Mushroom Masala Curry

Mushrooms are not a common veggie in the traditional Indian cuisine yet they are used to prepare so many dishes like mushroom biryani, mushroom pulao, curries & mushroom stir fry. Indian cuisine is by far diverse and each dish is made in numerous ways depending on the region. Most days I cook 3 meals a day. This gives me the chance to experiment a lot with different dishes. I make this mushroom masala in more than 1 way. In this post I have shared 2 different recipes to make mushroom masala curry.  The first one is very simple to make and has a curry base like the paneer masala. It is moderately spicy, tasty and goes well with any kind of flavored rice, parathas, roti or even with naan. I also have the Instant pot instructions for this in the recipe card. The second mushroom curry recipe is made similar to the hyderabadi salan with roasted peanuts & sesame seeds (optional). This has a unique nutty flavor since roasted peanuts are used. In this recipe I have also used bell peppers to enhance the flavor & nutrition of the dish. This one too can be served with rice, roti or even with naan. For more Mushroom recipes, you may checkSpicy kadai mushroomSimple mushroom stir fryMushroom pepper fryGarlic mushroomsMushroom omelet

How to Make Mushroom Masala (Stepwise Photos)

Preparation

  1. Pour 2 cups of water to a small pot & bring it to a rolling boil on a medium high flame. Add 1 cup onions and boil them for 4 to 5 mins until transparent. Drain the water and add them to the blender. This step is done to remove the raw smell & bitter taste from the onions. If you blend the raw onions, it will impart a bitter taste.
  2. Add 1 cup tomatoes, ½ inch ginger, 2 to 3 garlic cloves and 12 cashew nuts to a blender jar. I did not have cashews so I used almonds here. If using almonds soak them in hot water for 30 mins and then peel the skin and add them. You can also replace ginger garlic with 1 tsp ginger garlic paste.
  3. Puree them to a fine paste without adding water.

Make the Gravy

  1. Heat a pan with 2 tbsp oil. I have added a small piece of bay leaf, 2 green cardamoms and 1 small cinnamon stick. All of these are optional and you may skip them.
  2. When the oil becomes slightly hot and spices begin to sizzle, pour the onion tomato puree. Be careful the mixture may begin to splash. Cover partially and continue to cook until the mixture thickens. While this cooks, rinse and slice mushrooms.
  3. Add ½ to ¾ teaspoon red chili powder, ¾ teaspoon garam masala and ¾ to 1 teaspoon coriander powder (optional).
  4. Sauté until the mixture turns aromatic and begins to leave the sides. You may not see oil separated as we did not use much here.
  5. Add 200 grams sliced mushrooms and then sprinkle salt.
  6. Saute for 2 mins.
  7. Add ½ to ¾ cup water to make a thick gravy. Adjust the quantity of water slightly as it depends on how much moisture the mushrooms release.
  8. Cover and cook until the gravy thickens and mushrooms are just cooked. Do not overcook as they turn soggy. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon kasuri methi & mix. Taste test and add more salt if needed. At this stage you can also add few tbsps of cream if you like. Cover and turn off the stove. Serve mushroom gravy hot with rice, roti or jeera rice.

Pro Tips

  1. Onions are boiled to remove the raw and bitter taste. Also boiled onion paste gets cooked faster in the pot. Some kind of onions taste bitter when pureed without boiling. You can skip this step if you don’t experience that. Alternately you may soak onions in a bowl of water for 15 to 20 mins & then blend them. If you do not prefer to grind the onions, simply fine chop them and saute first until golden. Then add the tomato, ginger, garlic and cashew puree.
  2. Cashews are used to give a creamy texture and milky aroma to the curry. You can substitute them with almonds. Simply soak almonds in hot water for 30 to 60 minutes and peel the skin.
  3. Mushrooms: White button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms go well in this recipe. Rinse them quickly and do not let them soak up in water for long time. Rinse and slice them only when you are ready to add them in the hot pan.

How to Make Mushroom Curry (Recipe 2)

This is a South Indian home style recipe, very simple to make and has a curry base like the Hyderabadi mirchi ka salan. It takes too good with plain basmati rice, jeera rice, ghee rice, roti, paratha and even with naan. In this mushroom curry, peanuts, sesame seeds and coconut form the base of the curry. These ingredients are roasted and ground first. Then added to the onion tomato mixture. It tastes extremely delicious with bursting aroma of nuts, seeds and spices. Ingredients 200 grams sliced white button mushrooms1 cup capsicums cubed (optional)¾ cup of chopped onions¾ cup fine chopped tomatoes or tomato puree1 sprig curry leaves or bay leaf1 green chilli slit½ teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste¾ teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to taste)¾ teaspoon garam masala (adjust to taste)1 teaspoon kasuri methi (optional)2 tablespoons oilSalt to taste1/8 teaspoon turmeric To roast2 tablespoons roasted Peanuts 1 tablespoon roasted Sesame seeds (optional)1 tablespoon desiccated coconut (optional)

Instructions – Preparation

  1. On a medium flame, dry roast 2 tablespoons peanuts in a pan until deep golden and aromatic. Then reduce the flame to low and add sesame seeds. Stir them until they begin to splutter. Turn off and add coconut. Saute for some time. Cool all of these and make a powder. It will turn slightly greasy, lumpy and oily. It’s just fine but the powder must smell nice and nutty. Otherwise roast this for a few more minutes so it smells really good.
  2. Pour 1 tablespoon oil to a hot pan. Add 200 grams sliced mushrooms and saute them on a high heat for 2 to 3 mins until a nice aroma comes out. They will let out some moisture but it’s just fine. Remove these to a plate and set aside.
  3. To the same pan, add 1 cup diced bell peppers/ capsicum and saute them as well for 2 to 3 mins until partially cooked yet crunchy. This is done to bring out the flavors from the bell peppers. Remove these as well and keep aside.

Making mushroom curry

  1. Pour 1 tablespoon oil to the same pan. Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and 1 sprig curry leaves.
  2. When the seeds splutter add ¾ cup fine chopped onions and 1 slit green chilli. Saute until the onions turn golden to light brown. Then add 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste. Saute until the raw smell goes away.
  3. Add ¾ cup tomatoes (chopped or pureed), ½ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon turmeric. Saute until the tomatoes break down and turn mushy. The raw smell of tomatoes should go away by now.
  4. Add the roasted peanut powder and ¾ teaspoon red chilli powder. Saute for a minute.
  5. Then pour 1¼ to 1½ cups water. Mix well and let the curry simmer until it turns thick. Do not proceed to the next step until your gravy turns thick.
  6. Add mushrooms and bell peppers.
  7. Add crushed kasuri methi (optional) and garam masala. Let the mushrooms cook only for a while until tender but not soggy. Turn off and cover the pan so the flavors are retained. Stir well and taste test. Add more salt if need. Cool down the curry a bit and squeeze some lemon juice before serving. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve mushroom curry with roti, paratha, ghee rice or jeera rice. Related Recipes

Recipe Card

This recipe post was first published in November 2012. Republished in December 2020.