Methi Paneer
Methi paneer presents a simple cottage cheese curry where the gentle bitterness of fresh fenugreek leaves combines harmoniously with a zesty tomato-infused sauce, embracing delicate, velvety paneer cubes. This dish pairs wonderfully with roti, naan, or paratha.
Ingredients
For Tomato Puree
- 240 grams tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes or can use 1 cup ready tomato puree
Other Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil – any neutral oil
- ⅓ cup chopped onions (tightly packed) – 60 grams or 1 medium sized
- ½ tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1 or 2 green chilies – slit or sliced
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder or cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
- 1 cup chopped fenugreek leaves (tightly packed) – 40 grams
- ¼ cup Curd (yogurt) – 70 grams
- ½ cup water or add as required
- 200 to 250 grams Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) – sliced in cubes, squares or rectangles
- 1 to 2 pinches Garam Masala
- 2 to 3 tablespoons light cream or cooking cream or low-fat cream, optional
- salt as required
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
Whole Spices
- 2 cloves
- 2 green cardamoms
- 1 black cardamom
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf), small to medium-sized
Instructions
Preparation
- Firstly rinse and chop tomatoes. No need to blanch them. Don't use sour tomatoes.
- 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 fresh curd till smooth. Keep aside.
Making Methi Paneer
- Heat 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.
- Then add the chopped onions.
- Begin to stir and saute the onions on a low to medium heat.
- Saute till the onions start turning golden or getting caramelized.
- Now add ginger-garlic paste.
- Mix and saute for some seconds or till the raw aroma of both ginger and garlic goes away.
- Then add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and 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 heat 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 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 heat to a low.
- Cover the pan with a lid and simmer the gravy/curry 8 to 10 minutes on a low heat. The curry will thicken and you will also see oil specks on top.
- Add paneer cubes and salt as per taste. Mix well and switch off the heat.
- Next add the garam masala powder. Mix again.
- Lastly add the light cream or cooking cream or low fat cream.
- Mix the cream with the rest of the gravy. The cream is optional and you can skip it if you want. The addition of cream gives a richer taste and makes the gravy creamier.
- Serve methi paneer with Indian flatbreads like phulka, naan, rumali roti, tandoori roti or paratha. You can also serve it hot with steamed basmati rice or cumin rice or saffron rice or biryani rice or ghee rice.
Nutrition
Calories: 397kcalProtein: 12gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 869mgPotassium: 269mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gCalcium: 429mgIron: 0.9mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!