Ria's Collection: MURGH METHI MALAI

Monday, January 31, 2011

MURGH METHI MALAI

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There are certain things only another food blogger can understand. Anybody I  come across with a recipe can inspire  me :) The story behind this curry is a perfect example for that. I am very active on Facebook so is Bindu chechy. We met over FB although she is not a food blogger we get along really well. I think we have a conversation or two on a daily basis.It was during one such conversation that she happened to mention about her Methi Malai Chicken and I shot her a message instantly asking her for the recipe. I so bless that day!

'...you'll need one chicken all cleaned up & cut into pieces.Make this in a pressure cooker as it yields a smooth gravy.Pour enough oil in the cooker & fry two chopped medium onions well after adding a pinch of salt to it,add about 3 big spoons of ginger,garlic,green chillies paste & continue frying. To this add about 3 cups of washed & drained methi leaves(fresh) & saute till wilted.Add the washed chicken & all the dry masala,coriander,jeera,garam masala & turmeric powder & fry for a few minutes.Add four big spoons of whipped yoghurt & cook for a couple of mins.Add little water if required & pressure cook till done.Open the cooker as soon as the pressure goes down & add a small can of malai(cream-I use nestle) & stir nicely.Serve hot.It's really yummy.Since there's no red chilli powder added make sure to use enough green chillies to suit your taste. Let me know once you make it.Just warm it gently after adding the cream to incorporate & you can add tomatoes cut into chunks also as you close the cooker to cook the chicken! The final product should be a tangy,flavourful one with gravy'...said she.


For me, to make a curry or something, I just need a 'frame'of recipe and I can build upon it I waited to get hold of some nice fresh Methi/Fenugreek leaves to make this curry. Yesterday when we went grocery shopping, I bought a bunch of good looking methi and the fate of that chicken we just bought was sealed. Murgh Methi Malai  & Poori (unleavened deep fried Indian bread) it was!
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This is the first time I am cooking with Fenugreek leaves. I have heard how bitter they can be, so I took  a precaution by soaking the leaves in some salt water for 10 mins. I have mentioned it in the recipe also, just in case people just rush through this part :) You need not use the pressure cooker, you can use a regular pan as well. Pressure cooking makes things a bit quicker, that's all :)

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MURGH METHI MALAI
Recipe inspired from Bindu



Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, cut up into 18-20 pieces, washed.
2 large red onions, finely sliced
3 tbsp ginger garlic paste
12 green chillies, ground to a rough paste
1 1/2 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 bunch fresh methi/fenugreek leaves*
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
5 tbsp plain yoghurt, whisked well
4 tbsp heavy cream/Amul cream
Salt to taste
Oil- 3 tbsp

*Water- 1/2 cup

Method:
*Soak the fenugreek leaves in some water + salt  for 10 mins. Squeeze out the leaves and then wash again. This takes away all the bitter taste from the leaves.
*Wash the chicken well. If you are draining it, you will have to add the mentioned water. If not, the chicken will leave enough water for the gravy.I usually don't drain the water from the chicken. This curry should be creamy and not watery, so please keep that in mind when you add water.

Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add the sliced onions plus some salt and saute till they become soft.
Add the gingergarlic paste and green chillies and saute for almost a minute.
Add the powders and mix well. Add in the leaves and give it a good mix till they wilt.
Add in the chopped tomatoes and mix. If you want, you can mush up the tomato pieces with the back of your spoon.
Add in the well whisked yoghurt and mix quickly so that it doesn't spilt.
Add in the chicken pieces and brown the pieces. Cover and cook for 1 whistle.
Let the pressure go down on it's own. Open the lid and add in the cream.
Check for salt and serve hot with rice/chapathi/parata/poori/bread...or eat it plain! :)
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Verdict:  We both lost track of how many Poori's we ate because of this wonderful wonderful curry! It is really a very very delicious creamy curry. Try it for yourself and see! :-)

16 Comments:

divya said...

Yummm!!!!wat a beautiful looking curry soo tempting and mouthwatering ....great click...

Divya Kudua said...

What a co-incidence,we both cooked Methi!!The curry looks so creamy,let me see if I can do a Methi Paneer Malai version!!

