I am enjoying Winters and seeing all the beautiful leafy vegetables that I have grown in my small balcony garden thriving gloriously. I currently have some spring onions, green grams (Choliya), turmeric, coriander (Dhaniya), Fenugreek (Methi), Mustard (Sarson), Potatoes, Bitter Gourd and green chilies growing, and some baby tomatoes on their way. The amount of food that grows is not enough for the two o us, but it gives me immense joy to be able to harvest some of it fresh and make something out of it.

Methi Malai Matar or MMM as it is fondly known is a wonderfully rich and creamy winter veg. I love the light bitterness of Methi Leaves, sweetness from the peas and onions, and creaminess of cashews and fresh cream in it. All that is a match made in heaven. Since I had a lot of fresh Methi leaves growing which I harvested, I decided to make the first Methi Malai Matar of the season and thought of sharing the recipe.

Fresh Homegrown Methi
Fresh Homegrown Methi

HEALTHY VARIATION:

Though this Methi Malai Matar recipe tastes best when Malai is added, however, it’s high in calories. I usually make it only when I have guests coming over. For a healthier version, I add only about a tablespoon of fresh cream and then add milk to it. It still tastes creamy and delish. You will just need to cook it a bit longer so that the sabzi is not too runny because of all the milk in it.

You can totally choose which version you wish to try.

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 30 minutes
SERVINGS: 3-4
DIFFICULTY SCALE: Medium

INGREDIENTS: 

  1. Methi Leaves – 1 cup
  2. Peas – ½ cup
  3. Onion – 2, medium
  4. Ginger – 1 small stick
  5. Garlic – 3-4 pods
  6. Green Chilies – 2-3
  7. Cashews – ¼ cup
  8. Fresh Cream – ¼ cup
  9. Coriander Powder – 1 tablespoon
  10. Cumin seeds – ½ teaspoon
  11. Cooking oil – 1 tablespoon
  12. Salt – to taste

UTENSILS/EQUIPMENT:

  1. Pan
  2. Kadhai
  3. Grinder

RECIPE:

  1. Peel the onions, a 4-inch ginger piece, and garlic pods.
  2. Heat about ½ cup water in a pan and let it come to a boil. Then add roughly chopped onion, garlic, and ginger along with green chilies and cashews. Cook them on low heat for about 5-7 minutes.
Boil onions, chillies, cashews, ginger and garlic
Boil onions, chilies, cashews, ginger, and garlic

3. Let this mixture cool down for a bit and then grind it to a smooth paste.
4. Take the same pan and again add ½ cup water and boil it. Add the peas and cook them for about 5 minutes.
5. Now add fresh fenugreek leaves and cook them for about 2-3 minutes and then remove the pan from heat.

Boil Peas and later add in the Methi Leaves
Boil Peas and later add in the Methi Leaves

6. Puree the fenugreek leaves once they cool down in a bit.
7. Take a tablespoon of oil in a kadhai and add some cumin seeds once the oil is hot.
8. Add the pureed onion-ginger-garlic-cashew paste and cook on low heat for 4-5 minutes.
9. Then add the pureed methi paste and add in the coriander powder.

Add Pureed Methi and Coriander Powder
Add Pureed Methi and Coriander Powder

10. After about 2 minutes add the boiled peas and salt and let the Sabzi simmer for a minute on low heat.
11. Add in the fresh cream last and turn off the heat in a minute. Mix well.

Methi Malai Matar is ready, Serve with some hot Phulkas!