Methi Malai Matar

Methi Malai Matar

Recipe and Photo Courtesy: Aarthi (my sister)

My sister made my paati's famous Methi Malai Matar and sent me this pic. It is a wonderful North Indian curry and tastes great with chappatis.

Ingredients

1 onion
1 and 1/4 cup peas
1 big tomato
4-5 cashews
1 inch ginger
4 green chillies
3-4 tbsp thick curds/ yogurt
1 sp khus khus
1/2 tsp jeera , 1/2 cup milk
1 bunch methi leaves ( big leaf variety)
oil 3 tsp

To make the masala powder:
2 elachi (cardamom)
cloves 2
1 inch cinnamon
1/8 tsp jeera
4 pepper corns

Chop cleansed methi leaves and saute in 1 tsp hot oil in a kadai for a few min.
Once the leaves become soft, keep them aside.
Precook peas separately.
In a dry kadai, saute cinnamon, elachi, cloves, jeera and pepper. Dry grind together to a fine masala powder. Keep aside.
In a kadai, add oil , add the jeera seeds. When they crack add about 1/2 of a chopped onion and saute well.
Meanwhile make a thick paste with a big piece (1/4 of an onion), cashews, khus khus, ginger, green chillies and curd.
Add the paste to the sauted onions. Fry till the excess liquid is evaporated.
Add the puree of 1 tomato and saute. Add enough salt and saute till almost dry.
Now add the cooked peas and methi. Mix evenly.
Add the masala powder and milk and simmer for a few minutes...
Serve with hot rotis/ chapatis.