Methi Matar Malai (also spelled Methi Mutter Malai) is a sumptuous North Indian curry made with fenugreek leaves, green peas and cream. Smooth, creamy, and rich, this recipe is a surefire winner with kids and adults alike. Try making this tasty curry recipe today – you’re sure to love it.
Table of Contents
About Methi Matar Malai
If you need a cooking win, this recipe is for you. Methi (fenugreek leaves), matar (green peas) and malai (cream) are a killer combination. This recipe is so good, it will even beat the matar methi malai served in restaurants!
This recipe for methi mutter malai can be made in flat 30 to 35 minutes. Thus making it a perfect comfort food dinner on a chaotic weeknight.
This mild recipe is good for kids too – especially if you want to feed them fenugreek. There is no bitterness at all! In fact, this yummy curry is on the sweeter side due to the cream, onions and cashews.
Both fenugreek leaves and its seeds have a lot of health benefits. So be sure to include them in your meals.
Looking for more popular Methi Recipes on blog? Check out some of my favorites:
This recipe inspired from Asha Khatau’s cookbook Epicure’s Vegetarian Cuisines of India has always been a hit at home! Every single time I make it, I am amazed at how good it tastes.
I also love that it is an easily scalable recipe – if you’re cooking for a crowd, feel free to double or triple it! As written, this methi matar malai recipe will make about 4 servings with roti.
As with most Indian curries, methi mutter malai goes well with Indian flatbreads like Naan, Paratha, Chapati or Tandoori Roti. It also goes well with plain boiled basmati rice or Jeera Rice.
Make this simple, comforting fenugreek and green pea curry tonight – you’ll be so glad that you did!
How to make Methi Matar Malai
Make Onion Cashew Paste
1. In a grinder or blender jar, add 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds.
2. Add ⅓ cup chopped onions.
3. Add ¼ cup cashews.
4. Next add 1 teaspoon chopped garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon ginger and 1 teaspoon green chilies.
5. Grind to a smooth and fine paste. If the blades are having difficulty turning, then you can add a tablespoon or two of water while grinding.
Sauté Onion Paste
6. Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee or a neutral flavored oil in a pan or kadai until shimmer. Add the paste to the heated pan.
7. Sauté the paste, stirring often.
8. Sauté till you see the oil releasing and the paste leaves the sides of the pan. You don’t have to brown the paste.
Stir often to ensure that the paste does not stick to the pan. If it does stick, then add some water.
To see the sautéing process in action, check out the video above.
Sauté Methi (Fenugreek Leaves)
9. Add 1 cup chopped fenugreek leaves (methi).
Prep the leaves ahead before you begin the cooking by first rinsing them thoroughly in water 3 to 4 times. Draining all the water, then chop the leaves and set aside.
10: Mix well and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes on low heat.
Add Water or Green Peas Stock
11. Next, add ½ cup water or the green peas stock (the water in which the green peas were cooked) in two parts. You can add either of these liquids as required.
12. Mix very well.
13. Simmer the gravy for 3 to 4 mins.
Make Methi Mutter Malai
14: Next, add ½ cup boiled matar (green peas).
Though fresh green peas taste best, you can use frozen peas too. To cook green peas, just add them in enough water and boil till the peas are done. Do not throw away the water. Use the green peas stock instead of water for even more flavor!
15. Now add ½ cup light cream or low-fat cream. If using homemade malai, then mix chilled malai with a whisk or in a small blender till smooth.
TIP: For heavy or whipping cream, add only ¼ cup.
16. Mix very well.
17. Simmer methi malai mutter curry for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring at intervals. If the consistency looks too thick for your liking, add a bit of water to thin the consistency slightly.
18. Lastly, add ½ teaspoon each of sugar and salt. Mix again and simmer for a minute. Add more or less sugar to taste, or skip it altogether.
At this step, optionally you can sprinkle 2 to 3 pinches of Garam Masala Powder.
19. Methi mutter malai is now ready to serve. How easy was that?
20: Garnish with coriander leaves (cilantro) and serve Methi Matar Malai with Indian flatbreads like naan, paratha, or chapati. It also goes well with plain steamed basmati rice or saffron rice or jeera rice.
Methi Mutter Malai FAQs
Yes, you can! Feel free to use coconut cream instead of malai, or make it using almond paste or almond meal instead. Note that with coconut cream, the taste and flavor will be of coconut.
Yep! In basically any Indian recipe, you can replace cashews with almonds. Be sure to blanch them first and remove their skins for the best results.
Try swapping in 1 to 2 tablespoons of melon seeds (magaz) or 2 teaspoons of poppy seeds (khus khus) for the cashews!
Indeed you can. Simply use 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of dried fenugreek leaves in place of the fresh leaves.
Just skip onion and garlic and make a paste of green chilies, ginger, cashews and cumin seeds. Heat the oil and add a pinch of asafoetida before adding the spice paste. From there, the rest of the recipe remains the same!
Sprinkle some salt on the chopped fenugreek leaves and let them sit for 15 to 20 minutes, then squeeze them before using.
Absolutely!
Yes, though the flavour will be slightly different. Use ½ cup grated khoya in place of the cream.
I don’t suggest you use curd in this recipe, as it will give the curry a sour taste. Use cream, or substitute ½ cup mawa or khoya instead.
More Indian Curries To Try!
