MUSHROOM PEPPER MASALA
One of my son's favourite dishes is the Vegetable Pepper Masala which he relished often at the Samrat Restaurant during his boyhood days at Bangalore. He remembered the most flavoursome gravy and the juicy bites of mushrooms that soaked in it along with the Peppers. Various guesses and suggestions started pouring in during our discussion about the ingredient which rendered the awesome flavour to the gravy. I tried out the dish with a "secret" ingredient which my son suggested hoping that it would bring out the Samrat flavour.
INGREDIENTS
Mushrooms - 20
Peppers - 1 green and 1 red
Onion - 1
Tomatoes - 2
Grated ginger - 1tsp
Green chilly chopped - 1 tsp
Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Butter - 2 1/2 tbsps
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Salt - 1 1/2 tsps
Cashew nuts - 1 cup
Milk - 2 cups
METHOD
1. Roast the Cashew nuts in 1/4 tsp of butter and grind them into a smooth paste adding half a cup of milk and keep aside.
2. Thoroughly wash the mushrooms, remove the stems, slice and keep them aside.
3. Finely chop the onions, and cut the peppers.
4. Heat the butter in a pan and add the cumin seeds.
5. Add the cinnamon powder and then the finely chopped onion.
6. Add the ginger gratings and chopped green chillies and fry till the onion turns golden in colour.
7. Add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, chilly powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and salt.
8. Stir well, cover and cook on low flame till the tomatoes turn into a paste.
9. Add the peppers and cook till half done.
10. Stir in the cashew paste and then the sliced mushrooms, and cover and cook on low flame for 5 minutes.
11. Add milk and cook till the mushrooms are done ( for about 10 minutes ) and till the gravy thickens.
Enjoy the Mushroom Pepper Masala with any variety of rice or roti of your choice.
Comments
-ASR