If you are looking to recreate the restaurant style creamy & luscious methi malai paneer at home for your next house party, you have come to the right place! This is such a crowd pleaser that your guests will keep asking for more!
Paneer is such a staple in Indian cuisine that we cannot possibly count the number of dishes that can be made with this classic Indian cheese!
These soft cubes of deliciousness are so versatile that you can combine them with so many different things and a new recipe would emerge every time!
Now today’s recipe is not a new or experimental one, but a well-loved restaurant classic – the quintessential methi malai paneer!
I am sure you have had your fair share of this methi malai paneer at your favorite Indian restaurants and now might be wondering how to replicate that magic in your own kitchen!
Worry not when I am here to help!
What is methi malai paneer restaurant style?
Methi malai paneer is a delicious curry made out of an unusual pairing of ingredients; well unusual to me at least if not for everyone! That’s simply because it was not something I had heard or ate during my childhood.
So if I decode methi malai paneer for you, it simply means, paneer aka cottage cheese curry made in a creamy gravy with methi i.e. fenugreek leaves.
If you don’t like the somewhat bitter taste of fenugreek leaves, then be assured that you won’t even taste that bitterness in this methi malai paneer thanks to all the creaminess that goes around!
At the same time, these green leaves impart a unique flavor to the gravy that makes this curry stand out among all other restaurant classics!
Another distinctly different character of this methi malai paneer is that it does not require any of the traditional Indian powdered spices! Unbelievable, aint it?
In spite of that, the incredible taste of this paneer curry blew my mind and I am sure it will do the same to yours too! Try it!
Ingredients for Methi Malai Paneer
Methi / Fenugreek leaves: Since paneer makes its special appearances in many dishes, I will make methi i.e. fenugreek leaves the star of this recipe!
This season is the ideal one to make the best ever methi malai paneer at home simply because you get the freshest produce of methi around this time.
So get the freshest bunch of methi from your local market, pluck the leaves from the stems and get going with this restaurant favorite!
You would need about a cup of fresh methi leaves which is approximately half a bunch that you usually get in your local vegetable markets.
Paneer: Use the fresh soft paneer for the best results. I am hearing a lot about cheap analogue paneer these days; so please be aware of such fake paneer and make sure to pick up the real stuff!
Analogue paneer is not only harmful for health, but also doesn’t match with real soft paneer in terms of taste and texture in any way!
Onion: Methi malai paneer curry is made with an onion-based gravy, but here we didn’t fry the onion; instead we boiled them before making a puree!
You will find many methi malai paneer recipes on the net where onions are fried and then pureed; but after trying both methods, I felt boiling produced a much better or you can say creamier result!
And that’s also because of another secret ingredient that’s coming up next!
Cashew: If you don’t already know this secret, then keep this one in your back-pocket that this magical nut makes insanely creamy gravy when used in the right way!
About 8 to 10 cashews boiled and pureed with onion made this luscious and creamy gravy of methi malai paneer and this is why I used the boiling method instead of frying.
Whole spices: As I have mentioned above, this recipe doesn’t include any powdered spices; so the flavoring part is majorly played by the warm whole spices – cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf and a small sprinkle of cumin seeds.
Aromatics: Our quintessential ginger and garlic are a must in any of the traditional Indian curry recipes and this methi malai paneer is also no exception!
Green chilli: This dish is very mildly hot and more on the sweeter side; so add fresh green chillies as per your choice. Just a couple of freshly chopped chillies would do.
Malai/Cream: Of course methi malai paneer won’t be complete without malai i.e. fresh cream! You can use single or double cream depending on how rich you want it to be.
I used the Amul single cream; about one-fourth of a cup which was good enough for me (If you know the fitness-freak me now, you would know how much cream I can force myself to use now!)
Curd/Yogurt: This ingredient may not be common to use in this methi malai paneer recipe which is why you may not find it in others’, but I add about half a cup of nicely beaten thick curd which gives me two-fold benefit!
Firstly, it beautifully complements the sweetness of malai, cashews and onion by adding a subtle tartness.
Secondly, it makes the gravy very creamy thus preventing you from using a large amount of cream i.e. essentially cutting down the fat without compromising the taste!
Oil/Ghee: You can cook this dish either in our very own desi ghee i.e. clarified butter or stick to your regular cooking oil. I used mustard oil which I typically use for the majority of my daily cooking.
Seasoning: As this dish is slightly on the sweeter side, I add a couple of teaspoons of sugar and of course season with salt to taste.
How to make Methi Malai Paneer restaurant style?
Step 1: First we will tackle the methi leaves. Pluck only the leaves from the bunch and discard the stems.
Step 2: Wash the methi leaves really well to remove all the dirt. Then drain out all the water and chop them very finely using a sharp knife. Set it aside.
Step 3: Cut the block of paneer into 1-inch cubes. Peel and roughly chop the onions. Chop the green chillies finely and set aside.
Step 4: Boil about 2 cups of water in a saucepan and add the onion pieces and cashew nuts to the boiling water. Boil the onion and cashews on medium flame for 15 minutes or until the onion turns transparent and soft.
Step 5: Drain the water out of the onion and cashews and run them under running cold water to cool them down completely.
Step 6: Transfer the onion and cashews to a blender or mixer jar and blend them really well to make a silky smooth paste without any lumps whatsoever! Set it aside.
