Methi Paneer Recipe

Paneer, an ingredient that was introduced back in 16th century by the Afghan rulers. The word paneer is derived from a Turkish and Persian word ‘peynir/ panir’ which means cheese. It is made by curdling milk with a fruit or vegetable-derived acid like lemon juice. Paneer in India is considered a type of replacement of chicken dishes. In marriages where for those people who do not prefer meat, generally paneer dishes are made. India has many paneer dishes like Mattar paneer, paneer pulao, paneer tikka, chili paneer, paneer pakora, palak paneer to name a few of many. Today we are going to make Methi paneer which is one of the delicious dishes of paneer. So, let’s start.

Methi/Fenugreek leaves: 2 cups
Paneer: 250gm
Onion: 4 medium sized
Cashew nuts: 6-8 (blanched)
Ghee: 3 tbsp
Cinnamon sticks: 1/2 inch
Green cardamom: 1-2
Cloves: 3-4
Black peppercorns: 10-12
Bay leaves: 2
Ginger: 1/2 inch
Green chilies: 3 sliced
Curd: 2 cups
Asafoetida powder/ Hing: 1/5 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1tsp
Sugar: 1/2tsp
Salt: As per taste
Water: As needed

For first step, we will take 2 cups fresh fenugreek leaves in a bow and soak them in 2 cups water in which we will add a pinch of salt for the sour taste to go away. Keep it aside.

For second step we will start with prep work of gravy. For that we will take 4 medium sized onions and cut them into 4 pieces each and separate the peels. Take a kadhai/wok and boil them for 5 minutes in water so that the spiciness goes away from onions. After 5 minutes put them in a mixer along with the blanched cashew nuts and grind them to paste.

Again, take kadhai on a medium flame and add 2 tbsp ghee. To the melted ghee add ½ inch cinnamon stick, 1-2 green cardamom, 3-4 cloves, 10-12 black peppercorn and 2 bay leaves. Stir and let it sit for 2 minutes. Then add our onion and cashew paste in it and stir until ghee mixes with the paste. Then add ½ inch ginger and 3 sliced green chilies. Cook it gently on low flame so that the masala mix does not stick to the bottom or catch color. After 3-4 minutes of cooking add 1-1 ½ cup curd in the masala. Cook and keep on stirring throughout the cooking so that the masala gets properly roasted but does not stick to the base. Now add 1 cup water and salt as per taste. Mix properly and let it sit on flame for 15-20 minutes.

Now let’s come to our methi/ fenugreek leaves. Separate them from water and chop them to fine pieces.
After being done with the cooking, strain the masala mix through a sieve and separate the crude spices from the masala. Now in another kadhai/wok add ghee 1 tbsp. To the melted ghee add a pinch of asafoetida powder, 1 tsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp sugar and after 1 minute add the chopped methi/fenugreek leaves. Roast them until water stops coming out of those leaves and they have been roasted properly.

Now cut the paneer into ½ inch small dices and add them to our roasted fenugreek/meth, mix them and roast them on medium flame for 4-5 minutes and then to it add our gravy. Mix them well and cook them on low flame for 8-10 minutes so that paneer becomes soft and taste becomes uniform throughout. Check the salt and make it up. If you crave for spiciness then you can add tadka on it. After cooking being done let it settle for 5 minutes and after that you can serve and enjoy.

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