I have an edible balcony garden, you guys. Actually, calling it a garden is a bit of a stretch but I do have a few gorgeous things growing there like methi leaves, okra, coriander leaves, carrot, cherry tomatoes, curry leaves, chillies, basil, and jasmine. Here’s a picture, see if you can spot all the plants I mentioned in the picture below. Methi is incredibly easy to grow. For my first batch, I just sowed some fenugreek seeds from my kitchen spice jar and had fresh leaves within a few weeks. While it wasn’t enough to make a dish of its own, I had enough fresh methi to make this methi paneer, a semi-dry dish that went nicely with roti and dal fry. Love paneer? Try: Tomato paneer pulao Matar paneer Paneer shashlik Palak paneer Paneer payasam For more pictures of my balcony garden and edible gardening journey in Singapore, please follow me on Instagram. This is also the first time I tried frying paneer and then dunking it into warm water to keep them soft. I see this tip in almost all paneer recipes I see but had never tried it before. Verdict? It works but not as well as I had imagined. If you refrigerate paneer, it will turn hard so some gentle warming is definitely a good idea. Also, the excess oil floats into the water so it’s not a bad move, all things considered. Step by Step Methi Paneer Recipe Heat oil in a pan and fry the paneer cubes until golden brown Drain and drop them into a bowl of warm water and set aside. This will ensure that the paneer pieces remain moist and don’t become rubbery on further cooking In the same pan with the oil, add the cumin and fenugreek seeds. When the cumin starts to sizzle, add the sliced onions. Fry until golden brown Add the ginger garlic paste and sauté for a minute or so until fragrant Drain the paneer and squeeze out excess water. Add to the above along with the methi leaves, chilli powder, coriander, and amchoor (if using), and salt Now add the milk and let it simmer in the gravy for a minute or two Let the gravy cook down until it coats the paneer pieces. Adjust salt if needed and add a pinch of sugar (optional) to enhance the flavours. You are all done. Remove from heat and serve warm with roti or rice Note: I made the methi paneer more of a dry version so if you want more gravy, you can add more milk, cream, coconut milk, cashew paste, etc along with enough water to make a gravy of your preferred consistency. For methi paneer recipe in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, etc please use the Google translate button in the sidebar.
