook on some weekends or when we want to have some special restaurant style food at home.
I usually avoid ordering food from restaurants or takeaways and try to cook restaurant-style recipes at home. Since by now I have got enough experience in cooking, I do prepare a neat restaurant style food at home.
The recipe of this methi malai paneer is roughly adapted from the methi matar malai recipe I make. The recipe uses fresh fenugreek leaves and I do suggest to add them.
But if you are not able to get them, then substitute with dry fenugreek leaves or kasuri methi (proportions mentioned in the recipe card at the end of the post).
The methi leaves that we get here, is not very bitter. So I just add them directly to the dish. But if you get very bitter methi leaves, then follow the tip mentioned below.
Tip to reduce bitterness in fenugreek leaves
Chop the methi leaves. Sprinkle some salt on them. Mix well and allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes.
Then squeeze the methi leaves with your hands and then add in the recipe. This way much bitterness can be removed from methi leaves.
Before you proceed with the recipe, pluck methi leaves. rinse them well in water and then finely chop them. Usually I get one or two bunches from the market.
Pluck the leaves and keep them in an airtight box in the fridge. The leaves stay good for about 10 days. Then I just rinse them, chop them and add to the dish. Its more easy this way and takes less time to make any dish with methi.
Methi malai paneer is good for kids who refuse to eat greens like methi. Best served with flatbreads like naan, paratha or rotis. Also goes very well with flavored rice like cumin rice, Veg Pulao or Kashmiri rice.
How to make Methi Malai Paneer
Make Masala Paste
1. In a pan or kadai heat 1 tablespoon oil. You can use any neutral flavored oil.
2. Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds.
3. Stir and saute till the cumin seeds change color and splutter on a low heat.
4. Now add 1.5 cups chopped onions.
5. Stir very well and saute them on a low to medium heat stirring often.
6. Saute till they become light brown.
7. Then add 2 teaspoons chopped ginger, 1 teaspoon chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies and 10 to 12 cashews (chopped).
Saute stirring often for about 10 to 15 seconds or till the raw aroma of ginger and garlic goes away.
8. Now add ¼ cup chopped tomatoes.
9. Stir well to combine.
10. Saute the tomatoes till they soften on a medium-low heat. Stir often.
11. When this onion-tomato mixture cools down, add it to a grinder or blender jar.
12. Add about ¼ to ⅓ cup water and grind or blend to a fine smooth paste. Keep aside.
Sauté Methi & Spices
13. In the same pan, now add 2 tablespoons of oil. Add 1 cup tightly packed finely chopped methi leaves.
Substitute 2 tablespoons of dry fenugreek leaves or kasoori methi for fresh ones. If using kasuri methi, then just saute them for a few seconds in the oil and proceed to step 15.
14. Stir and saute the methi leaves till they wilt on a low to medium heat.
15. Lower the heat and then add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder and ½ teaspoon coriander powder.
16. Mix and stir the spice powders with the sauteed methi leaves.
Sauté Masala Paste
17. Now add the ground paste that we had prepared earlier.
18. Stir and mix very well.
19. On a low heat saute the entire mixture for 7 to 8 minutes. Keep on stirring so that the masala does not stick to the pan.
20. When you see some oil releasing from the sides, then add ¾ to 1 cup water.
21. Stir and mix again very well.
22. Now add salt as per taste.
23. On a low to medium heat simmer the gravy for 3 to 4 minutes.
Make Methi Malai Paneer
24. Now add ¼ cup cream. You can add light or low fat cream. Stir the cream very well with the rest of the methi masala gravy.
If using whipping cream or heavy cream then add 2 tablespoons.
25. Add paneer cubes and ½ teaspoon garam masala powder. Switch off the heat.
26. Now add ¼ to ½ teaspoon sugar. Add sugar as per taste.
27. Mix very well. Check the taste and add more salt, sugar if needed.
28. Serve Methi Malai Paneer garnished with some grated paneer accompanied with tandoori rotis or Naan or chapatis or paratha.
This creamy gravy also goes well with rice varieties like Jeera Rice or saffron rice or Kashmiri Pulao.
For the best taste have the curry hot. On reheating the paneer cubes may become chewy or rubbery and won’t taste so good.
Few more curry recipes for you!
