Mushroom peas curry

I love the Indian straw mushrooms that appear in the market during the monsoon season. The earthy mushrooms taste heavenly. My dad and I particularly love this curry. I remember my dad getting these mushrooms from the market (that’s the only thing he usually gets from market) and expects my mom to cook them right away. I call them the edible pearls.

Those earthy mushrooms taste heavenly compared to the artificially grown cultivated mushrooms. In US, I have wide variety of cultivated mushrooms but I really use only the button mushrooms. Portobello mushrooms are more matured and tough.

Today, I made this button mushroom with peas curry and it turned out to be finger licking good. Here is the recipe

Ingredients-

• 16 oz of small button Mushrooms (if they are little big, cut them into desirable size)
• 1/2 cup peas ( I use frozen peas)
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste
• 2 Cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 1/4 tbsp turmeric
• 11/2 tbsp Red Chili Powder
• 1 tbsp garam masala powder (home made pawder gives an excellent flavor to the dish)
• 1 stalk of curry leaves
• Coriander Leaves to garnish

Button Mushrooms

Directions-

1. Wash and cut the mushrooms into small pieces or you can quarter the mushrooms
2. Heat 2 tbsps of oil in a pressure pan. Add cinnamon stick, cloves, cumin and sauté them for few seconds. Add onions, chilies to the oil and fry till they get golden brown.
3. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for a min till the ginger garlic paste leaves the raw smell. Add tomatoes and sauté it till tomatoes are soft and mushy.
4. Add peas, mushrooms, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt to taste and cook them for about 5 minutes.
5. Mushroom ozzes water. Close the lid and let it whistle 2 times.
6. Let the pressure pan cool by itself.
7. Open the lid, adjust the taste if needed and cook the curry further till most of the water evaporates
8. When the curry reaches the desired consistency, add garam masala powder and let it cook until oil starts oozing out, turn off the stove.
9. Add fresh chopped coriander leaves for garnishing and serve it with pulav, steamed rice or roti.

Note- If you dont like peas, skip it, use the recipe as the base and adjust to your taste.

Mushroom curry