Creamy Methi Chaman made with fresh methi leaves and freshly ground masala/ spice paste. Perfect accompaniment to rice and roti.
I love fresh methi (fenugreek) leaves and when I see them at the Indian grocery, I make sure to buy a bunch. This methi chaman recipe has been my favorite for years. Actually this is one of the first recipes I posted in 2007 when I had just started blogging. So this recipe has been on my repertoire ever since.
Restaurant Style Methi Chaman:
Methi Chaman is a Kashmiri recipe that is quite popular dish to order at an Indian restaurant. It is a creamy and lip smacking dish that is pretty easy to make at home.
This recipe is from one of the Indian cooking shows that I watched years ago. I jotted it down in my little diary which I still refer from sometimes.
Ingredients
Of course fresh methi leaves are a must for this recipe. Methi leaves have an earthy, hearty flavor that goes really well in this dish. But I have tried this recipe with swiss chard and kale - both of these make excellent substitute for methi leaves.
Another important ingredient that adds lots of flavor is dried kasoori methi. Crushing it before using gets the most flavor.
Along with methi, spinach is also added to the dish. I always have a bag of baby spinach in my fridge and it is perfect to use in recipes like this.
Spice paste made with the below ingredients forms the base of this dish. Cashews add creaminess and richness to the dish.
- Onions
- Cashews
- Green Chilies
- Ginger and garlic
Paneer is used in 2 forms in this dish - greted and cubed. Grated paneer adds a nice texture to the curry. A splash of heavy cream is added at the very end that makes the dish creamy and decadent.
Instructions
- Thoroughly clean and chop methi and spinach leaves.
- Heat oil in a pan, sauté onions, chilies, cashews, ginger and garlic till onions turn translucent. Remove and when cool grind to a smooth paste.
- Heat oil in the pan and sauté the onion paste for 2 minutes. Add tomato puree, coriander powder, red chili powder and cubed paneer. Cook on medium-low flame for about 7-8 minutes.
- Add the chopped greens, cover and cook till the leaves wilt and don’t smell raw, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add cream and kasoori methi (crushed with your fingers) and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the grated paneer.
- Finally add the garam masala, cover to let the flavors mingle and take off the heat after 2 minutes.
How to make Vegan Methi Chaman:
To make methi chaman vegan, substitute paneer with extra firm tofu. You can use both cubed and grated tofu. Skip the heavy cream altogether or add coconut milk or cream to get the rich and decadent texture.
Methi Chaman
Ingredients
For the Spice paste:
- 1 tsp Oil
- 1 Large Onion
- 3~4 Green chilies
- ¼ cup Cashews
- ½" Ginger piece
- 2~3 Garlic cloves, crushed
For the Curry:
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 1 cup Paneer cubes
- 1 Small bunch Methi, chopped (about 3 cups)
- 1 Small bunch Spinach, chopped (about 2~3 cups)
- ¼ cup Tomato puree
- 1 tsp Ground Coriander
- ½ tsp Red chili powder
- 2 tbsp Kasoori Methi, crushed
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 2 tbsp Cream
- ¼ cup Grated Paneer
- To taste Salt
Instructions
- Thoroughly clean and chop methi and spinach leaves.
- Heat oil in a pan, sauté onions, chilies, cashews, ginger and garlic till onions turn translucent. Remove and when cool grind to a smooth paste.
- Heat oil in the pan and sauté the onion paste for 2 minutes. Add tomato puree, coriander powder, red chili powder and cubed paneer. Cook on medium-low flame for about 7-8 minutes.
- Add the chopped greens, cover and cook till the leaves wilt and don’t smell raw, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add cream and kasoori methi (crushed with your fingers) and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the grated paneer.
- Finally add the garam masala, cover to let the flavors mingle and take off the heat after 2 minutes.
- Serve with rotis or rice.
Notes
- Methi leaves can be subbed with either swiss chard or kale.
- Make it vegan by using tofu instead of paneer. Skip the heavy cream and add a splash of coconut milk.
- Skip the heavy cream and add some milk instead for a low fat recipe.
How to serve:
This rich and creamy curry is great to serve with both rice and roti. Here are some of my favorite dishes to serve with this:
Priya Srinivasan
Such a delicious recipe pavani, we love methi subzi's, with cashews and cream this subzi is such a royal treat to our tastebuds! i m definitey going to try this soon!
Lathiya
Never heard of this dish before but it looks drool some. It is so creamy and flavorful.
Jayashree T.Rao
Methi Chaman looks delicious and makes a good accompaniment with rice or any flat bread. Loved the combination of ingredients, fenugreek and cottage cheese, use methi abundantly.