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Ingredients
for masala paste
- 2 medium onions or 175 grams onions or 1.5 cups chopped onions
- 1 small tomato or 50 grams tomatoes or ¼ cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 inch ginger, chopped or 2 teaspoons chopped ginger
- 5 to 6 small garlic cloves, chopped or 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1 or 2 chopped green chilies or 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies
- 10 to 12 cashews or 2 tablespoon cashews – chopped
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon oil
other ingredients
- 200 to 250 grams Paneer (cottage cheese) – cut in cubes or squares
- 1 cup tightly packed fresh methi leaves (fenugreek leaves) – about 40 grams methi leaves or 2 tablespoon kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli Powder
- ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala
- ¾ to 1 cup water – i added 1 cup water
- ¼ cup fresh cream
- 2 tablespoon oil
- salt as required
Instructions
- First pluck the methi leaves. Then rinse them very well in water. Chop them finely and keep aside.
making masala paste
- In a pan or kadai heat oil. Add cumin seeds.
- Stir and saute till the cumin seeds change color and splutter on low heat.
- Now add chopped onions.
- Stir very well and saute them on a low to medium heat till they become light brown stirring often.
- Then add chopped ginger, chopped garlic, chopped green chilies and chopped cashews. Saute for 10 to 15 seconds or till the raw aroma of ginger and garlic goes away.
- Add chopped tomatoes. Mix well and saute the tomatoes till they soften on medium-low heat stirring often. Switch off the heat once the tomatoes soften. Set the pan aside.
- When this onion-tomato mixture cools down, add it in a grinder or blender jar. Add about ¼ to ⅓ cup water and grind or blend to a fine smooth paste. Keep aside.
making methi malai paneer
- In the same pan, now add 2 tablespoons of oil.
- Add 1 cup tightly packed finely chopped methi leaves. Stir and saute the methi leaves till they wilt and soften on low heat.
- Next add turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder and coriander powder.
- Mix and stir the spice powders with the sauteed methi leaves.
- Now add the ground onion tomato paste prepared earlier. Stir and mix very well.
- On a low heat saute the entire mixture for 7 to 8 minutes. Keep on stirring so that the masala does not stick to the pan.
- When you see some oil releasing from the sides, then add ¾ to 1 cup water.
- Stir again very well. Now add salt as per taste.
- On a low to medium heat simmer the gravy for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Now add ¼ cup light or low fat cream. Instead of light cream you can add 2 tablespoons of whipping cream or heavy cream.
- Stir the cream very well with the rest of the gravy.
- Add paneer cubes and garam masala powder. Switch off the heat.
- Now add ¼ to ½ teaspoon sugar. Add sugar as required.
- Mix very well. Check the taste of gravy and add salt or sugar if needed.
- Serve methi malai paneer garnished with some grated paneer with tandoori rotis, naan or chapatis or paratha. This creamy gravy also goes well with jeera rice, saffron rice or Kashmiri rice.
Notes
- Use homemade soft paneer for best results. For frozen paneer follow the package instructions to defrost the paneer.
- Only use the leaves and not the stems of fenugreek.
- This recipe can’t be scaled because of its complexity.
- Instead of cashews you can add almonds.
Nutrition
Methi Malai Paneer recipe from the blog archives was first published on April 2015.
Have made this a couple of times so far and it’s always a hit at home. Keep sharing amazing recipes.
Lovely and thanks for sharing.
I don’t even know how to cook but I was able to make this delicious ? paneer recipe by following the steps.
And the cook mode in the website icing on the cake ??
Thanks so much. Glad to know.
If we don’t have fresh methi leaves, you have suggested in the ingredients to sub with kasuri methi, when should I add them?
First you sauté the ground masala paste, in 2 tablespoon oil. Then add all of the ground spice powders, turmeric powder etc. Next is to add the kasuri methi. Stir to mix and add water. Then follow the recipe as is.
My whole family loved this recipe so much. I substituted cashews for poppy seeds. Instead of fresh cream, I made a substitute with 1/2 milk and 2 tablespoons corn flour and a little sugar, mixed and cooked on a stove to make a thick paste and finally added to the methi masala. Tastes sooo good.
Hi,
Can the fresh cream in this recipe be substituted with anything else other than malai?
There is no substitute in this recipe for fresh cream.
I use soya yogurt
This is honestly one of the the tastiest recipes I have made! It was a bit more time consuming than I expected, but since my husband (who’s not a big paneer fan) and my extremely picky teenage son took third helpings, I am going to be saving this as a special occasion recipe! This is the first time I have made anything from your blog, will bookmark for more tryouts. Thank you.
thank you juhi, for sharing such a lovely review. i am sure you will like the other recipes too. thanks for the rating too. welcome and happy cooking.
