Vegan Methi Matar Malai | No cream or milk required!

Vegan Methi Matar Malai | No cream or milk required!

Satvik or no onion no garlic recipes are the rage in Hindu families, especially during the festive season which begins in the Holy Month of Shravan. Some families don’t eat both onion garlic throughout the year as a family tradition while some abstain from it during festivals or fasting. In either case, the abstinence is supposed to drive away thoughts of love, anger, hatred and jealousy (Rajas Gunn in Ayurvedic diet) and drive us towards devotion to God with Tamasic / peace-loving feelings. 

Today’s dish is a vegan - no dairy version of the popular Methi Malai Matar (Click here for the low fat version). Which means it has a vegan substitute for the Malai (or the milk cream too). Delicious is an under-statement as we paired it with hot rotis for a very fulfilling meal. Even my mom who generally avoids North Indian gravies due to its masala content loved it a lot. Another No onion no garlic side dish for Roti / Chapati/ Poori is this Railway style Aloo Sabji or this homestyle Aloo - Methi sabji (my mom's version)

Veganism - A fad or a way of life ?

Veganism as a way of life has caught up with the rest of the world (incl India), but the traditional South Indian gravies - Kuzhambu , Sambhar, chutney, dry curries and flatbreads that are part of the traditional, everyday Sit-down meals in India had just ghee and buttermilk as diary. Paneer / Cheese in a South Indian household was a rarity even till the last 15 years. The (over) production and consumption of Cheese and Paneer has now taken over greens and veggies in households across India and Indian households abroad due to its sheer novelty factor.

I remember when I was blogging, circa 2016 there was this huge Vegan and Gluten Free wave that swept the blogosphere. Extra brownie points were awarded if the dish was vegan and double points if it was Gluten Free as well. When one sits and analyses the traditional hand-me down recipes in any household, it was naturally vegan (and in most cases GF too, which only Hing or asafoetida contributed). Breads with millets like bajra (pearl millet) / Jowar (Sorgum) / Ragi (Finger millet) were naturally gluten free.

Why Veganism?

Some of them choose veganism as a way of life, right till the clothes they wear and the footwear they buy. Most follow it for a health reasons (read "The China Study" to understand why veganism is so popular and critical to go vegan!) . Some follow it to cut out dairy and cruelty products from their lifestyle. Whatever be the reason, veganism is here to stay , and how!! Organisations like Sharan have shown that the transition to Vegan lifestyle needn't be painful, and many many of their recipes are unbelievably fabulous - one simply doesn't miss the dairy or the refined products in most of their recommended courses or recipes.

As for me and my family, we have recipes like today's where it is easy to replace dairy produce with non dairy alternatives ! To each his own, but a beginning must be made !

Other gravies / curries for Roti or rice you may like:

FAQs for this delicious VEGAN methi matar Malai

1. Can we use Frozen peas ? Yes fresh or frozen can be used. I prefer to par boil the fresh peas to aid a quick curry
2. If not vegan, can we use milk / cream in this recipe ? Yes, by all means please use them separately. Don't overcook after adding either as it might split
3. I have an allergy to nuts - can I use store bought Oat milk ? I haven't tried with Oat milk, but any nut free vegan milk might work, with a slight difference in taste. Please leave a comment below if you used any store bought milk
4. Can I use store bought Almond milk? Yes, you may use unsweetened almond milk.
5. Can I use frozen fenugreek leaves ? Yes, use it directly without thawing.
6. Can I skip using the garlic / onion in this recipe ? Yes, it would be a satvik recipe with slight variation in taste. You might want to increase the ginger a bit and also add asafoetida into the tempering.

PIN FOR LATER

What are the major ingredients in this Vegan methi Matar Malai

Methi / Fenugreek - use fresh ones for best results

Matar / Green peas - I used fresh. Frozen can also be used

Malai / Cream - read the ingredients and the recipe below to see the substitutes used in place of cream

Oil, salt and spices - you want the fenugreek leaves and peas to shine through, so, keep these to a minimum

Onion, garlic - you can skip this easily without too much difference in the taste

Let’s get to making this vegan Methi matar malai 

Vegan Indian Curry with Green peas and fresh fenugreek simmered with minimal spices and oil 

Prep time - 15 mins, Cook time - 20 mins, Serves - 4

• 400 g Fenugreek leaves (fresh fenugreek leaves - cleaned, washed and sorted)
• 200 g Peas (Fresh or frozen) 
• 3 tablespoon almonds (divided use)
• 2 tablespoon oil
• 1 medium onion
• 3 green chillies
• 2 pods garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 inch ginger 
• 1 teaspoon Garam Masala 
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera) 
• 1 inch cinnamon stick 
• 2 cardamom
• 1 teaspoon sugar (opt.)

Liked this recipe? SIGN UP FOR THE Sizzling Tastebuds Newsletter (No Spam, Promise!) for fresh, healthy and tasty recipes right into your inbox . Please consider leaving a star ???? rating on this recipe for us to get you the best recipes out there.   FOLLOW Sizzling Tastebuds ON Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest AND  Instsgram for fresh content, latest recipes and much more!

How to make Vegan Methi Matar Malai:

1. Soak almonds in hot water for 20 mins. Drain the water, peel and make a smooth paste with it adding additional hot water. 
2. Wash and cut the Methi leaves finely. 
3. Shell the fresh peas from the pod or bring frozen peas to room temperature. 
4. In a pan, add oil, sizzle the cardamom, ginger , cinnamon stick and cumin seeds.
5. In the same pan, add the onions, garlic, ginger and saute till onions turn pink.
6. Remove the onion mixture to a blender jar, Cool and puree with the almonds .  
7. Now in the same pan, add the remaining oil.
8. Add the Methi leaves, green chillies , sauté for 2-3 mins till Methi slightly wilts. 
9. Now add the salt, pinch of sugar and the cashew paste . Reserve ¼ portion of the onion-almond paste for later. 
10. Add ½ cup of hot water and gently simmer in low for 6-7 mins till raw smell disappears 
11. Now add the frozen peas, garam masala and gently simmer again with the remaining almond paste 
12. Adjust salt and spice 
13. Let the gravy thicken a bit, about 4-5 mins
14. Switch off stove , serve hot with rotis or steamed rice. 

Refer the Video below for a detailed recipe and step by step instructions. If you are visiting our channel for the first time, please don't forget to hit like ???? and subscribe to our channel ❤️. We appreciate your love and would eagerly wait to hear from from you on how we can bring your favourite dishes to our channel too ! Thanks a ton ????????