Methi Thepla and Paneer Chana Masala: Indian Recipe Combo

Tasty and Healthy Combo

Methi thepla and paneer chana masala make a wonderful combo that can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It makes a good choice for packed lunches, too, as the thepla remains fresh and soft for a long time.

What Is Methi Thepla?

Methi is fenugreek leaves, and thepla is a type of Indian flatbread. Methi thepla is a healthy and tasty alternative to regular chapati or roti, made with the goodness of methi leaves. Methi is a healthy leafy vegetable that is low in calories and rich in antioxidants.

What Is Paneer Chana Masala?

Paneer chana masala is a tasty side dish that goes well with chapati, naan, paratha, roti or any Indian flatbread. It is very easy to make, without any complicated steps.

Paneer is a type of Indian cottage cheese made from curdling of milk. It is a rich source of protein.

Kabuli chana, or chickpeas, is a rich source of minerals like manganese, magnesium, zinc, copper and vitamins.

Cook Time

Ingredients

For the paneer chana masala:

• 2 teaspoons oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 2-inch piece ginger, chopped
• 5-6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 10 cashews
• salt to taste
• 1 cup kabuli chana, soaked for 6 hours and cooked for 4 whistles in enough water
• 1 cup water, or as needed
• 1 teaspoon ghee, or as needed
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
• 200 grams paneer, cubed
• 1 teaspoon kasuri methi

For the methi thepla:

• 2 teaspoons oil
• 1 cup methi (fenugreek leaves), cleaned and chopped finely
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 talespoons gram flour or besan
• salt to taste
• 3 teaspoons ghee, to knead, grease and frying
• 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon ajwain, crushed
• 1/2 cup water, or as needed

Instructions

Step 1: Make the Paneer Chana Masala

1. Chop the onion, tomatoes and ginger. Peel the garlic. Cube the paneer. Set aside.
2. Transfer the soaked kabuli chana (soaked for 6 hours) to a cooker, add water just to submerge the chana, close the lid and take 4 whistles. Let the pressure subside naturally.
3. In a pan, heat the oil, add chopped onion and saute till translucent.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes and saute for 1 minute.
5. Add the chopped ginger, peeled garlic cloves, cashews and salt. Saute for 5 minutes or till onion and tomatoes are cooked. Switch off the flame.
6. Transfer the onion-tomato mixture to a mixer jar, close the lid and grind to a fine paste without adding water. Set aside.
7. In a pan, heat ghee and oil, splutter cumin seeds, add ground paste and mix.
8. Add turmeric powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder. Mix and combine well with the spices.
9. Add cooked chana along with water. Mix and adjust salt.
10. Add cubed paneer and mix well without breaking the paneer. Close the lid and cook for 3 minutes. Add water if required to adjust the consistency.
11. Add crushed kasuri methi and mix. Switch off the flame. Tasty paneer chana masala is ready.

Step 2: Make the Methi Thepla

1. In a pan, heat the oil and add cleaned and chopped fresh methi leaves. Saute for 3-4 minutes or till methi leaves shrink.
2. In a bowl, add wheat flour, gram flour (besan), salt, ghee (clarified butter), grated ginger, fried methi leaves, turmeric powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, black sesame seeds and crushed ajwain. Mix well and add enough water to knead into a soft but firm dough. Grease oil to the dough, cover and let sit for 15 minutes.
3. After 15 minutes, once again knead for 1 minute. Make equal-sized balls.
4. Dust some wheat flour over each prepared ball. Using a rolling pin, roll into small and thick thepla. Then fold it into half, spread some ghee over folded thepla and again fold it into half.
5. Now roll each thepla into a triangle. The thickness must be not too thin nor too thick. Dust more wheat flour in between if required.
6. Heat a frying pan over medium flame and add a few drops of ghee. Dust off the excess flour from the first thepla and then fry it.
7. Drizzle a few drops of ghee over the thepla, flip and cook on both sides till brown spots appear. Transfer to a plate. Repeat the same procedure and fry all the theplas.
8. Serve hot with prepared paneer chana masala and enjoy.

Step-by-Step Photo Guide

Cooking Notes

• Increase or decrease the quantities of spice powders as per your taste.
• Thepla have a nice aroma if fried in ghee. Alternatively, oil can also be used for frying.
• While cooking chana, add water only till chana is barely submerged, and use this water for the gravy. If you added more water, do not add all of it to the gravy (it will become too runny).
• Always use fresh methi leaves for the best thepla.
• This thepla remains fresh after cooling down, too, so it makes a good lunch box option.
• While kneading thepla, add water in batches to avoid making a sticky dough.