Malai methi matar

I had a packet of frozen methi that wasn’t transforming into anything magical by itself.. and seeing it sit there long enough, meant, well that I had to be making something interesting with it. And the result, one of my favourite Mughalai dishes – Malai Methi Matar. Of course it has one “healthy” substitution for the authentic fatty ingredient. But if you like what you see below, you can read on..

So here’s what you need -

Ingredients	Quantity
1. Methi	A fresh bunch or a frozen pack, thawed (approximately 500g)
2. Green peas	1/2 pack, thawed if frozen or 300g fresh
3. Onion	1 medium, finely chopped
4. Tomato	1 medium, finely chopped
5. Green chilli	2 small, coarsely chopped
6. Malai/Fresh cream	1 cup (I used plain 2% milk)
7. Oil	1 tablespoon
8. Dry spices	1/2 tsp each of coriander powder, jeera powder, garam masala, a pinch of turmeric and salt to taste
9. For tempering	1/2 tsp each of mustard seeds and urad dal

And now?

1. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the mustard seeds and urad dal, allowing them to sputter.

2. Put in the onions, allow them to cook well at a low flame, whilst tempering the curry with salt and turmeric.

3. Meanwhile, grind together the methi, the tomatoes, the green chilli and salt as per taste.

4. Next add the peas to the onions and give it a good stir. Close the skillet and allow the peas to blend in with the onions for about 2 minutes.

5. Now toss in all your dry spices and stir well.

6. Once the peas get cooked well, add the ground methi mixture. Now close the lid once more and allow it to cook well for at least 5 minutes of medium flame.

7. Once the methi has wilted considerably, bearing evidence to having cooked fully, lower the flame and stir in the milk/fresh cream/malai into the mixture, adding it a little bit at a time.

8. Bring it to a slow boil and turn the gas off.

That’s it.. it goes amazingly well with parathas and rice alike. So, Bon Appétit!

Note: This subji usually has a greenish-white gravy. Adding cream will give you a far smoother and thicker consistency than adding milk (of course it has it’s negative perks as well). Also, it is traditional to grind in some cashews to add to the white gravy. If having the sinfully good taste is your priority, go for these omissions and enjoy this dish the way the Mughals supposedly did. Enjoy!