Kadai Mushroom

Kadai Mushroom is a flavorful mushroom curry cooked in an Indian style. Here, stir-fried white button mushroom and bell peppers are cooked in a rich onion-tomato based gravy that is seasoned with aromatic Kadai masala (a freshly roasted and ground spice blend). The whole process of making this Mushroom curry is carried out in an Indian wok, called Kadai, hence the name of the dish. Kadai Mushroom tastes great with naan or paratha but can also be paired with jeera rice. The recipe is vegan and gluten-free.

Before we move ahead with recipe, i would like to thank all my readers from the bottom of my heart for the support and love you all shower on my baby. Yes, Annapurna has crossed a huge number of 10 lakh hits (page views) and i am on cloud nine. A very big thank you to all of you and i wish to get the same love, support, and motivation from you all in my further blogging journey.

This Kadai Mushroom gravy cooked in restaurant style is one of the best mushroom dishes i have ever had. The preparation is similar to Kadai Paneer, (an Indian cottage cheese curry prepared in Punjabi style) Kadai Mushroom is a creamy rich, mildly spicy, aromatic and full of flavors mushroom dish that is relished with any Indian flatbread like kulcha, naan or paratha. My family loves this mushroom gravy with hot phulka, masala papad, and some salad. I always make the Kadai masala fresh, though you can prepare the spice blend ahead of time and store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Video Recipe For Kadai Mushroom

         

Kadai Masala is an aromatic and flavorful spice blend made by coarsely ground dry roasted whole spices. Kadai masala is used in many Indian gravy dishes like this Kadai mushroom, Kadai Paneer, Kadai Chicken, etc. Kadai Masala not only lends a spicy flavorful taste but also gives great aroma and color to the dishes. Whole spices like dry red chilies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaf are dry roasted in a wok on low flame until they become aromatic. The roasted spices are then removed on a plate and allowed to cool down completely before grinding to a coarse powder. The prepared Kadai masala can be easily stored for around a month in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. I, however, prefer making this Kadai masala fresh in small batches as the freshly roasted and ground spice blend lends a lovely aroma and flavor to the curry.

What goes into my Kadhai Mushroom?

Kadai Mushroom is a flavorful aromatic curry. As the name suggests, the obvious ingredient of this curry are mushrooms. Use fresh white button mushrooms for this curry. Freshly roasted and ground Kadai masala is what gives this mushroom curry a delectable taste and aroma. We have seen the whole spices used to prepare the Kadai Masala above. The next ingredients are onions and tomatoes which form the base of the curry. Tomato puree made from around 4 large tomatoes is used here. As mentioned above this Kadai Mushroom curry is vegan and gluten-free. I have not added any dairy products like cream, milk or butter in this recipe and the curry gets its creamy texture from the cashews used. Kasuri methi is used which gives a distinct aromatic flavor to the curry. I have used sunflower oil in this curry, you may use any edible oil to make the curry. Ginger-garlic paste, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, and red chili powder are the other basic ingredients going in the curry. 

                               

Related Event: I am submitting this delicious Kadai Mushroom recipe to the A to Z recipe challenge group, a gourmet group on Facebook where I post every alternate month. Members of this group post different food recipes with a key ingredient having a particular alphabet. As per the alphabetical order, this month we had to cook a dish starting with the alphabet M. I chose Mushrooms as my key ingredient and made this North Indian Kadai Mushroom. This post is my 12th contribution to this group. The other recipes i have shared here, so far are

• Lemon Crinkle Cookies for alphabet "L"
• Minestrone Soup With Kidney Beans for Alphabet "K"
• Aliv Kheer / Garden Cress Seeds Jaggery Pudding for Alphabet "J"
• Ivy Gourd Stir-Fry  for Alphabet "I"
• Horse Gram Idli  for Alphabet "H"
• Punjabi Kadhi Pakora / Gram flour Fritters in Yogurt Gravy for Alphabet "G"
• Ankurit Methichi Usal / Sprouted Fenu Greek Seeds Stir- Fry for Alphabet "F"
• Achari Baingan / Eggplant in Pickling Spices for Alphabet "E"
• Dates and Walnut Muffins  for Alphabet "D"
• Coconut Curry Leaves Chutney for Alphabet "C"
• Broccoli Paneer Paratha for Alphabet "B"

