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:
Asha
I have those little diaries too to jot down recipes as old as 1998!:DLooks great,I bought some frozen methi last week, Recipe sounds good Pavani!
Meena Kandlakuti
Hi Pavani…method of cleaning the levaes is good…I shall adopt rachel’s method and see.Thanks for sharing thsi wonderful recipe
Maheswari
I love methi and panner..nice combo..shall try soon..looks delicious.
HariPriya
Good way to clean greens;) and the recipe is best for roti thnx for sharing ..Btw ,i have tagged u for the Meme – three thingd..Hope u will continue this…
Coffee
Methi and paneer!!!! Nice combo!!!! I love methi in all forms. 🙂
Pooja
Hi Pavani, i too use the same method to clean and wash all the leafy vegetables. 🙂 nice dish with methi and paneer. it wil lgo great at our home as paneer si Huby;s favorite and methi is mine :)) thank for sharing-Pooja
Lakshmik
Hi PavaniI really like the name of this recipe. I love methi and paneer combo and am going to make it soon.
Rajitha
I googled Bagara Baingan and came across your blog, will let you know how the recipe turned out :)BTW you have got a good blog here.. keep posting 🙂
Seema
Pavni,I am a Rachel’s fan as well and you dish looks nice and healthy. Green is good. Thanx
pavi
hey,your recipe was dashing!!!!simply LOVED it!!!
Aparna
The recipe turned out wonderfully. Thanks a lot Pavani
cookshideout
Hi Aparna, I’m so glad that the recipe worked out for you. Thank you so much for letting me know.
Priya Suresh
What an aromatic and healthy methi chaman, just prefect to have with some rotis..
Shailender Sharma
Methi chaman is a popular dish from amongst the kashmiri pandit community of kashmir. Made on special occasion, this recipe has a uniqueness. Too good.
Mayuri Patel
Creamy, luscious, tempting, fingerlicking good. Love methi chaman. Haven’t tried making it at home but your recipe is tempting me to try. Like your tip of crushing kasuri methi for more flavour.
Lata Lala
I have always heard a lot about methi chaman. Haven’t tried making it at home though, your recipe is tempting me to make it soon. The tip of crushing kasuri methi to add more flavour is wonderful.
REPLY
Jolly
Heard about this dish many times, but never tried at home. I Love methi and panner, this is actually a nice combo. This must be a hit curry at my home. Lovely share!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
Pavani, I am going to try this recipe right away! Love the recipe and i have fresh methi and spinach. What a rich and delicious curry this is and so nutritious too with the greens.
Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey
Methi chaman name sounds so lovely, this creamy and luscious fenugreek leaves curry looks cosy and inviting. Kasoori methi makes every curry delicious!
Uma Srinivas
Loved your methi Chaman gravy color and texture. I bet this tastes delicious too. sad that I don’t get vegan version of it. Maybe I will make my own. Thanks for reminding me 🙂
Ruchi
Pavani, lovely recipe . Very well written post with all details and tips. Methi and paneer, definitely a great combo and tastes so amazing. Yum