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.
Hi dassana,
yet another wow recipe 🙂 i made this for dinner along with naan without yeast last night for dinner 🙂
if it were possible and not rude, i would have burped online. Loudly. With my family 🙂
smiling reading your comment nivedita 🙂 good to know 🙂
Thank you so much Dassana!! It is really simple and easy to make. I did not have fresh cream so I used milk instead. It didn’t make much difference..
Thanks to your recipe, it turned out to be really delicious! My husband just loved it! 🙂
welcome priyanka. glad to know this.
Such an easy and perfect recipe seriously. In fact I felt the hardest part was picking the methi leaves instead
thanks shasyaa. i agree plucking methi leaves is always time consuming.
I tried many times results was very good
thanks poonam
I followed exactly the same procedure as you have told but it came out to be disaster since methi was too bitter and I couldnt even taste it.. Could you at least suggest what should I do now? This is the first recipe from this website which came out that bad 🙁
the bitterness of methi leaves vary. if the methi leaves are bitter, then first rub salt over chopped methi leaves. keep for 15 minutes. then squeeze the methi leaves. this way the bitter juices are released. you can also rinse the methi leaves in water. the extreme bitterness of methi leaves has spoiled the taste. this curry is pleasant and sweet with just a hint of bitterness. many readers have tried this recipe with success. now you cannot do anything. but just remember that next time you want to make anything with methi, then do this method to get rid of the bitterness.
I made this for lunch and it was yummmy!!!
i reduced the quantities of cashews and added a lot less of cream, and instead of water added milk!!
and still it turned out soooo creamy and rich!!! 😛 😛
Thanks for the recipe!!!
Made my dad really happy! 🙂
welcome palak. good to know.
Hi Dassana,
I have made this so often and it comes out great every single time. It’s a really good recipe! I soak the cashews for an hour before grinding them because I noticed it gives a smoother texture to the gravy. I normally use the cream that I get after boiling milk but was wondering if Amul will give better results since it is smoother and thicker. What do you think?
thanks preeti. soaking cashews does help in giving a smooth texture. if the blender is very good, then there is no need to soak the cashews. amul cream will give a nice smooth and thick consistency. with the malai, the consistency will not be that smooth, if you add it straight away. however, if you whip the malai in a blender till smooth, then the results are richer than amul cream. since amul cream is low fat and the malai is full fat. the gravy will be more richer.
Makes sense. The thought of whipping malai first and then adding it never crossed my mind. I will surely do that next time. Thanks 🙂
welcome preeti
Despite adding salt while washing the dish turned out bitter. Sauteeing the leaves earlier would be a better idea
hufrish, ohh… on some occasions methi leaves are very bitter. on most occasions, the method of adding salt works. may be the methi leaves that you got were too bitter. next time when you try this and they are bitter then saute them before.
HI , Ur recipe was awesome but i want to just know can we also add paneer with meethi and matar
yes you can add paneer in this recipe.
Can I use milk instead of cream in this recipe
smita, you can use the milk but consistency of gravy will be thin and the taste will also change a lot. best taste comes with cream.
This recipe turned out absolutely awesome. Not really hard to cook and my family couldn’t stop licking their fingers. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
welcome rahul
Hi. Thanks for the recipe. I made this today and it was delicious. Its actually a very simple recipe which requires no masalas at all. Amazing. Thanks again 🙂
welcome reema
hi Dassana……today i wanted cook something for my wife…… i searched for recipes…..cooked methi mutter malai as per ur instructions….my wife loved it……thanks alot….u are too good.
welcome ashay. do try more recipes.
wud b trying ds tonight… 😀
hii dassana…u r jusssst awesome…..love all of ur recipes vch i’v tried…..m a big fan of food n u…. like all mums my mom is a gr8 cook….n 2nd one is debatelessly just u..thnx keep d good wrk going..
hi prerna
thanks for this sweet comment. yes, i agree all mums are great cook and its a honour if you rate me second after your mother.
keep visiting the blog and leave your feedback or suggestions.
happy new year in advance.
dassana