Hello,
I always am on a lookout for new reciepes. I loved this recipe n am surely going to try it today. I have read many other reciepes of yours n they are impressive too. Thank you for sharing.
Hi..always go through ur receipes..they all always turn to be fantastic..its a life saviour for me infact..superb receipes..great taste..
thanks a lot rajani. happy cooking.
Fab recipe. Felt like restaurant. Got lots of compliments.
thanks mamta for sharing the positive feedback as well as the rating. happy cooking.
How to make jain version of this recipe? Thank you in advance
You can try adding a generous pinch of asafoetida (hing), before you add the methi leaves to the oil. Keep heat to a low and add the asafoetida taking care it does not burn, then immediately add the methi leaves. Do add tomatoes so that there is a gravy base.
Hi Dasanna,
Is it possible to substitute cashew with something else as some people have nuts allergy.
mamta, if possible then you use a mix of poppy seeds and melon seeds or just melon seeds. some desiccated coconut can also be added it no one has allergy to it. so use the following combinations
1) 1 tablespoon melon seeds + 1 teaspoon poppy seeds (soak both in warm to hot water for 30 minutes before grinding)
2) 1/2 tablespoon melon seeds + 1 to 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut (soak only melon seeds and poppy seeds)
3) 1/2 tablespoon melon seeds + 1 tablespoon desiccated coconut + 1 teaspoon poppy seeds (soak only melon seeds and poppy seeds)
if people have an allergy to all three, then just skip cashews.
Thanks alot. Very helpful. Yeah ur recipes are amazing. I have made many of them. Especially living outside India… u r a tastebud saver????
Hi Dassana! so happy to see this section back ????????
thanks meevera. its been a long time. had a lot of technical issues with the comment section and have resolved them for once and for all. took a long time.
Amazing recipe and you’ve penned it down so beautifully..so Easy to follow.. have made it several times. It comes so tasty even without the garam masala at the end. Thanks so much
Welcome Divya. Glad to know that you liked methi malai paneer recipe.
I tried this as is and then substituted with spinach… both ways it was great!!
Thanks Sayanti for sharing this variation.
Delicious food recipes…..I am learning almost all my cooking from this site..
Thanks Dr.Juhi Loya for your positive feedback.
suuper thanks soo much i followed ur recipe it came so tasty
welcome santoshi
Hi Dassana
Your recipes are so so good and easy to follow. Your website is now my first point of reference for Indian vegetarian food. And I have started to cook such a variety.
Thanks Bharti for this positive feedback. Glad to know this.
Super delicious, as all your recipes are! Added sliced mushrooms to use them up, and just sautéed a bit before adding methi leaves. Was so good, reminded us of a similar sabzi we had at a nice restaurant here in Delhi. Thanks for sharing all your hard work!
thats nice to know acachia. mushrooms can be easily added. most welcome and happy cooking.
I just made this recipe following your instructions and it came out delicious!! Thank you for sharing. The step by step photos and instructions really helps.
pleased to know this seuli thanks for positive feedback 🙂
Just wanted to know, how much time does it take for the paneer to cook.
manasi, only 1 to 2 minutes.
Hello ma’am! Can we double this recipe? If not, then what changes have to be made? Also how will the cooking time change? Will it also get doubled?
pragya, gravy recipes are difficult to double up. you will have to use the method of approximation or ‘andaaz’ while adding the ingredients. the cooking time will increase if you double the recipe. in this recipe you can keep double the quantity of onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, cashews, cumin seeds for the masala paste. but i would suggest to use 1.5 cups of fresh methi leaves. but spice powders & water add by using the method of approximation. cream and oil you can double.
Hello Dassana JI.
Can we double the recipe?If not,then what changes have to be made?
pragya, doubling can be tricky since methi is used. when doubling gravy recipes, you have to use method of andaaz or approximation. e.g. add the ingredients as needed.
I just tried it, it’s finger licking good. Awesome recipe Dassana.
thank you sowmya for your positive views 🙂
Hi Dassana
Yesterday I tried ur this recipe n it turned out very well…my hubby enjoyed it a lot..thanks a ton for sharing such recipe. Ur recipes are very easy to understand and make n I m big fan of ur recipes.
Thanks again n keep posting ur recipes.
thank you pratibha for your positive views and kind words 🙂 you are welcome always and will keep posting recipes.
I tried it yesterday with 2 tbsp kasturi methi and it turned out to be the super delicious and I couldn’t stop eating it!
