Methi Malai Paneer
For the most part, cheese isn’t popular with Indian home cooks. There’s one exception, and it’s a big one: Paneer. The mild, semi-hard Indian cheese is one of the nation’s favourite vegetarian ingredients, appearing in anything from royal malai kofta, Indo-Chinese chilli paneer, and vibrant green palak paneer, to mention only a few. I can’t get enough of its creamy flavour, hence I eat paneer at least once a week — and when I grow bored of the old favourites, I whip out this recipe: methi malai paneer.
Methi malai paneer is the perfect restaurant-style dish. It’s very mild (great if you have a low spice tolerance!), yet packed with complex smoky and sweet notes from the fresh fenugreek leaves throughout the luxurious curry sauce.
The name of the dish in Hindi means “creamy fenugreek paneer” (methi = fenugreek, malai = cream, and paneer = Indian cheese).
Fenugreek lends a unique nuance to the methi malai paneer recipe. It’s slightly bitter, with a sweet maple syrup-esque overtone. Methi paratha (fenugreek flatbread), methi aloo (fenugreek potatoes), and methi gholana (Maharashtrian fenugreek salad) also use fresh leaves, while dried fenugreek (kasuri methi) are often added at the end of curries for depth of flavour.
But let’s give a moment to the sauce. It’s basic — no complex aromatic spicing — yet thick, smooth, creamy, rich, and loaded with layers of seasoning. It coats the cubes of soft paneer and is perfect for scooping up with coriander garlic naan!
🥘 Methi Malai Paneer Ingredients
Wondering what methi malai paneer is made of? How each ingredient interplay with the next to create a cohesive, stunning dish worthy of the best restaurants? Read on!
- Paneer, is, of course, the main protein and star of the show! Use homemade paneer for the best texture, or shopbought paneer for ease of time.
- Tomatoes make the base of this gravy (curry sauce). I always like to use fresh; tinned tomatoes are too intense and overpower the gravy. Use good quality, flavorsome varieties if possible, to provide a hint of tangy umami.
- Red onion adds a gentle natural sweetness to the thick curry sauce. I use red onions as they are more popular in India, but white or yellow onions will do fine.
- Garlic is buttery and mellow, pairing fantastically with the soft paneer cheese.
- Ginger provides a warm and spicy undertone.
- Fresh fenugreek aka methi is what brings all the irresistible flavor to this dish. You can grow methi at home or buy a bunch from the store; pick bright green, perky leaves that aren’t flowering for the best results.
- Oil is a flavor carrier for all those glorious spices we’ll be adding to the methi malai paneer.
- Ghee is optional, but it adds another blanket of richness to the dish.
- Ground spices including red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and cumin powder each add a new layer of earthy, citrusy heat to the paneer curry.
- Sugar complements the caramel-like notes of the fresh methi, balancing the heat.
- Cream makes up the “malai” portion of the recipe. Use thick double cream for the most luxurious affair!
- Salt enhances the other seasonings.
- Water adjusts the consistency of our luscious, thick, and silky methi malai paneer curry sauce.
🔄 Ingredient Substitutions and Swaps
Can’t get hold of fresh fenugreek leaves? You have two options: grow your own methi in a pot (it grows surprisingly fast!) or use kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves). Methi malai paneer with kasuri methi doesn’t have the same texture as the standard recipe, but in a pinch, it’ll work. Since dried fenugreek is more potent, you’ll only need two tablespoons of kasuri methi, and there’s no need to saute it first — just add it near the end, with the cream and final seasonings.
Methi malai paneer without onion and garlic is a Jain-friendly variation that’s easy to adapt. Simply leave out the onion and garlic, replacing them with a pinch of asafoetida (hing) when sauteeing the methi leaves. The asafoetida boasts the same pungent flavors, so it’s a great replacement! While the methi malai paneer without onion and garlic won’t taste the same, it’s still mouth-watering.
Why not add more fresh vegetables to the dish? Combine methi malai paneer with another in-demand dish, methi matar malai, to create methi malai matar paneer (it’s a mouthful, I know!). All you need to do is add fresh green peas to the gravy. This is an amazing idea if you love matar paneer, too.