Unknown said...

Looks so so delicious and creamy. The placemat looks pretty too!

Seema said...

Wow, the creamy curry with fenugreek is so inviting. I can very well understand how one can lose track on the number of pooris consumed when you have such a delicious company... Hey I have a Methi Murgh (sans Malai) recipe in my blog... Do check and try sometime. It turns out yummy too...

http://amchi-bong-konnexion.blogspot.com/2010/10/methi-murg.html

Regards,
Seema
amchi-bong-konnexion.blogspot.com
seemabbas.blogspot.com

cook from doha said...

yummy recipe............i also make this but in a different way check out my blog
http://experimentswithtaste.blogspot.com/

notyet100 said...

curry looks delicious,..luv methi in anything

Finla said...

How i wish we got fresh mehti leaves here, curry looks so so good.

Priya Suresh said...

Slurp,irresistible and creamy gravy,soo tempting..

Purnima said...

Sounds very good..looks too tempting! I just exhausted 2 bunches of methi over methi-chapatis..but there is alws next time..so my frozen chkn wd hv a 'sealed fate'(I loved this phrase for chicken!) :) Tks for sharing! (I m frequent user of Methi Leaves, I saute one bunch wt a drop of oil in a kadhai for around 2 mins or till bit crisp on high flame.So my kids too hv it.)

Swapna said...

Made this and it was delicious and we both loved it!! Thanks Ria!!!

Leya said...

Hi Ria,
I have been following your blog for a while now, and this is the first recipe that I have tried from here. I used to make Methi chicken using a Sanjeev Kapoor recipe in which kasuri methi is used instead of the fresh methi leaves. I used to love that recipe but always felt that it had insufficient gravy to take it to that "decadent" level.But this one has hit the spot!:)
I loved the idea of using cream to give the gravy the silky texture. I substitued cream with cashew+milk paste - this I do for all such gravies because it just brings my guilt pangs down by a notch ;)
Will send you a picture of how mine turned out,ok?
Thank you, again!

shilpa singh said...

I tried this dish and it turned out yummy and creamy....

MI said...

Hi Ria,

Your website looks gr8 and so does each recipe and its ambience, that's featured on it.

I have been following your blog for nearly 5 years but Your murg methi dish was literally the first one that I have tried from your website, and by Gods grace it turned out well.

Substituted fresh methi leaves with kasoori methi, and amul cream with nestle cream, but it still turned out quite well.. my hubby loved it, and so did it.

A great inspiration for an amateur who officially entered the cooking world couple of months back.

Thanks Ria. You make cooking sound so effortless and fun:)
God bless you.

Regds,
MI

MI said...

Hi Ria,

Your website looks gr8 and so does each recipe and the experience that's featured with it.

I have been following your blog for nearly 5 years but Your murg methi dish was literally the first one that I have tried from your website, and by Gods grace it turned out well.

Substituted fresh methi leaves with kasoori methi, and amul cream with nestle cream, but it still turned out quite well.. my hubby loved it, and so did i.

A great inspiration for an amateur who officially entered the cooking world couple of months back. ;)

Thanks Ria. You make cooking sound so effortless and fun:)
God bless you.

Regds,
MI

Meera Ratnan said...

Hi Ria,

I tried out this dish today but it didn't turn out as good as urs. I am a bit disappointed. Unlike yours, my chicken came out dry. I had used boneless chicken breasts instead of whole chicken. Is that the reason for this difference in taste? Please help me.

Ria Mathew said...

Meera, I am sorry to hear that you didn't like this curry. If you would ask me which part of chicken I hate the most, it has to be the chicken breasts. I find it very bland and chewy. It gets cooked very very fast and if you use that for our Indian curries where we need to simmer and such, it gets over cooked and chewy. I would recommend that you try with whole chicken instead because the dark meat lets out its juices and makes the curry so much more flavorful . The bony pieces lets out juices while cooking so most likely you will not have to add water. Also, don't cook on high heat if you think there's not much gravy since it will get evaporated .

If you don't like to use whole chicken, try using boneless skinless chicken thighs instead. I really hope this helps, Meera!

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