Thanks a ton! Steps are so clear and easy to follow..
glad to know this thankyou so much ambika 🙂
Just relished this lip smacking delicacy with chapattis….. believe me had two more chapattis……..awesome recipe…….
thanks preethi for this lovely feedback. even we have extra chapatis when the gravy turns out very well 🙂
hello!! i love your recipes.it helps me with almost all my cooking.not having my mother around i always look up your recipes before any function or on daily basis for new dishes.i am a huge fan of your cooking bacause all your dishes come out perfect.lately i am having problems accessing your recipes on the iphone app.kindly update those please.it kills to look up another app since i am so used to yours.
thanks a lot snehi. i wanted to know if its the recipe card or the entire recipe post you cannot access. with recipe card, we are having an issue and it will take some days to get it solved. recipe posts should come.
Hello,
I cooked this recipe of yours and it turned out great! Thanx!
But the only hitch that happened the second time I made this was that I used kasuri methi instead of fresh methi leaves and I followed the same procedure as mentioned above, but it turned out a bit bitter, can u please correct me as to where I must have gone wrong, so that next time when I am cooking with kasuri methi instead of fresh methi I dont make the same mistake and turn the whole curry bitter
thanks sabby. did you use 2 tbsp of kasuri methi. next time you can try reducing the kasuri methi to 1 tbsp. depending on the quality some leaves can be more bitter than others. the one i have is not bitter. so i end up adding more in recipes.
hi..m out of cashews ;( can i use almonds instead..dis is on my wishlist today!
yes you can use almonds.
Thank you dassana Amit.. I tried this recipe yesterday and it turned out to be awesome!! different form the regular paneer sabji that we make at home. I tried it with kasuri methi and it was delicious.
Liked by all from my 1.5 yr old daughter to young bro in law to aged mom in law and definitely husband. Thank you for this wonderful job you’re doing to make cooking simple!! 🙂 🙂
tanvi we are glad to know you liked the methi malai paneer recipe 🙂 and also pleased your family liked it. you are welcome and thanks a ton.
Hi Dassana ,
I tried your recipe and it turned out to be awesome . Thanks a lot for sharing . You mention the recipe’s in a very simple manner and that too with a lot of details including photographs .I really love your website 🙂
Regards ,
Sandeep
hey Sandeep pleased to know this also glad you found the photos and recipe helpful 🙂 thankyou and you are welcome.
hi..i really loved ur receipe…need nt note it down..the way u described i did it accdr..but just added poppy seeds to paste along with cashew….yummy…i addede both peas as well as paneer…coz i eat both my hubby eats paneer n my kid eats peas…so enjoyed it…thnx so much..though i had a lengthy receipe this was pretty quik…thnx
welcome kishori. glad to know this. thanks for sharing your positive feedback and variation.
I’m conflicted between this recipe and the other one with peas. What’s the difference in taste? And can I add peas to this recipe and make a third dish out of methi malai paneer and methi matar malai?
Have you tried it? I wonder what that would be like?
Both taste different. The methi malai matar has a more sweeter taste than this one. Yes you can add peas to this recipe. I did try and it tastes good.
Very gud n easy recipe… i tried it n everybody luved it ….thanx
welcome shriya
Still i am a student and i tried to make a methi malai paneer and it helped me a lot.And it came very nice and my home people loved it to eat ,Thank you
welcome sumanth
Hi dassana i have tried this recipe it turned great my kids loved it. i am not a very good cook every time i tried to make a new dish with recipe from online they turned out as disasters (no disregard to other sites) but when i tried recipes from ur site i am cooking like a chef. your recipes are simple to follow with your clear instructions and pictures. I think the greatness of your recipes is simple ingredients , simple method of cooking but great dishes. I feel like i have found my Holy Grail of recipes. Would be great if u can post the recipes of sauces which we get at Subway(hope i am not asking for too much). Happy cooking
thats a really sweet and encouraging comment, jenny. thanks a lot. you can tell me which sauce you are looking for. subway folks have a lot of sauces that they add to their sandwiches. if its just one or two sauces, accordingly i can create a recipe and then post it.
Hi dassana i would like see the recipe of Aioli and chiptole sauce used in Subway. Thankyou for your warm response looking forward for the recipe. Happy cooking!!!!!!!!
fine jenny. i have added the recipes in my recipe request doc. but i really do not know when i will be able to make as well as add the recipes. i have a got some recipe in the drafts and a huge recipe request list.
