Methi Malai Paneer (No Onion No Garlic)

This Methi Malai Paneer is restaurant-style, without onion and garlic, and packed with fresh fenugreek leaves! This curry is creamy, rich, delicious, comforting, and satisfying.

If you are bored of the same red gravy paneer recipe, then you should try this Methi Malai Paneer! It has a slight hint of sweetness and very mild but pleasant bitterness from methi leaves. Serve this curry with your choice of Indian flatbread or rice!

Jump to:

• About Methi Malai Paneer
• Why You Will Love This Curry
• Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Directions
• Serving Suggestions
• Helpful Tips
• More Paneer Recipes
• You May Like More Curry Recipes
• Recipe Card

About Methi Malai Paneer

Methi Malai Paneer is different than red gravy paneer curries. It is creamy, rich, and has a slight hint of sweetness. It consists of soft paneer cubes in white gravy with spices and herbs.

Making the curries with white gravy without onions is a little bit challenging. Onions with the cashews make the gravy thick and provide the base of the curry. So, for this recipe, I have used celery and cabbage with cashews to get the almost white and thick gravy. However, I have added a very small tomato to provide more flavor to the curry.

So, in one way, Methi Malai Paneer is not only packed with fresh methi leaves, but it contains other vegetables as well. As a result, the curry is delicious, different from other paneer curries, comforting, and satisfying. So, if you are bored with your regular paneer curries, try this recipe for a good change!

Why You Will Love This Curry

• It is different than red gravy-based paneer curries.
• Methi Malai Paneer is extra rich and creamy without adding too much cream.
• It is without onion and garlic but full of flavors.
• This curry is restaurant-style and delicious.
• It is packed with fresh methi leaves.
• The recipe is easy to make and requires only staple pantry ingredients.

Ingredients

1. Paneer: A fresh and soft Paneer is a must for any Paneer recipe. I usually make Paneer at home, which guarantees a soft, fresh, and creamy Paneer block. Making Paneer at home is not difficult at all; you can check out this Homemade Paneer recipe. If you are buying a store-bought Paneer, make sure to bring it to room temperature before adding it to the gravy. If Paneer is hard, place it in a Ziploc bag or container and keep it in hot water for 20 minutes. Keeping it in hot water will make the Paneer soft.
2. Fresh Methi (Fenugreek) Leaves: Methi is very healthy and loaded with protein, iron, and vitamin C. As an Indian, I often use methi in different recipes. There are dry methi seeds, which are also a part of our regular Masalas (spices). In India, we consume lots of methi in winter. However, here, methi leaves are almost available throughout the year. And especially in summer, you will find planted methi leaves in every other Indian’s backyard. Methi leaves are on the bitter side, but by mixing them with other ingredients, you will not taste bitterness. I have used two cups of fenugreek leaves, but you can use as much or less as per your preference. 
3. Cashews and Melon Seeds: These two ingredients make the base of the gravy. They help bind the other gravy ingredients and make the gravy thick, creamy, and rich. If you do not have melon seeds, you can skip them, but you will need to use cashews for this recipe. Or, you can use the same amount of blanched almonds instead of cashews.
4. Celery: The gravy of Methi Malai Paneer is almost a white gravy. And to make the white gravy base, a lot of onions are used. So to replace onions, I have used celery and cabbage to make the gravy. If you do not have celery, add a little more chopped cabbage or chop half of the turnip and use it instead of celery.
5. Cabbage: As I mentioned above, I have used celery and cabbage to make this gravy. You can skip celery if you do not have it, but cabbage is essential for this curry.
6. Tomato: I have used only a very small tomato for this recipe. If you want, you can skip adding the tomato.
7. Yogurt: One might think that it is Methi Malai Paneer, so there will be a lot of Malai (cream) in the recipe. But I have added only a tablespoon of cream to the curry, and still, the curry is creamy and rich. The reason is the use of yogurt and cashews. Yogurt makes the curry rich, creamy, and smooth without adding too many calories. You can use either low-fat or full-fat yogurt for this recipe.
8. Ginger and Green Chilis: Ginger provides an earthy flavor, and green chilis provide spiciness. Add green chilis, less or more, according to your spice preference. However, please note that no red chili powder is used in the recipe. So add green chilis accordingly.
9. Whole and Ground Spices: I have used some whole spices and regular basic powdered spices to make this Methi Malai Paneer. One can use either Garam Masala powder or Kitchen King Masala powder for this recipe. I recommend using Kitchen King Masala if you find this masala without onion and garlic, or try this recipe Kitchen King Masala Recipe (No Onion No Garlic). Or use regular Garam Masala powder or Punjabi Garam Masala. You can check out this homemade Punjabi Garam Masala recipe.
10. Sugar: Sugar cuts the bitterness of the methi leaves and enhances the curry flavors. Instead of sugar, you can add honey if you want.
11. Coriander Leaves: Indian curries are incomplete without fresh coriander leaves, isn’t it? Add finely chopped coriander leaves for more flavor.
12. Cream: I added only a tablespoon of cream as this curry is creamy and rich with yogurt and cashews. But if you like the richer curry, add more cream as per your preference.

