This methi paneer curry is made with soft paneer cubes in an earthy, medium spiced fresh fenugreek leaves gravy. It is has a slightly bitter sweet flavor from methi and the base is made with onion, tomatoes and spices. This recips is nut free and not too rich (except a touch of cream at the end).
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Leafy greens and paneer are a great match, especially in winter. Once fresh fenugreek leaves show up in the market as colder months approach, at home I start using them in many methi dishes. This is not a restaurant style recipe like palak paneer or methi matar malai. There are no cashew pastes or grinding and straining the gravy. It's a simple dhaba style methi paneer curry cooked in a rustic onion and tomato masala.
After I shared my methi murgh a few years ago, many of you asked for a vegetarian version. This paneer methi does just that. It's made a little differently from the chicken dish, but the flavor is very similar to what you'd find at roadside dhabas. The curry is simple to make, has robust taste and is super comforting. If you enjoy this style of cooking, please check out my dhaba paneer bhurji and matar paneer).
Ingredients
- Methi -I prefer using fresh methi since it's easy to find in most Indian grocery stores during winter. If fresh methi isn't available, thawed frozen methi works well too. Always taste the methi before cooking. A little bitterness is normal, but if it's too bitter, it can make the gravy unpleasant and hard to enjoy. In my aloo methi sabji post, I have shared a lot of tips on how to reduce bitterness of methi.
- Tomatoes - Fresh tomatoes work best for this gravy. They're naturally less acidic, and that's important because we don't want a sharp or concentrated tomato flavor overpowering the dish(we want methi taste to be the highlight!). Make sure that the tomatoes arent too sour. For this reason, I use fresh tomatoes on the vine.
- Ghee - Dhaba dishes are unapologetically rich. I use ghee in my recipe but mustard oil is another great option if you do not want to use ghee.
Rest of the ingredients are metioned in the recipe card with my notes on substitutions.
Building The Masala - When it comes to preparing the aromatic for the masala base, I find that mixing different textures gives the best result. I finely hand chop the red onions and ginger, use my homemade garlic paste, and puree the tomatoes in a blender. This combination gives the methi gravy a nice, balanced texture.
Instructions
Preparation
- Pick, wash and thorougly wash your fresh methi leaves. Drain the water from washed methi. Roughly chop the methi leaves and set aside.
- Fresh, firm paneer works best. If the paneer feels dry, soak it in warm salty water for 10 minutes, then drain before adding it to the gravy. Pat the block dry and cut paneer into cubes. If desired, you can pan fry the paneer cubes until lightly golden. I don't pan fry.
- Keep 1-2 cups of hot water ready. We will need it while making the masala. I bring water to a boil in my electric kettle and keep ready.
Make Methi Paneer Curry
- To a heavy bottom cooking pot (I use my 3qt kadai), add ghee and let warm up on medium heat. Temper the ghee with cumin seeds.
- Next, add the chopped onion. On low medium heat, while stirring regularly, brown the onions until golden. Takes about 8-10 minutes.
- To the browned onions, carefully add ⅓ cup hot water. Add in the garlic paste, chopped ginger, salt and all the ground spices except garam masala.
- Fry the spices with the onions and ginger garlic for a good 1 to 2 minutes. Add hot water as needed. The onions should soften and start to break down, and you'll see the ghee bubbling and separating around the edges of the masala.
5. Add the blended tomatoes amd sugar next. Mix well.
6. Cook the onion tomato masala for 10-12 minutes on medium heat until you see ghee releasing again. Don't dry out the masala too much.
7. Next, add the chopped methi to the masala. Mix well, the leaves will start wilting within few minutes. Keep stirring and cooking the methi with the masala for about 5 to 7 minutes.
8. As it cooks, the methi will darken in color and release its flavor. Add a small splash of hot water now and then to keep the masala from sticking. Once the methi is fully cooked, you'll have a thick, well blended methi gravy.
