Getting vegetables during this lockdown has become a little tricky, hasn’t it? A lot of the basic essentials are out of stock in stores. So, many times you make do with what you get. But this week, luckily, we asked for and received mushrooms with our store-order. I wanted to make Kadai mushroom today. Mix mushroom in an onion-tomato masala, sprinkle the easy, homemade kadai masala and you get a very tasty and filling dish.
Kadai mushroom or any kadai recipe is ideally cooked on a kadai and hence the name. Kadai or kadhai or karahi is a wok typically used in India, a little more deeper utensil with a flat bottom. In my native language of Malayalam, we call it cheenachatti, which just means a Chinese pot. Kadai recipes also uses a kadai masala that is very easy to make. The kadai mushroom has a yummy, thick gravy that coats the mushroom and the other vegetables. It goes well with roti or paratha.
I got the kadai masala basics from this recipe.
Kadai Mushroom
Ingredients
- 3-3½ cups mushroom (white button), sliced thin
- 1 Bell pepper, long thin slices
- ½ Onion, long medium slices
Kadai Masala
- 2 tbsp Coriander seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 Dry red chillies
- 4-5 Peppercorns
- 1" piece Cinnamon, a thin piece
- 3 Cardamon
- 4 Cloves
- 1 tsp Salt
Onion-Tomato Masala
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 inch Ginger, thin slices
- 1½ large Onion, thin slices
- 2 tsp Ginger-garlic paste
- 2-3 large Tomato, pureed
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- 2 tsp Coriander powder
- 1 tsp Red chilli powder
- 2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder (mild)
- 4-5 tsp Kadai masala,
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- 1 tsp Kasuri methi, crushed with your fingers
- 1-2 tbsp Cream, optional
- 1½ -2 tbsp Oil, any mild oil will do
- To taste Salt
Instructions
Making the kadai masala
- Heat a kadai or a pan and dry roast all the ingredients listed under kadai masala(including the salt) on a slow flame.
- Roast till they start changing color and starts emitting wonderful aroma and switch off. Take care not to burn it.
- Cool them down and crush into a slightly coarse powder.
- We only need a few teaspoons of it and you will have enough for at least one more kadai dish. Store the leftover masala in a dry jar for future use.
Making the onion-tomato masala
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same kadai or in a large pot, and add cumin seeds.
- When it heat up, add the sliced ginger.
- Add the finely diced onion and saute till it starts changing color.
- Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell disappears.
- Next, add the turmeric, coriander, and chili powders and saute for a few minutes.
- Add the pureed tomato, salt and let it all cook till oil comes to the top. Take care to stir often.
Making the Kadai mushroom- final stage
- While the onion-tomato masala is cooking, in another pan, add ½ tablespoon oil or less and saute the mushroom.
- Add a little salt and let it cook down till the water from the mushroom evaporates and the mushroom is cooked.
- Sprinkle half of the Kashmiri chili powder and and 2 teaspoon of kadai masala and saute for a couple more minutes.
- At this stage, you can transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and start roasting the rest of the vegetables. Or if the onion-tomato masala is cooked and the oil starts separating, you can add the mushroom to the onion-tomato masala.
- Put the pan back on the fire, add another ½ tablespoon of oil and add the onion and bell pepper to it and roast for a few minutes.
- When the vegetables are soft, add a little salt and the rest of the Kashmiri chili powder and 2 teaspoons of kadai masala.
- Saute for a couple of minutes and add to the onion masala, along with the mushroom, if you have not already done so.
- Mix well and add ½ cup of hot water and let it boil for 2-3 minutes.
- Sprinkle garam masala and kasuri methi.
- Let it cook for a couple more minutes and add cream if you are using it.
- Mix well and switch off. Garnish with cilantro.
Serve with roti, paratha, bread or plan rice.
