Oyster Mushroom Curry and Kurma

This time I'm not going to write my excuses for not blogging, b'coz I know you all have become tired of it. Really, things are going so crazy around me. Also, this weather has something to do with it. I feel so lazy that all I want to do is sleep all the time. I get backlogged in my work b'coz of this and end up doing things in the last minute. Can you believe that I've been so lazy that I did not even mail my entries for 3 blog events although I posted them in my blog? Anyhow, I hope I send this one atleast.

When I saw the "Grindless Gravies" event going around in the blogsphere, I thought...Hey, That's not difficult. The regular sambar and puli kuzhambu does not involve grinding! But once I visited Sra's blog "When my soup came alive " I understood her hard rules. For the past one week, I did not plan anything specific for the event. Just watched what I cooked and was trying not to use my grinding tools at all. But you know what, it was very hard. For some, I had to grind spices, others involved coconut milk or lentils. Finally I succeded in coming up with the Oyster Mushroom Curry. So, let's go to the recipe.

Ingredients:
Oyster Mushrooms- 1 pack
Cinnamon- 1 " stick
cloves- 2Onion- 1 (big)
Tomato- 2 (big)
Ginger garlic paste- 1tsp
chilli powder- 3/4 th tsp
corriander powder- 1 tsp
cumin powder- 1/2 tsp
Curry masala powder- 1/2 tsp
pepper- 1/4 tsp
Turmeric- pinch
Curry leaves
corriander leaves-few
cornflour-1tsp(optional)

Procedure:
To clean the oyster mushrooms, just cut off the ends first. Then seperate the upper portion and the stalk. Cut the stalk and the top portion into small pieces. While adding it to the gravy, first add the stalks as it takes a few minutes extra to cook than the feathery top.Heat oil in a kadai and fry cinnamon and cloves. Then add onion and ginger garlic paste.Saute until golden brown and soft. Then add the masala powders for fry for a minute. Now add tomatoes and cook until it becomes soft and pulpy. Make sure that it forms a paste like consistency.Then add chopped mushrooms. First the stalks. Saute for 3 mins.

Then add the top part of the mushrooms. Add 1 cup water and cook for 5 to 10 mins until you get a thick gravy. Cook till you get the desired consistency. You can also add a tsp of cornflour (just dissolve it in very little water) to make the gravy thick. I did not use it here for the sake of the event. But you can certainly do it to get a nice thick gravy.The next is Oyster Mushroom Kurma. This is another flavorful dish that goes very well with dosa, rotis and ghee rice. This was the first time I was making this kurma, so I was a little unsure to use just the mushrooms alone.

That's why I went ahead and put poataoes, as kurma always tastes good with potatoes. Once done, when I tasted the dish, I really felt that the mushrooms alone did a very good job in making the gravy tasty. We enjoyed the kurma so much that nothing was leftover although it was done to be packed for the next day's lunch. So, here is my recipe. I hope you enjoy it too!

Ingredients
Oyster mushroom- 1 pack
cinnamon- 1" piece
cloves- 2
curry leaves- 1 twig
Onion- 1 (finely chopped)
ginger-garlic paste- 1tsp
green chillies- 5
Tomatoes- 2 (finely chopped)
red chilli- 1
jeera- 1tsp
saunf- 1 tsp
turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
sambar powder- 1 1/2 tsp
garam masala- 1/4 tsp
coconut- 1/4 cup

corrinader leaves- small fistfull
water- 1 cup
salt- as required

Procedure:
Grind coconut to a smooth paste. Grind red chillies, jeera and saunf to a fine powder. Clean mushrooms by wiping off with a towel and seperate the stalks and the petals. Heat oil in a pan and fry the cinnamon and cloves. Then add onions, curry leaves, ginger garlic paste, green chillies and turmeric. Saute until golden brown. Then add tomatoes and cook till soft and mushy. Now add all the masala powders and mix well Saute for 5 mins or until the raw smell goes. Then add coconut paste and saute for 2 to3 mins. Now pour a cup of water and add required salt. Bring it to a boil. Now add the stalk portion of the mushrooms first. After 3 to 4 mins add the petals and cook it is soft and done. Garnish with corriander leaves. Goes really well with dosas.

