This dish is on many menus in Delhi and I first tried it at Tadka . I’d never thought of using mushrooms in Indian cooking, and it’s true that they’re not often used, but this is still a popular dish. The cashew nuts make it surprisingly creamy. Serve with chapatis, rice and dal. No photo as the presentation left a lot to be desired (I was hungry!) but I can assure you it was really tasty.
Ingredients (serves 6-8 as a side dish, 3-4 as a main):
200g closed cup mushrooms
250g frozen peas (matar)
2 onions
4 tomatoes
4 green cardamoms
An inch of cinnamon stick (not too crumbly or you will end up picking bits of cinnamon out of your teeth)
Fresh ginger (about 2 inches squared)
3 cloves garlic
1 packet unsalted, uncooked cashew nuts
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp corriander powder
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp vegetable oil
salt to taste
1) Finely chop onions and fry on a low heat vegetable oil with the cardamoms and cinnamon stick until the onions are translucent.
2) Meanwhile grate the ginger (you can leave the skin on) and peel and crush the garlic. Add these to the pan and stir.
3) Chop the tomatoes into eighths, add to the pan and cook gently, stirring often for about ten minutes.
4) Meanwhile simmer the cashew nuts in in a small pan, with just enough water to cover them, for five minutes. Take off the heat and blend to a paste, adding water as you go if the mixture is too sticky.
5) Add the chilli, corriander, tumeric, garam masala and salt to the onion pan mixture and cook for two minutes.
6) Add the cashew nut mixture to the pan along with a cup of water. Stir thoroughly and bring to the boil.
6) Meanwhile wash the mushrooms (I don’t really believe in the brushing v washing debate) and chop into quarters.
7) Add the mushrooms and peas to the pan and cook until the mushrooms are tender but not mushy – about five minutes.
