METHI CHAMAN/ KASHMIRI METHI CHAMAN /A WINTER DELIGHT
As the name suggests this glorious dish includes methi/fenugreek leaves and the paneer/cottage cheese. Paneer is called Chaman in Kashmir. Kashmiri cuisine includes dairy products a lot in which milk, dahi/yogurt and paneer are the major ones. Paneer is used to make a number of dishes in very interesting ways. Methi Chaman is one of those in which paneer is added in methi based gravy. This gravy is cooked rich in texture by adding fresh cream and the cashew paste. The paneer based dishes are a part of the Wazwan dishes which define authentic Kashmiri cuisine
This cuisine is very less explored than others, although it has many tasty and unique dishes to enjoy. There are a few special spices which differ this cuisine from other ones. The use of saunf and saunth(fennel and dry ginger powder) is a must in their dishes for flavour and warmth. Due to extreme cold, the spices like dry ginger and saffron keep them warm and healthy but in contrast, saunf has a cool effect on the body. In these ways, these spice maintain a balance
In this dish, I too have used these aromatic spices along with a few regular ones. This winter special dish has fresh methi leaves as a star ingredient. A little Kasuri Methi also enhances the pungent flavour of this healthy green. A must-try dish this winters. Let’s come to the recipe
Prep time – 20 min
Cook time – 20 min
Course – Main
Cuisine – North India(Kashmir)
Serves – 4-5
Author – Bharti Dhawan
ALL WE NEED TO MAKE METHI CHAMAN
• Paneer/Cottage Cheese – 250 gms(cubed)
• Methi leaves /fenugreek leaves – 200 gms
• Kaju tukra/broken cashew – 15-20 nos
• Milk to soak kaju tukra – 1/2 cup
• water for gravy – 1 and 1/2 cup
• Onion – 2 medium-sized
• Tomatoes – 2 medium-sized
• Ginger – 2-inch piece
• Garlic cloves – 2-3 nos
• Green chillies – 1-2 nos
• Mustard oil – 2 tbsp
• Fresh cream/malai – 2 tbsp
• Salt – 2 tsp
POWDERED AND WHOLE SPICES
• Bay leaves/Tez patta – 2 nos
• Jeera/Whole Cumin – 2 tsp
• Kashmiri red chilly powder – 2 tsp
• Saunf/fennel powder – 2 tsp
• Dhania/coriander powder – 2 tsp
• Haldi/ Turmeric powder – – 1 tsp
• Sounth/Dry ginger powder – 1 tsp
• Hing/Asafoetida powder – 1 tsp
• Kasuri/dry methi leaves – 1 tsp
INGREDIENTS FOR GARNISH
• Fresh cream – 2 tsp
• Raisins/kishmish- A few
• Kaju/Cashew nuts – A few
PREPARATIONS TO BE DONE
1- Soak kaju tukra into the milk for 20-30 minutes and grind to make a smooth paste
2- separate methi/fenugreek leaves from the stems and chop them coarsely
3- Make a ginger-garlic-chilly paste in the grinder or a mortar or sil- batta
HOW TO MAKE METHI CHAMAN/DIRECTIONS TO COOK
1- Heat mustard oil to smoking point and switch off the flame for a few minutes to let the oil become little cool
2- Again switch on the flame and add bay leaves and whole jeera. Roast/bhuno jeera until it crackles
3- Add chopped onions. Cook them until they get translucent
4- Add ginger-garlic-chilly paste and roast it with onions
5- Add salt and all the powdered spices. Bhuno them for a second
6- Add chopped tomatoes and cook until the masala leaves side of the pan
7- Add methi leaves and cook them with onion tomato masala
8- Now, add Kaju/cashew paste and bhuno again for 2-3 minutes
9- Add required water for gravy and allow the first boil to come
10- Add paneer cubes and cover the pan with the lid. Allow boiling the gravy for 2-4 minutes at medium flame. Paneer will absorb all the flavours
11- Finally finish the methi paneer dish with kasoori methi, fresh cream, raisins/kishmish and kaju
12- Serve the yummiest methi paneer dish in the main course with roti, parantha or steamed rice
NOTES
1- Mustard oil/Sarson ka tel is an integral part of Kashmiri cuisine, but you can use any of your own choices
2- Adding kasoori methi is optional. You can skip this to avoid it due to its strong flavour
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