Mushroom Matar Masala

My father was a person who used to love food. He had certain favorites like Verum Arisi Adai, Adai, Egg Curry etc. Actually my mother was a pure vegetarian before her marriage. After tying the knot with my father, she was introduced to many things which she had not tasted before. One of the items was eggs. My father himself was a good cook and he used to love making dishes out of eggs like Egg Fried Rice, and Egg Curry. So out of compulsion my mom became an eggetarian, though she never enjoyed it very much. But we kids loved eggs. Now after my marriage, my husband and his family are strict vegetarians, so I have stopped having eggs. (With the exception of baked goodies, of course!)

Another such item which my father introduced us to was Mushrooms. In the beginning none of us liked it. But he did not give up on us, and slowly over the years, I and my brother started liking it, but still my mom does not like it very much. It’s been thirteen long years since my father left us and I dedicate this post to my dear father.

So here is a Mushroom recipe which I tried from Sanjeev Kapoor’s Cook Book. I have tried it umpteen numbers of times and it never fails me. It is a simple and yummy side dish for rotis. You could also serve it with some Jeera Rice.

What you’ll need:

1. Fresh Button Mushrooms – 200 gms
2. Fresh or frozen green peas – 1 cup
3. Onion – 2 medium
4. Tomatoes – 3 medium
5. Ginger – a small piece
6. Garlic – 2 cloves
7. Cashew nuts – 6 – 8
8. Cumin Seeds – ½ tsp
9. Bay Leaf – 1
10. Elaichi - 2
11. Red Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
12. Dhaniya Powder – 1 tsp
13. Garam Masala Powder – ½ tsp
14. Oil – 2 tblsp

Method

Finely chop onions, and garlic. Grate ginger. Grind tomatoes and keep aside. Clean, wash and cut mushrooms into quarters. Also soak the cashews in hot water for 5 minutes and grind it into a smooth paste.

Heat a Kadai with oil. Season with cumin seeds, bay leaf and Elaichi. Add onions and sauté until light brown. Next add the garlic and ginger. Fry for about a minute. Next add in the tomato paste and fry till all the moisture is absorbed and oil starts leaving the sides. Now add in the spice powders – Chilli powder, dhaniya powder and garam Masala powder fry for about 2 minutes. Now add the cashew nut paste mixed with about 1 cup of water. Once it starts boiling, add the mushroom and green peas. Cover and cook till the peas done. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rotis or parathas.

Linking this to Aipi and Priya’s Bookmarked Recipes and Radhika’s Let’s Cook – Subzis for Rotis