Finally, while methi malai paneer is 100% gluten free, nut free, and soy free, you’ll need to make a few substitutions to make vegan methi malai paneer. Firstly, switch the paneer for extra firm tofu (homemade tofu works here!). Next, replace ghee with vegan butter (I like Miyokos European-style butter in the U.S. and Flora in the U.K.), and cream with a plant-based alternative (again, Flora is my go-to). Isn’t that easy-peasy!
🧑🍳 How to Make Methi Malai Paneer
This easy methi malai paneer recipe follows a simple formula: make a curry paste from raw ingredients, saute it the fresh greens, add the curry paste, cook it until fragrant, then add the paneer and simmer. Sounds straightforward, right?
The only step where you can go wrong is when you lightly fry the spices with the fenugreek leaves. They can easily burn and become bitter, so you’ll need to concentrate.
Why not read over the steps a few times before you start cooking, then have the complete recipe (with more detailed instructions) open when you make your masterpiece?
- Prepare the methi by picking the leaves from the stems, washing them thoroughly, then soaking them in a bowl with plenty of water and salt (to reduce bitterness).
- Blend the curry paste by adding onions, tomatoes, ginger, and garlic to a mixer grinder and pulsing until smooth.
- Saute the methi and spices in a large pan with oil and ghee, until wilted.
- Add the curry paste and cook until the fat separates.
- Adjust the consistency with water, add paneer, and let it simmer.
- Finish the methi malai paneer with cream, sugar, salt, and a touch of cumin powder.
Cookware You Need
🍚 What to Serve with Methi Malai Paneer
You’ve cooked up the most tempting curry known to humankind — but what should you serve it with? I’ve got all the answers!
As a restaurant-style dish, methi malai paneer tastes fantastic with coriander garlic naan. The fluffy, bubbly bread soaks up the curry and is perfect for scooping up pieces of the soft paneer. Chapati, paratha, or even kulcha and puri also taste fantastic.
You could even double up on the methi flavour and pair it with methi paratha!
Rice is a bit less work and is just as delicious. Opt for a fragrant variety like basmati, ambemohar, or sona masoori — and make jeera rice for a real oomph factor.
As for side dishes, I’d go classic. Crunchy papad, crispy gluten free onion bhaji, or Dishoom-style okra fries are all fantastic dishes to get guests (or family) drooling.
✨ Why You Should Make This Recipe …
Methi Malai Paneer
Methi malai paneer is an easy, one-pot, creamy, mild, and rich curry sauce packed with fresh fenugreek (methi), and soft paneer.
Ingredients
- 200g Paneer, cut into large cubes
- 3 Tomatoes (200g), roughly chopped
- 100g Red Onion (3/4 Large), roughly chopped
- 8 Cloves Garlic
- 1" Ginger
- 2 tbsp Neutral Oil
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- 60g Fresh Fenugreek Leaves (Methi)
- 1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder
- 1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 200ml Water
- 1/2 tsp Sugar
- 3 tbsp Cream
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the methi. Pick the leaves from the stems and wash them well. Place them in a large bowl with plenty of water to cover and a sprinkle of salt — this helps to reduce bitterness. After around 5 minutes, drain the water.
- Blend the curry paste. Add raw, roughly chopped tomatoes, red onion, garlic, and ginger to your mixer grinder. Pulse to a smooth paste.
- Saute the methi. In a large kadai, heat oil and ghee over medium heat. Add the fenugreek leaves and cook until lightly wilted.
- Add the ground spices. To the same pan, add the red chili powder, coriander powder, and turmeric powder. Stir in and cook for a few seconds.
- Cook the curry paste. To the same pan, add the prepared curry paste. Stir everything well to mix. Cook for around 5 - 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the oil and ghee separates from the side of the pan and the paste thickens.
- Adjust the consistency. At this stage, add water along with the paneer cubes*. Stir well and simmer until the methi malai paneer reaches your desired consistency.
- Finish the curry. Drizzle in cream, add sugar and salt to taste, and sprinkle over cumin powder. Simmer for an additional minute to meld the flavors then serve with fresh coriander leaves (optional).
Notes
* While I usually pre-fry the paneer cubes before adding to curries, for this dish I've kept the paneer raw before adding it to the dish. Feel free to brown it in ghee or oil beforehand, but the soft texture pairs well here.
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