methi malai paneer recipe with step by step photos – sharing one more restaurant style delicious recipe of methi malai paneer.
methi or fresh fenugreek leaves is often cooked at home. usually i end up making the very simple and homely aloo methi recipe. rich dishes with methi like methi matar malai recipe or methi paneer or methi malai paneer, i only cook on some weekends or when we want to have some good 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 box below).
methi malai paneer literally translates to fenugreek cream cottage cheese/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.
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. i have shared many recipes on blog made with methi like:
methi malai paneer is good for kids who refuse to eat greens like methi. best served with flat breads like naan, paratha or rotis. also goes very well with flavored rice like jeera rice, veg pulao or kashmiri rice.
methi malai paneer recipe below:
methi malai paneer recipe
methi malai paneer recipe - creamy, mildly sweet gravy with hints of bitterness from methi leaves
ingredients (1 cup = 250 ml)
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 teaspoon chopped ginger (adrak)
- 5 to 6 small garlic cloves, chopped or 1 teaspoon chopped garlic (lahsun)
- 1 or 2 chopped green chilies Or 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies (hari mirch)
- 10 to 12 cashews (kaju) Or 2 tablespoon cashews - chopped
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 tablespoon oil
other ingredients for methi malai paneer gravy:
- 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 (haldi)
- ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder (dhania powder)
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ¾ to 1 cup water - i added 1 cup water
- ¼ cup fresh cream
- 2 tablespoon oil
- salt as required
how to make recipe
- first pluck the methi leaves. then rinse them very well in water. chop them finely and keep aside.
making masala paste for methi malai paneer:
- in a pan or kadai heat 1 tbsp oil. add 1/2 tsp cumin seeds.
- stir and saute till the cumin seeds change color and splutter.
- now add 1.5 cups chopped onions.
- stir very well and saute them on a low to medium flame till they become light brown.
- then add 2 tsp chopped ginger, 1 tsp chopped garlic, 1 tsp chopped green chilies and 10 to 12 cashews (chopped). stir till the raw aroma of ginger and garlic goes away.
- add 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes. stir well and saute the tomatoes till they soften.
- when this onion-tomato mixture cools down, add it in a grinder jar. add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup water and grind to a smooth paste. keep aside.
making methi malai paneer gravy:
- in the same pan, now add 2 tbsp oil.
- add 1 cup tightly packed finely chopped methi leaves. stir and saute the methi leaves till they wilt.
- next add 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp kashmiri red chili powder and 1/2 tsp coriander powder.
- mix and stir the spice powders with the sauteed methi leaves.
- now add the ground paste. stir very well.
- on a low flame 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 3/4 to 1 cup water.
- stir again very well. now add salt as per taste.
- on a low to medium flame simmer the methi masala for 3 to 4 minutes.
- now add 1/4 cup cream. you can add low fat cream or whipping cream.
- stir the cream very well with the rest of the methi masala gravy.
- add paneer cubes and 1/2 tsp garam masala powder.
- now add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp sugar. add sugar as required.
- simmer on a low flame for 1 to 2 minutes till the paneer cubes are cooked.
- serve methi malai paneer garnished with some grated paneer with tandoori rotis, naan or chapatis. this creamy gravy also goes well with jeera rice, saffron rice or kashmiri rice.
step by step methi malai paneer recipe:
1. in a pan or kadai heat 1 tbsp oil.
2. add ½ tsp cumin seeds.
3. stir and saute till the cumin seeds change color and splutter.
4. now add 1.5 cups chopped onions.
5. stir very well and saute them on a low to medium flame.
6. saute till they become light brown.
7. then add 2 tsp chopped ginger, 1 tsp chopped garlic, 1 tsp chopped green chilies and 10 to 12 cashews (chopped). stir till the raw aroma of ginger and garlic goes away.
8. now add ¼ cup chopped tomatoes.
9. stir well.
10. saute the tomatoes till they soften.
11. when this onion-tomato mixture cools down, add it in a grinder jar.
12. add about ¼ to ⅓ cup water and grind to a smooth paste. keep aside.
13. in the same pan, now add 2 tbsp oil. add 1 cup tightly packed finely chopped methi leaves. substitute 2 tbsp dry methi 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 flame.
15. lower the flame and then add ¼ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp kashmiri red chili powder and ½ tsp coriander powder.
16. mix and stir the spice powders with the sauteed methi leaves.
17. now add the ground paste.
18. stir very well.
19. on a low flame 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 again very well.
22. now add salt as per taste.
23. on a low to medium flame simmer the methi masala for 3 to 4 minutes.
24. now add ¼ cup cream. you can add low fat cream or whipping cream. stir the cream very well with the rest of the methi masala gravy.
25. add paneer cubes and ½ tsp garam masala powder.
26. now add ¼ to ½ tsp sugar. add sugar as per taste.
27. simmer on a low flame for 1 to 2 minutes till the paneer cubes are cooked.
28. serve methi malai paneer garnished with some grated paneer accompanied with tandoori rotis or naan or chapatis. this creamy gravy also goes well with jeera rice, saffron rice or kashmiri pulao.
About
- i started vegrecipesofindia.com in feb 2009. it is a pure vegetarian blog and shares recipes with step by step photos.
i am passionate about cooking from childhood and learnt cooking from my elders. a home science degree course further enhanced my cooking and baking skills professionally along with an internship in a five star hotel. i am trained both in mainstream indian as well as international cuisines.
all the 1800 recipes posted on blog are tried and tested and made healthy wherever possible. the recipes are detailed and with step by step pictures that will easily help you to make delicious and tasty vegetarian food.
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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.