Shahi Mushroom Curry

I had dried oyster mushrooms today, and I was trying to search some good Indian recipe containing oyster mushrooms. Having found none, I decided to try out my own recipe. Technically speaking, it is a mishmash of all the recipes I have tried out till date, but aren't all recipes just a permutation combination of the same basic ingredients?

I didn't have any name for this recipe. Read the recipe to know why I called this the Shahi Mushroom curry. It really tastes like a recipe fit  for kings, given some of the ingredients in this recipe.

Ingredients:
2 medium sized onions
2 large tomatoes
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 large potato peeled and chopped
1 cup dried oyster mushrooms
1 teaspoon Nagpuri Savji Masala
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp coriander powder
3/4th tsp jeera powder
2-3 tsp red chilli powder
1/4th tsp turmeric powder
3-4 cloves
6-7 peppercorns
1 inch piece of cinnamon
1 black elaichi
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons cashew paste
Oil for frying
salt to taste


First soak cashews in water for ten to fifteen minutes. This makes it easy to make a paste out of it. Soak mushrooms in water for some time.

Meanwhile, chop onions lengthwise. Take about 4 tablespoons of oil (Yes, you are going to need all that oil. I didn't name it the Shahi Mushroom Curry for nothing!) Fry the onions in oil till they turn golden brown. Tip: Sprinkle a pinch of salt on the onions to fry them faster. Now drain the onions on kitchen towels, and make a paste of these with a little water.

Peel and chop the potatoes into medium sized chunks. Fry these in the same oil till golden brown. Drain them on kitchen towels. Fry the mushrooms in the same oil for about two minutes. Drain these too.

Don't discard the oil. You don't want to lose the flavor of onions, potatoes and the mushrooms. Throw in the cloves, peppercorns, elaichi, cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Fry for about a minute or two till the aroma of these spices finds its way into your nose. (My nose ditched me today, I am suffering from a severe bout of flu. But then, a challenge is a challenge, right? So I asked my husband to tell me if he could smell the spices.)

 Now add the onion paste, ginger garlic paste, the dry spices, and fry for about three minutes till you see the oil separating from the gravy. Then add the finely chopped tomatoes, and fry again till the oil separates. Lastly add the cashew paste and fry again for a minute or two.

Throw in the potatoes and mushrooms. (Hopefully most of the oil in it has been drained, and you are spared of at least some of the fattening nature of this curry! I, for one, have given up on that front long, long, looooooooong time ago.) :-(

Add half a cup of water and salt to the curry, and bring it to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes and your Shahi Mushroom Curry is ready to be served.

I just had my lunch, and let me tell you that nothing, absolutely nothing beats the heavenly taste of oyster mushrooms. First of all they are so meaty, and soaked in the heavenly spices, the juices tend to just run out of the mushrooms when you chew into it!

One more tip I would like to add is that, it tends to get annoying to remove the spices from your mouth while you are savoring this curry, so you might as well remove at least some of them from the oil once the aromas have been released into the oil.

Happy Cooking!