Hi….I tried this recipe…and the dish was amazing..my husband said it is even better than restaurant. I cooked it with kasoori methi as it is difficult to get fresh methi in summer.but still it tasted so yummy….thanks a lot..
welcome priyanka. glad to know this. thanks for sharing positive feedback.
Very yummy receipe.
thanks rachel
Very nice recipe. Thanks for sharing.
welcome meeti.
All your recipes are amazing, thanks
thank you priyanka.
Nice recipes….I tried your chocolate icing yesterday…. Substituted cocoa powder with Hershey s syrup.it turned amazingly Delicious. I love reading your approach towards cooking….especially that kalakand recipe is awesome.
Hatsoff keep posting
thanks minal for sharing positive feedback and your experience. glad to know this.
Thank you for sharing this delicious receipe although ur all receipes are so well illustrated….can’t resist to try them all…..
welcome deepa
Dassana thank you so much for the recipe.. i have tried most of the recipes.. this is one of my favourite …whenever i want to cook something new and different i always look in to your recipes.. my family also njoys eating as they just taste like restaurant recipes… thank you so much… 🙂
Welcome Miloni J. Glad to know this.
Hi,
Thanks for this recipe. 🙂 Lovely preparation.. I cooked for the first time in my life, to impress my girlfriend. She liked it and her expression was like– Wow!! 😀 Priceless!! 🙂
welcome rahul. nice to know this. thanks for sharing positive feedback.
Thank you for posting lovely recipes tried your mathura potatoes came out well and it took me just under half hour
welcome nima. glad to know this.
Dassana u r just fabulous!!!!!!!!!! i love all ur recipes n tried most of them. for a student like me whoz a food lover ur recipiws r perfectt!! really thank u soo soo much for such wonderful recipies n this one 5/5
thanks a lot kusuma for this awesome feedback. glad to read your comment.
Very tasty .easy to make.my son favorite dish.
thanks sushma
Hi.. I tried this recipe.. Turned out to be very tasty. My family loved it.. 🙂 Your recipes are very easy to understand and cook. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
welcome rashi. glad to know this.
Hi i have tried ur kaju butter masala receipe it turned out superb my husband liked it very much. In this methi malai receipe can i skip adding paneer totally…my husband kind of don’t like paneer
thanks rachel for the positive review. yes you can skip paneer and add boiled peas instead if you want. otherwise it will be just a plain methi gravy but still delicious.
Hi…
Just want to know the reason of adding salt in the end of the cooking process and not during cooking…
Reg,
Suman
suman, it depends upon recipe and its preparation. in most gravy recipes its added towards the end.
Methi malai paneer recipe was awesome.tried it yesterday….turned out better than any restaurant dish…thanks for sharing this recipe..
welcome shubha. glad to know this.
I am very big fan of yours. You’r receipes are really delicious and the best part is ingredients are easily available. I have suggested your website to many people. You just rock on each receipe. My husband becomes very happy whatever I prepare. All credit goes to you. Keep posting. Can you start posting non veg receipes as well if possible.
thanks a lot sapna for this positive feedback and for recommending website to your friends. i don’t cook non-veg food at home so won’t be able to post non-veg recipes.
I tried methi malai paneer today. It was super duper good and delicious. My family enjoyed it a lot. thanx for the wonderful recipe 🙂
Can you please suggest some recipes with bottle gourd(Laauki).
welcome swati. glad to know this. you can make lauki thepla, chana dal lauki, lauki paratha, lauki kheer, lauki pakora, lauki sambar, lauki raita, lauki yakhani, lauki curry. few of these recipes are posted in the blog.
Some soya chunks recepies plz , some soya granular recepies plz
neha, i don’t make soya chunks recipes at home. so won’t be able to post soya chunks recipes.
I tried the methi Malai paneer receipe. I turns out superb delicious. Thanks a lot for the receipe. I love it
welcome harvin. glad to know this.
Hi dassana, tried the abv recipe and it was very nice, I added kasuri methi and not methi still tasted good. Thanks for sharing such excellent recipes
Regards. Tk care
Marina
welcome marina. glad to know this.
Like your all the receipes, find them easy to understand
Tried your Tawa paneer receipe, end result was absolutely nice.
Will definitely try this also.
Thank you
welcome vaishali. glad to know this. thanks for sharing positive feedback on recipes.
Thanks for the receipe! can the fresh cream substituted with something else. Pls suggest
welcome radhika. you can add fresh malai.