Matar Mushroom (Peas and Mushroom in a creamy gravy)

I am now at the end of my 2nd trimester of pregnancy and I just love how the baby kicks and moves inside me. In fact, she moves so much that my doctor finds it hard to hold her enough for ultrasound and sonogram. ‘She is all over the place!’ is her usual line. Both Debarshi and I are looking forward to April and believe me, we have tons to do in the meantime starting with childbirth education classes. I am also trying to finish my books and pending articles as soon as possible. These days I am not experimenting with new recipes but I am trying to finish and post all the half finished stuff. My schedule these days pretty much revolves around food and interval walks. I try to put in 10000 steps everyday but it’s getting difficult with the snow and my increasing weight. I keep a huge stock of fruits (like strawberries, watermelon, orange and banana) in the house so that my quick bites are nutritious. I try to cook almost everyday but only simple and quick recipes which don’t really take a lot of time. I still have my aversion towards chicken but I try to eat shrimp and goat meat at least once a week. Mood wise I am doing ok, there is bound to be some up and down once in a while but keeping myself busy helps. Starting next month, my doctor’s visit will be every two weeks. So, now that you are all caught up with my pregnancy status let’s start talking about today’s recipe.

Today I am bringing you a delicious vegetarian recipe of peas and mushrooms. I prepared this as a side dish for my get together party and it turned out very well. Mind you, I have never been a fan of mushrooms. I almost never order any dish which has mushrooms in it and that includes pizza. Last year, I prepared a Shrimp Mushroom curry which turned out not so good even though I had added tons of good stuff in it. I was beginning to feel that mushrooms and I were incompatible when I tasted this delicious gravy. I guess all it takes is a tried and tested recipe. 

The best part, this dish is quite budget friendly as well. You can get a big pack of Mushrooms and Peas at any grocery shop and we usually always have the other ingredients in our pantry. Just combine the ingredients together and voila! Flavorful, luscious gravy is ready! I usually get a pack of white mushrooms from Costco and use half of it to make this gravy. So I will be using about 12 oz. for this dish. 

While most of the cooks use cashews to add a creamy texture and flavor, this recipe uses heavy cream. So, if you are allergic to cashews or have run out of them you don’t have to worry. Also, while most of the recipes use a combination of oil, ghee and cashew paste, this recipe uses only canola oil (to fry the spices and vegetables) and cream (to bring that rich creamy flavor). I prefer slow cooking food over low heat so that the onion, ginger and garlic gets properly cooked. We don’t want any uncooked raw aroma in our dish right? 

This Matar Mushroom gravy is a delight both for the vegetarian and non-vegetarian lovers. In North India, this gravy is served not only for parties but also during weddings. The addition of cream adds a smooth silky texture while the freshly grated nutmeg fills our senses with a unique fragrance, one very different than the usual Garam Masala.

If you have leftover and don’t feel like using that immediately, you can just freeze it in a zip lock bag. To thaw, keep it outside for an hour or two then heat it up in the microwave. This homemade gravy is so refreshing, soothing and rich that it sure beats the restaurant bought ones.

Serve this Matar Mushroom with roti, Paratha or Naan. It will also go very well with plain Pulao. Share your photos and comments using #lifewithoutalu

Ingredients:

• Mushroom (Button/ Common/ White) – 12 oz.
• Onion – ¾ of a big onion
• Garlic – 10-15 cloves
• Ginger – 2 inches
• Green chili – 2
• Canola oil – ¼ cup
• Mace -1 blade
• Cumin seeds – ½ teaspoon
• Red pepper pods – 2
• Bay leaf - 2
• Star anise - 2
• Green cardamom – 6
• Cinnamon – ½ of a medium stick
• Cloves – 8
• Tomatoes – ½ cup
• Salt – ½ teaspoon
• Red Chili Powder – ¼ teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder – ½ teaspoon
• Sugar – ½ teaspoon
• Peas – ¾ cup
• Heavy Cream – ½ cup
• Nutmeg – freshly grated about ¼ teaspoon

Directions:

• Cut the mushrooms into quarters.
• Heat a big pot over high heat and boil 4-5 cups of water in it. 
• Dip the mushrooms in it, turn off the heat and leave it for about 20 minutes.
• Drain and keep it aside.
• Make a paste of the Onion, Garlic, Ginger and Green chili.
• Heat the same pot over medium high heat. Add the Canola oil in it.
• Add all the whole spices (Mace, Cumin Seeds, Red Pepper Pods, Bay Leaf, 
• Star Anise, Green Cardamom, Cinnamon and Cloves) in it. Wait for 10-15 seconds then lower the heat and add the Onion paste prepared above.
• Fry for 10- 15 minutes then increase the heat to high and add the Tomatoes.
• Fry for 5 minutes then lower the heat to low, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the mushrooms, continue cooking till oil separates.
• Now add the spices (Salt, Red Chili Powder, Turmeric Powder and Sugar) in it. Mix well. Cover and cook on low for 15-20 minutes.
• Next add the Peas. Increase the heat to high and fry the mixture.
• When you see the oil getting separated, it means the mixture is cooked. Add the Heavy Cream. Lower the heat to low.
• Add ½ cup water for the gravy and adjust the Salt and Sugar.
• Sprinkle the Nutmeg.
• Cook on low for 5 more minutes then serve hot with Roti, Plain Paratha, Lachha Paratha or Naan.

Love Peas? try these recipes as well:

• Alu Koraishutir Ghugni (Mamma’s Potatoes and Peas)
• Gajar Alu Matar (Curried Carrots and Potatoes with Peas)
• Moonger Daler Khichuri (One Pot dish with rice, lentils and vegetables)
• Koraishuti’r Kochuri (Deep Fried Puffed Bread with Pea Filling)