9. Add the cubed paneer, crushed kasuri methi and garam masala powder to the methi masala. Mix well. Add just ¼ cup of water and mix well. Let cook together for 2-3 minutes.
10. Add heavy cream to the curry. Mix well and let the curry simmer on low heat for 3-5 minutes so that the flavors get a chance to meld. Your methi paneer is ready. Serve warm.
Tanvi's Notes & Tips
- This dhaba style methi paneer is not supposed to be too runny. So add water slowly and in parts. The methi masala should come together without water seperating.
- Dhaba food is rich and flavorful but not overly hot. Use chilli in moderation so that the heat doesn't get overpowering or take away the flavor of methi.
- This curry is best served with indian flatbreads like tandoori roti or plain paratha.
Dhaba Style Methi Paneer
Ingredients
- 350-400 g tightly packed methi leaves measure after picking the methi bunch. We discard the stems and use only leaves in cooking
- 300 g paneer cubed
For The Onion Tomato Masala
- 4 tablespoon ghee
- 1 large (~140g) onion finely chopped
- 1.5 teaspoon garlic paste
- ½ tablespoon ginger finely chopped
- 4 medium (~210g) tomatoes pureed in blender
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1+¼ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi crushed
- Hot Water as needed
Ground Spices
- 2 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 2 teaspoon Red Chili Powder (hot), adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
Instructions
Prepare Ingredients
- Pick the fresh methi bunch by discarding the stems and plucking only the leaves. Wash the leaves thoroughly.Drain all the water from the washed methi leaves.Roughly chop the leaves and set them aside.
- Use fresh, firm paneer for best results.If the paneer feels dry, soak it in warm salted water for 10 minutes, then drain well before using.Pat the paneer block dry and cut it into cubes .If desired, lightly pan-fry the paneer cubes until golden; this step is optional and can be skipped.
- Keep 1-2 cups of hot water ready for making the masala.You can boil water in an electric kettle and keep it aside for use as needed.
How To Make Methi Paneer
- Set a kadhai or cooking pot over medium heat and allow it to get hot. Add the ghee and let them heat as well. The ghee should not smoke.
- Add the cumin seeds and let them crackle, then add the onions. Stir well and cook on medium heat until the onions turn golden brown. Takes about 8-10 minutes
- Once the onions are golden brown, add the garlic and ginger. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes. You can also add a chopped green chilli at this stage.
- Lower the flame and add all the powdered spices along with a splash of hot water. Stir well, bump up the heat, and cook for 3-4 minutes until the oil separates.
- Add the prepared tomato purée, sugar and salt to the masala. Stir well and cook on medium heat until the ghee separates, about 8-10 minutes. If the masala becomes too dry, add hot water as needed and continue cooking. Don't dry out the masala too much.
- Next, add the chopped methi to the masala. Mix well, the leaves will start wilting within few minutes. Keep stirring and cooking the methi with the masala for about 5 to 7 minutes.
- As it cooks, the methi will darken in color and release its flavor. Add a small splash of hot water now and then to keep the masala from sticking. Once the methi is fully cooked, you'll have a thick, well blended methi gravy.
- Add the paneer cubes, garam masala, and kasuri methi. Stir gently and cook for another 2-3 minutes.Taste and adjust the salt if required.
- Finish the methi paneer with fresh cream. Mix well and let simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add fresh chopped cilantro in top if desired. Serve warm. Your delicious dhaba methi paneer masala curry is ready.
Notes
- This dhaba style methi paneer is not supposed to be too runny. So add water slowly and in parts. The methi masala should come together without water seperating.
- Dhaba food is rich and flavorful but not overly hot. Use chilli in moderation so that the heat doesn't get overpowering or take away the flavor of methi.
- This curry is best served with indian flatbreads like tandoori roti or plain paratha.
Sarah says
Update - Found when to add the ground spices. I love! how the Instant Pot variation turned out. So much flavor. Adding this to our rotation for sure.