Step-by-Step Directions

• Rinse fenugreek leaves thoroughly, drain, and chop them finely. Set aside.

Making The Gravy

• Heat oil in a pan; add bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, green cardamoms, and black peppercorns.
• Saute the spices for a minute or until they are fragrant.

• Add green chilis, ginger, melon seeds, and cashews.
• Saute for a minute.

• Add tomatoes, celery, cabbage, salt, and water.
• Mix well and cover the pan.
• Continue cooking on low-medium heat until tomatoes are soft. 

• Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool down.
• Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon.

• Transfer the mixture to the blender jar, and blend into a smooth paste.
• Add water to the blender if needed to blend everything into a smooth paste.
• Set it aside.

Making The Methi Malai Paneer

• Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds.
• Allow them to sizzle, and then add asafoetida. Saute for a few seconds.

• Then, add methi leaves and mix well.
• Saute the leaves for 2-3 minutes; the leaves will be wilted and leave some water.

• Add prepared gravy, stir well, and cook for a minute. 

• Now add yogurt and mix everything well.

• Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and sugar.
• Stir well and continue cooking the mixture for 10-12 minutes, stirring often. 

• Add paneer, ¾ to 1 cup water (as required), and salt.
• Mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the paneer cubes are soft.

• Add cream and chopped coriander leaves, mix well, cook for a minute, and turn off the heat.

• Then, transfer the Methi Malai Paneer to a serving bowl and serve with Indian flatbread or rice.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve this delicious curry with any Indian flatbread of your choice.
• It goes well with Roti, Tandoori Roti, Naan, Kulcha, Paratha, or this Whole Wheat Kulcha (No Yeast) / Kulcha On Tawa.
• However, you can also serve it with plain rice, Jeera rice, or Pulao.
• If you want to make a festive meal, pair Methi Malai Paneer with other Dal preparations and accompaniments like Boondi Raita, Pomegranate Raita / Anar Raita, or Cucumber Raita.

Helpful Tips

• Paneer: Use Malai paneer, if possible, for the best Methi Malai Paneer. And if you are making paneer at home, use only full-fat or whole milk.
• Fresh Methi Leaves: Use fresh Methi leaves and discard the wilted leaves. If you want to remove the bitterness of Methi leaves, mix them with some salt and leave them aside for 10 minutes. Then, wash them thoroughly under running water; this will help reduce the bitterness of Methi leaves.
• Yogurt: Do not use sour yogurt, and also do not use Greek yogurt. Homemade or store-bought plain yogurt is perfectly fine for the rich and creamy Methi Malai Paneer.
• Tomato: Use only a small or a half of the medium tomato to make the gravy. Otherwise, you will end up on pink-colored gravy.
• Spiciness: No red chili powder is used in this recipe. So, for your desired spiciness, add the green chilis accordingly.

More Paneer Recipes

You May Like More Curry Recipes

• Palak Corn (No Onion No Garlic) / Spinach and Corn Curry
• Paneer Jalfrezi (No Onion No Garlic)
• Rajma Masala (No Onion No Garlic) / Kidney Bean Curry
• Baby Potato Curry / Baby Potatoes In Yogurt Tomato Sauce
• Whole Green Moong Dal / Jain Mung Bean Curry (Instant Pot & Stovetop)

Recipe Card