                                      

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:

• 250 grams white button mushrooms, halved
• 1 large onion cubed
• 1 green bell pepper, deseeded and cubed
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup tomato puree*(refer recipe notes)
• 8-10 cashew nuts
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 teaspoon Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic ginger paste
• Salt to taste

Ingredients for Kadai masala:

• 3 dried whole red chilies3-4 cloves
• 1-inch cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 green cardamom
• 3-4 cloves
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorn

Method:

1. To begin with, making Kadai mushroom, soak the cashews in hot water. Next, to prepare the Kadai masala, dry roast all the whole spices under the list of Kadai masala in a wok (Kadai) on low to medium heat. Keep stirring to ensure the spices get roasted evenly and do not burn. Once roasted, allow the spices to cool down completely before grinding it to a coarse powder. Transfer the ground spice blend (Kadai masala) to an airtight container and use it as per need. You may store the remaining Kadai masala in the refrigerator for about a month. I, however, prefer to make fresh Kadai masala in small batches as it makes the curry more aromatic and flavorful.

                            

2.  Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a large wok (Kadai) and fry the cubed onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms on medium to high flame for 5-7 minutes or until the veggies cook well. Remove the veggies on a plate and keep aside.

                           

3. To the same wok, add the rest of the 2 tablespoon oil and heat on medium flame. Add cumin seeds and allow the seeds to crackle. Next, add ginger garlic paste and stir-fry for a few seconds before adding in the finely chopped onions.

4. Saute the onions well for about 2-3 minutes or until they turn translucent. At this stage, add the tomato puree and saute until you see oil oozing from the onion-tomato mix. This stage may take another 2-3  minutes.

5. At this stage, add the turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt and around 2 teaspoons of the Kadai masala. Stir fry the spices with the onion-tomato mix for around a minute on low flame.

6. Grind the blanched cashews to a smooth paste and add it to the spiced onion-tomato masala and give a good stir. Add the stir-fried veggies (mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers) to the masala and saute for 1-2 minutes.

7. Next, add around 1 cup water to the curry, give a good stir and cover cook the mushroom curry for 5-7 minutes on low to medium flame.

8. Lastly, add crushed Kasuri methi and give a good stir. Put off the flame and serve the delicious aromatic Kadai mushroom with any naan, kulcha, chapati or jeera rice and enjoy with your loved ones!

Recipe Notes:

• The prepared Kadai masala can be easily stored for around a month in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. I, however, prefer making this Kadai masala fresh in small batches as the freshly roasted and ground spice blend lends a lovely aroma and flavor to the curry.
• To prepare the tomato puree, rinse 4 large tomatoes and make a plus mark at the top of each of them with a sharp knife. Place the tomatoes in a saucepan with boiling water and cover cook for 4-5 minutes. Put off the flame, de-skin the tomatoes and pulse them in a blender to a smooth puree.
• Use fresh white button mushrooms for this curry. Wash them thoroughly under running water, pat dry. Chop the end portion of the stalk and then slice the mushrooms into half or quarter depending upon the size you prefer.
• This curry is vegan and gets a creamy texture from the cashew paste. If you do not have any dietary restrictions you may use cream also to make the curry rich.
• Blanched almonds may replace the blanched cashews in this curry. Just make sure you make a smooth paste of it.
• You may adjust the amount of spice powders used here as per your spice tolerance.
• The final consistency of the curry can be adjusted by reducing or increasing the amount of water added to the curry. The curry thickens further on cooling, so adjust the cooking time accordingly.
• The left-over mushroom masala can be refrigerated in an air-tight container and used for 1-2 days.

I hope a few of you would love to try out this recipe. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with us in the form of likes and comments in the comment section below this post. All your suggestions are also more than welcome. If you like my work and feel it is worth following, do hit the follow button at the top right corner of this blog. Your appreciation means a lot to me. For more recipes and new updates follow us on social media.

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If you are looking for more Indian recipes using Mushrooms, check out the following recipe links from this blog

• Mushroom Tikka

                               

• Mushroom Masala

                               

• Matar Mushroom

                               

• Goan Mushroom Xacuti

                                

• Mushroom Pulao

                                

• Cream Of Mushroom Soup