Methi Mushroom Matar Malai

I don’t know about you but when I am at a restaurant I like to try a food that I have either not eaten before (staying within the limits of my appetite for adventure!) or I order food that I love but I don’t necessarily cook at home normally OR there’s a third kind of eating out, and that is Chipotle! While I’m running from one place to other, starving, a pit stop where I can throw everything in a bowl and then quickly stuff my mouth with it, kind. Fast food you will call it but the being a “unbeliever” of fast food (if that’s even a word) Chipotle is as far as I can go.

Don’t worry we are not going to start a lecture on healthy eating or lash out on fast food today (let’s leave that for another day, but will get there so beware!). But I sure am in mood to lecture today so I will lecture on why to go out and spend big bucks on something that can be easily be prepared at home, with half the money you spend at a restaurant and for very little effort. I love such “restaurant foods” that are simple enough to put together and best part is I can cut down a lot on the amount of cream, sugar etc. when I am cooking at home. One such recipe that I totally adore is Methi Matar Malai. If you’ve ever tried making this dish at home you will realize it’s almost criminal to order it at a restaurant and even more so to serve it there.

If my MIL is joining us at an Indian restaurant then Methi Matar Malai always makes to the order, probably because it’s much less spicy than its other curry counterparts and also because being a vegetarian if she doesn’t pick paneer there’s only so many “rich curries” left for her on the menu. So I thought it’s about time I tackle the 3Ms (methi, matar, malai? bad one I know!) for the sake of people like my MIL who would rather make it at home if they knew about its simplicity. I added a third M to it, mushrooms just to add a protein to my curry. For those who are not very proficient with Hindi let me break down the dish name for you, Methi – fenugreek greens, Matar – green peas, Malai – cream and Mushroom – well, its mushroom! And for this recipe this is pretty much all you need other than a few very basic ingredients from your pantry to bring the dish together. So let’s get to the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon cooking oil (vegetable, canola or olive)

1/2 cup onion (chopped)

1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste

1 1/2 teaspoon garam masala

8 oz button mushroom (whole or if too big cut into halves)

1 1/2 cups shelled green peas (preferably steamed or frozen to reduce the cooking time)

2 1/2 tablespoon Kasuri Methi

1/2 cup half n half

1 tablespoon cashew powder (or just grind whole cashews)

Salt

Water

Method:

Heat oil in a thick bottom pan. Add onion. Cook over medium heat until the onion starts turning light golden, approx. 5 minutes. Add ginger garlic paste. Stir. Add salt, garam masala and 2 tablespoon water. Cook over medium heat until water evaporates and oil starts separating.

Toss in the mushrooms and green peas. Mix well. Turn the heat to medium low. Cover and cook to soften the mushrooms, approx. 3-5 minutes.

In the meantime mix cashew powder and half n half together. Set aside.

Uncover the pan, add kasuri methi. Mix well. Pour in half n half and cashew mix followed by approx. 3/4 cup water. Mix well. Simmer on medium for 3-5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Serve hot with fresh roti or side of rice.