Mushroom Masala

A restaurant favourite that came home

Button mushrooms were not an everyday part of older North Indian home cooking. They became common as cultivated mushrooms spread through Indian markets, and this curry follows the familiar template of the Punjabi-style restaurant gravy used for kadai paneer and similar dishes. Today it is a popular vegetarian main, and many households cook it instead of a meat curry on a special evening. This version is the semi-dry home style with no cream. Restaurants often add a spoon of cashew paste or cream, and you can do the same if you prefer.

Browning is the whole game

A mushroom is mostly water, and it releases much of that when heated. Left in a crowded pan, it simply boils in its own juices and turns grey and rubbery. Given room in a hot pan, the water evaporates fast, and the surface starts to brown, giving the deep, savoury taste that makes this dish feel so substantial. Work in two batches, even if it feels like an extra job. A single layer is what makes it work.

Hold back the salt until the masala stage. Salt pulls water out quickly, which slows browning and leaves the pieces steaming. Resist stirring for the first two minutes as well, so that the surface can make contact with the hot metal. At first the mushrooms will squeak and drink up the oil, and then they will release their liquid and hiss. When the hiss fades and they begin to smell nutty, they are nearly ready.

To wash or not to wash

Mushrooms grown in commercial farms come fairly clean and can be wiped with a damp cloth. They do have compost specks that are worth removing. If they look dirty, a quick rinse right before cooking does no harm. What ruins them is a long soak, because they become waterlogged and refuse to brown. Pat them dry on a towel straight after rinsing. Choose firm, pale caps with the gills still closed, and avoid any that are slimy or smell sour. Store them in a paper bag in the refrigerator, rather than sealed in plastic, and use them within three days.

Common troubles and rescues

If the curry looks watery, lift out the mushrooms with a slotted spoon, boil the gravy down for a few minutes and return them. If the mushrooms have gone rubbery, they were simmered for too long. Stop cooking, and thicken the gravy instead. If the gravy tastes sharp, cook it longer before adding the mushrooms next time, and for now add a small pinch of sugar. If it tastes flat, add salt in small steps and a squeeze of lemon. Should the base catch, move the top portion to a clean pan rather than scraping up the burnt layer.

Swaps, additions and a lighter plate

Oyster mushrooms are a good option where they are sold; tear them into strips and cook them for less time. Add peas for a matar mushroom style dish, or a capsicum in the last five minutes for colour. Hing is left out because most compounded hing contains wheat flour, which keeps the recipe gluten-free. For a richer finish, two tablespoons of cream or beaten curd at the end is fine, though the recipe is then no longer vegan. Dried or tinned mushrooms make poorer substitutes for this recipe. Tinned ones are already soft and will not brown; if you have nothing else, drain, dry and fry them hard for a few minutes. To lighten it, use a tablespoon less oil and a non-stick pan. The mushrooms take a little longer to colour, but the dish remains good. Dishes such as this one fit easily into the eating patterns discussed in the weight management course.

Serving and leftovers

Serve with phulkas, multigrain roti, naan or jeera rice, with a bowl of dal tadka or a raita to round out the protein. Thicker leftovers make an excellent stuffing for a toasted sandwich or a roti wrap with a little green chutney.

Cooked mushrooms should be treated with some care. Cool them quickly, refrigerate within two hours, and eat within two days. Reheat once only, on medium heat, until steaming hot right through, and add a splash of water if the gravy has tightened. The texture softens with each day. Freezing is not recommended, as the mushrooms turn spongy and weep when thawed, although the onion and tomato masala on its own freezes very well for up to a month, and it will shorten the job next time.