Methi Chaman
Methi Chaman looks enough like palak paneer to lull you into a false sense of familiarity. Then the methi turns up. Here, fenugreek is very much in charge, with just enough palak around to keep its bitterness from becoming a hostile takeover. There is no onion, garlic, tomato or cream to hide behind either. Instead, fennel, dried ginger, hing and mustard oil do the heavy lifting, while fried paneer gets a hot-water spa treatment before joining the gravy. Slightly bitter, gently tangy and wonderfully aromatic, this is what happens when green paneer decides to develop a personality.
Ingredients
Paneer
400 g fresh paneer, cut into medium-sized cubes
3 tbsp mustard oil
500 ml hot water
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp salt
Greens
225–250 g fresh methi leaves, picked and cleaned
75–100 g palak, cleaned
2 green chillies
Water, for blanching
Gravy
2 tbsp mustard oil, preferably reserved from frying the paneer
½ tsp cumin seeds
4 green cardamom pods
3 cloves
1-inch cinnamon
1 bay leaf
¼ tsp asafoetida
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1½ tsp fennel powder
¾ tsp dried ginger powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
100 g curd, well beaten and preferably at room temperature
200–300 ml reserved paneer soaking water
Salt, to taste
¼ tsp Kashmiri garam masala, optional
Method
Blanch the greens
Bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil.
Add the methi and palak and blanch for 60–90 seconds, just until the leaves wilt and turn bright green.
Immediately transfer the greens to a bowl of iced water. Leave for about a minute, then drain.
Gently squeeze out the excess water without wringing the leaves completely dry.
Blend the methi and palak with the green chillies and just enough water to get the blades moving. Grind to a smooth, relatively thick purée.
Fry and soak the paneer
Heat the mustard oil in a kadai until it just begins to smoke, then reduce the heat to medium.
Add the paneer and fry until golden on two or three sides. There is no need to brown every surface.
Meanwhile, combine the hot water with the turmeric and salt.
Transfer the fried paneer directly into the seasoned hot water and leave it to soak for 10–15 minutes.
This gives you the best of both worlds: the flavour and slightly resilient exterior of fried paneer, while the hot-water soak keeps the centre soft.
Temper the oil
Reserve about 2 tbsp of the paneer-frying oil in the kadai.
Add the bay leaf, cumin seeds, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.
Let the spices crackle for about 30 seconds.
Lower the heat and add the asafoetida.
Bloom the ground spices
In a small bowl, combine the Kashmiri chilli powder, fennel powder, dried ginger powder and turmeric with about 3 tbsp water to make a loose slurry.
Add this to the tempered oil.
Cook gently for 1–2 minutes, stirring continuously, until aromatic.
Avoid frying the spices completely dry. The fennel, dried ginger and hing are central to the character of this gravy and can become harsh if scorched.
Cook the greens
Add the methi-palak purée and mix thoroughly.
Cook over medium heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring frequently.
The initial grassy aroma will gradually soften as the greens cook and integrate with the mustard oil and spices.
Don't wait for dramatic oil separation as you would with an onion-tomato masala. Prolonged cooking will only sacrifice the fresh flavour and green colour.
Add the curd
Reduce the heat to its lowest setting.
Make sure the curd is thoroughly whisked and preferably at room temperature.
Add it gradually, stirring continuously so it incorporates smoothly into the greens without splitting.
Cook gently for 3–4 minutes.
The gravy should become creamy and cohesive without feeling particularly rich or dairy-heavy.
Add the paneer
Remove the paneer from its soaking liquid, reserving the liquid.
Add the paneer to the gravy along with approximately 200 ml of the soaking water.
Season with salt and stir gently to avoid breaking the paneer.
Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5–7 minutes. Add a little more soaking water if the gravy becomes too thick.
The finished gravy should generously coat the paneer while still flowing easily from a spoon.
Finish and rest
Add the Kashmiri garam masala, if using, and turn off the heat.
Cover and rest for 10 minutes before serving.
What You're Looking For
This is methi first, palak second. The initial flavour should have the characteristic gentle bitterness of fenugreek, followed by sweet, milky paneer, tangy curd and the warm, almost sweet perfume of fennel and dried ginger.
Resist the temptation to add onion, garlic, tomato, cream, cashew paste, butter or sugar. Those ingredients can make a perfectly delicious green paneer curry, but they pull this dish towards palak paneer and away from what makes Methi Chaman interesting in the first place.