Methi paneer recipe with step by step photos – easy and delicious paneer curry with bitter hints of fresh fenugreek leaves in a tangy tomato-based gravy.
Finally I am adding methi paneer recipe. I wanted to add this recipe for a long time. I started making this particular recipe some years back. First time I had made methi mushroom, adapting it from jigg kalra’s book, prashad – cooking with Indian masters. Then later using the same recipe with a few adaptations, I made methi paneer.
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Since this Methi paneer is a tomato-based gravy, please use tomatoes which are ripe, red and not sour. If sour tomatoes are used, then the gravy will also become sour and won’t taste good.
Apart from tomatoes even onions, curd and cream are added in the gravy. So the final Taste is like a restaurant style gravy.
There are hints of bitterness coming in the gravy from fresh methi leaves. Since we do not get very bitter fenugreek leaves here, I add them directly. But for very bitter fenugreek leaves, you can use the following tip.
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 recipe with methi.
Serve methi paneer with rotis, naan or parathas. Also goes well with jeera rice or saffron rice.
How to make methi paneer
1. Firstly rinse and chop 2 large tomatoes (240 grams). No need to blanch tomatoes.
2. Without adding any water grind or blend to get a smooth tomato puree. If using ready tomato puree, then add 1 cup tomato puree.
3. In a separate small bowl, whisk ¼ cup fresh curd till smooth. Keep aside.
4. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a pan. Add 2 cloves, 2 green cardamoms, 1 black cardamom, 1 inch cinnamon and 1 small to medium tej patta (Indian bay leaf). Saute for some seconds till the spices splutter and become fragrant.
5. Now add ⅓ cup tightly packed chopped onions.
6. Begin to stir and saute the onions on a low to medium flame.
7. Saute till the onions start turning golden or getting caramelized.
8. Now add ½ tablespoon ginger-garlic paste.
9. Mix and saute ginger-garlic paste till the raw aroma of both ginger and garlic goes away.
10. Then add 1 or 2 green chilies, slit or chopped.
11. Add the tomato puree.
12. Mix well.
13. Then add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chili powder and 1 teaspoon coriander powder. Mix the spice powders very well with the onion-tomato masala.
14. Saute the masala, till you see some oil releasing from the sides. The masala mixture will also thicken.
15. Then add chopped fenugreek leaves.
16. Mix well.
17. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes.
18. Now switch off the flame and keep the pan on the kitchen countertop. Add the whisked curd.
19. As soon as you add curd, begin to stir quickly and very well. Make sure that the entire curd is mixed with the onion-tomato-spices masala.
20. Then add ½ cup water and mix again. You can add water as required depending on the consistency you want in the gravy.
21. Keep the pan on stovetop and keep the flame to a low. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer the gravy/curry 8 to 10 minutes on a low flame.
22. the curry will thicken and you will also see oil specks on top.
23. Now add paneer cubes and salt as per taste. Mix well.
24. Then add a pinch or two of garam masala powder or Punjabi garam masala powder.
25. Mix again.
26. Lastly add 2 to 3 tablespoons low-fat cream.
27. Mix the cream with the rest of the gravy and then switch off the flame. Cream is optional and you can skip it if you want.
28. Serve methi paneer with rotis, phulkas or chapatis or jeera rice.
More Paneer recipes
Methi Paneer
INGREDIENTS
for tomato puree
- 240 grams tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes or can use 1 cup ready tomato puree
other ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 medium to large onion or 60 grams onions or ⅓ cup tightly packed chopped onions
- ½ tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
- 1 or 2 green chilies - silt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 40 grams fresh methi leaves or 1 cup tightly packed chopped methi leaves (fenugreek leaves)
- 70 grams curd or ¼ cup fresh curd (yogurt)
- ½ cup water or add as required
- 200 to 250 grams paneer (cottage cheese) - sliced in cubes, squares or rectangles
- 1 to 2 pinch of garam masala
- 2 to 3 tablespoons low fat cream (optional)
- salt as required
- 2 to 3 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
whole spices
- 2 cloves
- 2 green cardamoms
- 1 black cardamom
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 1 small to medium tej patta (indian bay leaf)
INSTRUCTIONS
preparation
- Firstly rinse and chop tomatoes. No need to blanch them.
- Without adding any water grind or blend to get a smooth tomato puree. If using ready tomato puree, then add 1 cup tomato puree.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup fresh curd till smooth. Keep aside.
making methi paneer
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a pan. Add all the whole spices, listed under the list title "whole spices"
- Saute the spices for some seconds till the spices splutter and become fragrant.
- Now add 1/3 cup tightly packed chopped onions.
- Begin to stir and saute the onions on a low to medium flame.
- Saute till the onions start turning golden or getting caramelized.
- Now add 1/2 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste.
- Mix and saute till the raw aroma of both ginger & garlic goes away.
- Then add 1 or 2 green chilies, slit or chopped and tomato puree. Mix well.
