Methi Matar Makhana Curry
Wilted fresh fenugreek, green peas, and roasted fox nuts in a cashew tomato gravy. A winter North Indian curry without khoya.
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed pan or kadhai
- Blender
- Small bowl
Ingredients
For the roasted makhana
- 2 cups phool makhana (fox nuts / lotus seeds)
- 1 tablespoon ghee
For the cashew paste
- 15 cashews about 1/4 cup
- 1/4 cup hot water for soaking
For the gravy
- 2 tablespoons oil or ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 onion large, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
- 1-2 green chillies slit
- 2 tomatoes medium, blended to a puree, about 3/4 cup
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/2 cup warm water plus more as needed
- 1/3 cup whole milk or 3 tablespoons fresh cream
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi crushed between your palms
For the methi and peas
- 2 packed cups fresh methi leaves picked, washed, and chopped, from 1 large bunch
- 1 cup green peas fresh or frozen
To garnish
- fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 tablespoon cream optional
Instructions
Soak and roast
- Soak the cashews in 1/4 cup hot water for 15 minutes. Blend with the soaking water until completely smooth. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in the kadhai over medium-low. Add the makhana. Roast 5 to 7 minutes, stirring, until they turn light gold and a piece snaps cleanly. Tip them onto a plate.
Build the gravy
- In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil or ghee over medium. Add cumin seeds and the bay leaf. Let the cumin sizzle 30 seconds.
- Add the chopped onion and a pinch of salt. Cook 6 to 8 minutes until soft and light gold, not burnt.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and green chillies. Cook 1 minute until the raw smell goes.
- Add tomato puree, turmeric, Kashmiri chilli, coriander powder, cumin powder, and salt. Cook 5 to 6 minutes until the masala thickens and oil collects at the edges.
- Stir in the cashew paste. It will seize and look pasty. Add 1/2 cup warm water and stir until it loosens into a gravy that coats a spoon.
Add methi, peas, then makhana
- Add the chopped methi. Stir 2 to 3 minutes until the leaves wilt and the raw, grassy bite drops. If your bunch is very bitter, see the notes.
- Add the peas. Frozen peas can go in straight. Fresh peas need 4 to 5 minutes until tender. Add a splash of water if the gravy is catching.
- Stir in milk or cream, garam masala, and crushed kasuri methi. Taste for salt. The gravy should taste gently bitter from the methi, a little sweet from the peas, and nutty from the cashew.
- Add the roasted makhana. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes on low so they take on gravy but still have a little chew. Do not walk away.
- Garnish with cilantro and a spoon of cream if you want. Serve hot.
Notes
If the methi tastes harsh, sprinkle the chopped leaves with a pinch of salt, rest 5 minutes, and squeeze before they go in the pan. Young winter methi usually only needs a good wilt.
Frozen peas are fine. Do not thaw them on the counter. Add them frozen so they stay bright.
Fresh methi is the point of this curry. Off season, use 2 tablespoons kasuri methi in the gravy and skip the wilted greens. It will taste closer to a matar makhana curry.
Khoya upgrade: stir in 1/2 cup crumbled khoya after the cashew paste loosens, then add water as needed. You can ease back on the milk.
Extra cashews: roast 2 tablespoons with the makhana and add them at the end.
Paneer: 1 cup cubes, pan-fried, added with the makhana.
Vegan: oil instead of ghee, and 1/3 cup unsweetened cashew milk or thin coconut milk instead of dairy. Skip the cream garnish.
Jain: skip onion and garlic. Bloom a pinch of hing with the cumin, use 1 cup tomato puree, and blend 18 cashews so the gravy still has body.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The makhana will soften. Reheat gently with a splash of water. Do not freeze. The fox nuts turn spongy.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!