Mushroom Pulav

Yesterday was the first day my son started daycare. It was heart wrenching for me to leave him there. But Kavin fit in with the kids perfectly. He made no fuss and let go of me. Actually it was me who was in tears not wanting to leave him. I came home and did not do any work. All these days I would say , I can't wait to put you in school so that I can find some time for myself. But now I'm feeling so lonely. I have so much time in my hand but I'm not tin mood to do anything at all.

Anyway, not wanting to spend much time in kitchen I finally decided to make Mushroom Pulav. This is another easy one pot dish that makes a tired day rewarding with a nice meal. This is just like anyother pulav or biryani. But the combo is what that makes this dish great. Yes, it is mushrooms,peas and potatoes. You can add capsicum also if you like. Enjoy!!!

Ingredients:
Basmathi rice- 2 cups
elachi- 2
cloves- 2
bay leaf- 1
rose mokku-1
fennel seeds- 1tsp
onion- 1/2 (sliced)
ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
tomato- 1 (chopped)
mint leaves- 1/2 cup (chopped)
red chilli powder- 3/4 tsp (increase if you want more)
turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
cumin powder- 1/2 tsp
garam masala- 1/2 tsp
potato- 1 (large,cubed)
peas- 1 cup
mushrooms- 1 small box (chopped)
lemon juice- 2 tsp
water- 4 cups

Procedure:
Heat oil in cooker and fry all the spices. Then add onions and saute until soft. Now add ginger garlic paste and some turmeric. After sometime put potatoes and fry for 5 mins. Now add tomatoes,mint leaves and all the curry powders. When oil starts to seperate add required salt and water. Add washed rice with mushrooms and peas . Stir well until blended. Check for seasonings and finally add lemon juice. Close cooker and wait until vapor comes through the nozzle. Now put the wait and reduce the flame to medium. Cook for 8 to 10 mins and switch off gas. Wait until the pressure subsides and serve hot with onion raitha and chips. Here's another view.

Mushroom Kuzhambu

This is similar to any other curry except that we use pepper dominantly than chilli powder or green chillies. You can also used capsicum for an extra flavor. It tastes good with rotis and any flavored rice. This gravy is a quick fix especially if you have unexpected guests.

Ingredients:
Mushrooms- 1 small pack
onion- 1 (medium,chopped)
ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
red chilli- 1 (broken)
pepper- 1/2 to 3/4 spoon
corriander powder- 1/2 tsp
cumin powder- 1/2 tsp
garam masala- 1/4 tsp
Tomatoes- 1 (small,chopped)
curry leaves- few

Procedure:
Heat oil in kadai and fry onions, ginger garlic paste, red chilli and curry leaves. When onions are golden brown add tomatoes and all the masala powders. cook until raw smell goes. Add mushrooms and mix well. Pour 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil. you can add more water if you want. When the mushrooms are cooked check for seasonings and reduce to desired consistency.

Mushroom matar subji

Ingredients:
Mushrooms- 1 small pack(chopped)
potato- 1 (medium,chopped)
green peas- 1/2 cup
onion- 1 (medium,chopped)
ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
tomato- 1(medium,chopped)
chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
cumin powder- 1/2 tsp
dhania powder- 3/4 tsp
curry masala powder- 1/2 tsp
coconut milk- 1/4 cup

Procedure:
Heat oil in kadai and fry onions, ginger garlic paste, potatoes and turmeric. When potatoes gets roasted a little bit add tomatoes and all the curry powders. Saute well and cook for 5 mins. Add mushrooms and peas. mix well. Pour required water and salt. Boil for 10 mins or till done. Open pan ,add coconut milk and reduce to required consistency. This dish can be served with rotis and dosas.