- Then add 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder and 1 teaspoon coriander powder. Mix the spice powders very well with the onion-tomato masala.
- Saute the masala, till you see some oil releasing from the sides. The masala mixture will also thicken.
- Then add chopped fenugreek leaves. Mix well and saute for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Now switch off the flame and keep the pan on the kitchen counter top.
- Add the whisked curd.
- As soon as you add curd, begin to stir quickly and very well. Make sure that the entire curd is mixed with the onion-tomato-spices masala.
- Then add 1/2 cup water and mix again. You can add water as required depending on the consistency you want in the gravy.
- Keep the pan on stove top and keep the flame to a low.
- Cover the pan with a lid and simmer the gravy/curry 8 to 10 minutes on a low flame. The curry will thicken and you will also see oil specks on top.
- Now add paneer cubes and salt as per taste. Mix well.
- Then add a pinch or two of garam masala powder or punjabi garam masala powder. Mix well.
- Lastly add 2 to 3 tablespoons low fat cream.
- Mix the cream with the rest of the gravy and then switch off the flame. The cream is optional and you can skip it if you want.
- Serve methi paneer with indian flatbread like roti, naan or paratha.
NOTES
1. Use tomatoes which are not too sour.
2. Please use fresh yogurt in the recipe. If the yogurt is not fresh or sour, there are chances of it getting split in the gravy.
3. You can reduce or increase the amount of red chili powder, green chilies as per your preference.
4. Instead of oil, you can also use ghee or butter.
5. Instead of paneer, you can use tofu.
Tried this recipe for lunch.
It tasted fantastic. Easy to follow the recipe and tastes like restaurant style????
Thank you
glad to know. thanks for sharing the review and for the rating. welcome.
Hi,
I m first time visiter of your page.really appriciate the way its been mentioned. Especially the photos help a lot to understand recepie well.
One request can you post some No onion no garlic Indian and continental recepie without compromise on taste.
I also read your introduction and got to know you are very well in baking… Pls post some easy bread/loaf recepie without eggs, onion or garlic.
Thanks you in advance and stay blessed
thanks foram. i have already shared world & continental recipes, no onion no garlic and a lot of baking recipes without eggs. i have shared the category links below. you can check them.
1. world recipes
2. baking recipes without eggs
3. no onion no garlic recipes
Loved it! This was the first time i tried the Paneer + Methi combination and my family too thought this was yum!
thanks prajakta for this positive feedback on methi paneer.
Loved this one:)
Super tasty recipe. I tried it and it turned out great thank you.
Welcome Shaista
Tnx
Hi again
My query is regarding removing the bitterness in methi leaves…
tnx again
Keep up the good work
????
have replied to your query sreenivas.
Hi
One small query,
Should I add salt in methi leaves with water,
Or without water..
Pls let me know….
I am referring to the methi paneer curry
Tnx in advance
no need to add water. just add salt in the methi leaves and mix well.
Hi Dassana I cooked this for dinner last night and it came out so well. Very tasty. I made a few minor changes, added a mixture of methi and another kind of leafy green. Secondly I skipped the cream as I use Fage, a popular Greek yogurt, which is very thick and not sour at all, almost cream like. I usually dilute it with water to get a flowing consistency. Thankfully the final results were really good. Thanks so much for the excellent recipe!
Just one quick question. It takes me forever to brown the onions on a medium flame be it for curries or pulaos or biryanis. How long does it usually take for you? I would much appreciate if you add some time estimates in your instructions where feasible for inexperienced cooks like me. 🙂 Thanks again!
thanks zeenat for the feedback on the recipe. also thanks for sharing your variations. it takes around 8 to 10 minutes on a low flame. giving a rough estimate as i have never measured the time. i will try to remember this point next time in the step by step instructions.
Really love your app and all the recipes that I have tried have turned out good. Your photos help so much.
pleased to know this thanks so much arati for positive views.
Hi, do you use a particular tool or method to grind this into a paste?
its a mixer-grinder. here is the link of the one i use – http://www.amazon.in/Preethi-Blue-Leaf-Platinum-750-Watt/dp/B008LN5D4G
The best app I have ever come across thank you so much whoever thought of this I have learned so much Indian cooking through this app
Excellent ??
thanks for your kind words and positive feedback ria 🙂
Is there no longer a way to save recipes so we can adjust them? Your recipes are outstanding. I just need to reduce the heat to lower my pitta dosha.
This looks so delicious.
thanks syanah. currently there is no way to save recipes.
Ok, thanks. They’re all just so delicious. 🙂
thank you syanah.
Hi, You can save any recipes in evernote.com, there is evernote app also. You can make changes whatever you want.
thanks for the info saraswathi.
I agree. Your page and app are the best. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you so much! ? ?❤️?
welcome serena. thanks for your positive words.
Hi,
I always look for recipes in your site. The best part is your step by step photos,they help a lot. Thats real hard work. You are doing a great job:)
pleased to know this thanks for positive feebdack and kind words 🙂