Step 7: In a kadai/wok, heat oil (or ghee). Once the oil is hot, reduce the flame to lowest and temper the oil with whole spices – cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf and cumin seeds.
Step 8: Stir the whole spices in hot oil for a few seconds until they become fragrant.
Step 9: Now add the chopped green chillies, ginger paste & minced garlic and cook them, keeping the flame low until the raw smell of the aromatics is gone, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 10: Next add the prepared onion-cashew paste to the kadai and stir well to mix everything evenly.
Step 11: It’s time to add the curd. Make sure that the curd is beaten well so that it doesn’t curdle/split when added to hot kadai. Add the sugar and salt to taste.
Step 12: Give a good mix to everything and let it simmer on an absolutely low flame. Add about a cup of water to thin out the gravy and continue to simmer.
Step 13: In another frying pan, add about a tablespoon of oil and let it warm up. Then add the chopped methi leaves to it.
Step 14: Fry the methi leaves in oil for a good 10 minutes on medium flame. The green leaves will ooze out water, let it dry out.
Step 15: Then add the paneer cubes to the same pan and fry them lightly along with the methi leaves.
Step 16: Once the paneer cubes are lightly toasted and have developed a very light golden color on their edges, switch off the flame.
Step 17: Carefully transfer the fried paneer and methi to the simmering white gravy in the kadai. Using a soft spatula, give a good stir to distribute paneer and methi evenly within the gravy.
Step 18: Now add the fresh cream to the gravy and gently mix it in. Bring the methi malai paneer gravy to a gentle boil.
Step 19: Cover the kadai with a lid and let everything simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes to allow the paneer to soak up all the wonderful flavors.
Step 20: After about 10 minutes, uncover the kadai and check the consistency of the gravy. Boil off excess water if it is too thin or add little more water and bring to boil if it seems too thick.
Pro tip: This methi malai paneer gravy tends to thicken as it cools down. So don’t keep it too thick when hot.
Step 21: Your delicious restaurant style methi malai paneer is ready! Serve it up warm with your favorite breads like naan or phulka and enjoy!
More delicious paneer recipe from Flavor Quotient
- Paneer - 200 gms
- Methi/Fenugreek leaves - 1 cup
- Cashew - 8 to 10, raw
- Onion - 2, large
- Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
- Garlic - 8 to 10 cloves, finely minced
- Green chilli - 2 to 3, adjust as needed
- Cloves - 5 to 6
- Green cardamom - 5 to 6
- Cinnamon - 1-inch stick
- Bay leaf - 1
- Cumin seeds - ¼ tsp
- Curd - ½ cup
- Fresh cream - 3 to 4 tbsp
- Sugar - 2 tsp
- Oil - 4 to 5 tbsp
- Salt to taste
- First we will tackle the methi leaves. Pluck only the leaves from the bunch and discard the stems.
- Wash the methi leaves really well to remove all the dirt. Then drain out all the water and chop them very finely using a sharp knife. Set it aside.
- Cut the block of paneer into 1-inch cubes. Peel and roughly chop the onions. Chop the green chillies finely and set aside.
- Boil about 2 cups of water in a saucepan and add the onion pieces and cashew nuts to the boiling water. Boil the onion and cashews on medium flame for 15 minutes or until the onion turns transparent and soft.
- Drain the water out of the onion and cashews and run them under running cold water to cool them down completely.
- Transfer the onion and cashews to a blender or mixer jar and blend them really well to make a silky smooth paste without any lumps whatsoever! Set it aside.
- In a kadai/wok, heat oil (or ghee). Once the oil is hot, reduce the flame to lowest and temper the oil with whole spices - cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf and cumin seeds.
- Stir the whole spices in hot oil for a few seconds until they become fragrant.
- Now add the chopped green chillies, ginger paste & minced garlic and cook them, keeping the flame low until the raw smell of the aromatics is gone, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Next add the prepared onion-cashew paste to the kadai and stir well to mix everything evenly.
- It’s time to add the curd. Make sure that the curd is beaten well so that it doesn't curdle/split when added to hot kadai. Add the sugar and salt to taste.
- Give a good mix to everything and let it simmer on an absolutely low flame. Add about a cup of water to thin out the gravy and continue to simmer.
- In another frying pan, add about a tablespoon of oil and let it warm up. Then add the chopped methi leaves to it.
- Fry the methi leaves in oil for a good 10 minutes on medium flame. The green leaves will ooze out water, let it dry out.
- Then add the paneer cubes to the same pan and fry them lightly along with the methi leaves.
- Once the paneer cubes are lightly toasted and have developed a very light golden color on their edges, switch off the flame.
- Carefully transfer the fried paneer and methi to the simmering white gravy in the kadai. Using a soft spatula, give a good stir to distribute paneer and methi evenly within the gravy.
- Now add the fresh cream to the gravy and gently mix it in. Bring the methi malai paneer gravy to a gentle boil.
- Cover the kadai with a lid and let everything simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes to allow the paneer to soak up all the wonderful flavors.
- After about 10 minutes, uncover the kadai and check the consistency of the gravy. Boil off excess water if it is too thin or add little more water and bring to boil if it seems too thick.
- Your delicious restaurant style methi malai paneer is ready! Serve it up warm with your favorite breads like naan or phulka and enjoy!
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