Paneer Recipes
Paneer Recipes
Paneer Recipes
Okra Recipes
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Methi Matar Malai | Creamy Methi Malai Matar
Ingredients
For the paste
- ⅓ cup chopped onions or 1 medium-sized onion
- ¼ cup cashews – whole cashews
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic or 4 to 5 medium-sized garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon chopped ginger or 1 inch ginger
- 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies or serrano peppers or 1 to 2 green chilies
Other ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil or ghee
- 1 cup chopped fenugreek leaves (methi leaves)
- ½ cup water or the stock/water of boiled green peas – add as required
- ½ cup green peas – boiled or steamed
- ½ cup light cream or low-fat cream, check notes below for whipping or heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon sugar or add as required
- salt as required
For garnish
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons green peas boiled or steamed – optional
Instructions
Preparing the ground paste
- In a grinder jar or blender, add cumin seeds, chopped onions, cashews, garlic, ginger and green chilies.
- Blend or grind to a smooth paste withput adding any water.
- If you are not able to blend, then you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.
- For cooking the green peas, you can either boil them in a pan with 1.5 cups water for 7 to 8 minutes until tender or steam them in an Instant pot for 3 to 5 minutes adding about 1 to 1.25 cups water in the steel insert.
- You can also boil the green peas in a stove-top pressure cooker for 5 to 6 minutes. Reserve ½ cup of the cooked water if you have boiled the peas.
Sautéing ground paste
- Heat ghee (clarified butter) or oil in a pan or kadai.
- When the ghee melts or becomes lightly hot, add the ground paste.
- Sauté the paste for 6 to 7 minutes on a low heat until you see the fat separating from the sides.
- Stir often when sautéing so that the paste does not stick to the pan. You should see fat releasing from the sides and the paste will also have a nice aroma.
- You will see the paste coming together and becoming glossy. Do not brown the paste.
- If the ground paste sticks to the pan or gets browned add a few splashes of water. Mix, deglaze and continue to sauté.
Making methi matar malai
- Add in the chopped fenugreek leaves and sauté further for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Then add ½ cup water or the stock/water in which the green peas were cooked in two parts. Mix thoroughly and simmer the gravy for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir at intervals.
- Add the boiled peas and cream.
- Simmer the gravy for 5 to 6 minutes on a low heat.
- Finally add the sugar and salt. Mix again. At this step, you can opt to sprinkle 2 to 3 pinches of garam masala powder.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve methi matar malai hot or warm with naan, paratha or roti.
Video
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This methi matar malai recipe from the blog archives first published in February 2012 has been republished and updated on 19 January 2022.
And the recipe turns out to be awesome as always !! thank you !! 🙂
welcome tilika. glad to know that you liked the recipe.
The tasty gravy sure would keep the bitterness of methi away 😛 😛 Good to have finally found a blog wherein the recipes always turn out to be good … 🙂
thanks tilika
Hey I forgot to put sprinkle salt when chopping methi … What should I do to avoid the bitterness of methi? 🙁
nothing can be done. just hope that the methi leaves are not very bitter. mostly the ones that we get in india are not very bitter.
Same pinch !! 😛 Thanks once again !! Will let you know how the recipe turned out!! 🙂
sure 🙂
Thanks for the advice … I never compromise on taste so I went to the shop and purchased Amul fresh cream !!! 😀 Is 200 ml of cream sufficient ??
me too 🙂 yes it will be sufficient. the recipe calls for 1 cup which of cream which is approx 240 ml of cream. so i think 200 ml will be fine. if the methi leaves are bitter, than just sprinkle some salt on chopped methi leaves. mix well and allow to stand for 15-20 mins. then rinse the leaves well and use the methi leaves. you can cut down methi leaves to 1.5 cups.
I have been trying out your recipes and all of them have become awesome !! 😀 😀 Today came across this (methi matar malai) recipe of yours, wanted to know if I can skip adding cream … 🙂
Thanks Tilika for Appreciating the recipes. Cream is an essential ingredient in this methi matar malai recipe. If you don’t want to add cream then whole recipe has to be changed drastically and i don’t know how it will taste. e.g. you have to reduce the fenugreek leaves and increase the cashew quantity for making the paste.
Can I skip the cream??
If I don’t have cashews, what other nut can I use ? Also can I just skip the kaju ? Do u think it will alter the taste ? Thanks.
you can use almonds instead of cashews. the taste would be different, but you will get the creaminess that is required in this dish. don’t skip the cashews. use almonds instead.
ive always loved sweet gravies…and this is one of my fav…we tried this at home but ours was always dark green and runny. 🙁 with the winters knocking the door, ill surely try this at home…i also once had a similar dish in a restaurant called methi chamannnwhich had paneer meaning chaman in kashmiri….thanks 4 the recipe and once again lovely pics.. 🙂
welcome tanvi. will like to hear your feedback on this version of methi matar malai… whenever u make it
Tried this simple today..very easy.only changes I made in my recipe is I added methi,palak and mint leaves 1/4 cup each…was different in taste.
Like your many recipes..wonderfull..!
thanks madhu for sharing your variation. welcome
Tried others but u r gravy recepie turned out excellent !!! 🙂
we can use paneer instead of or alongwith peas…tastes great!!!
yes neha, we can add paneer. in that case the recipe will be called methi paneer malai. i have seen some restaurants serving this version too.
hi dassana
thnx i tried it was niceeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!
it tasted just like restaurant style yummy!!!!
i just made few changes like while making the onion paste i added curd to it and i added amchur powder with salt and sugar at the end. and for methi leaves you can soak them hot salty water and then in cold water!!!!
thanks piyu and also thanks for the tips on methi leaves.
Hi Dassana,
This is the first time I prepared Methi matar malai. I took tips from your’s and some other blog… and the result was awesome. Will Share what ever pics I have taken…
Your blog looks good and interesting and i like the way you explain small things like not wasting food:)
Sohni.
thanks sohni. will see your post soon.
Thx a ton for the recipe..I made it yest and it turned out to be awesome… gr8 stuff..
thanks deepa.