Mushroom Masala Recipe (Mushroom Curry)

Mushroom Masala is a rich and flavorful Punjabi-style curry made with tender mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and aromatic spices. This flavorful and comforting one-pot dish has a deliciously spiced gravy that pairs perfectly with roti, naan, or rice. Ideal for both everyday meals and special occasions, this vegetarian mushroom curry is easy to make and full of warmth. Whether you’re a fond of mushrooms or just looking to try something different, this recipe is a must-try.

About Mushroom Masala Recipe

Mushroom Masala recipe is an easy, delicious curry made with earthy white button mushrooms in a spiced onion and tomato gravy.

This gluten free recipe of Mushroom Masala, like most of my other recipes too, is easy to prepare. You just have to do some prep work, like making the onion paste and tomato puree, for this tasty curry with fresh button mushrooms.

Both these above-mentioned paste and puree can be easily prepared in a good blender or mixer-grinder. When you have the onion paste and tomato puree ready with you, making this Mushroom Curry with Punjabi flavors is really a breeze.

Mushrooms are one of those ingredients that are full of proteins and Vitamin D. But a lot of people have an aversion towards it. So, I hope with this Punjabi style Mushroom Curry, some of you may actually develop a liking for mushrooms.

The onion paste is caramelized, which gives a deeper, richer flavor in the gravy. I also add some fresh Curd (yogurt) which makes the gravy a bit creamy, with a smooth consistency and a burst of flavors in it.

You can use any neutral flavored oil to make this Mushroom Curry. Other than these, there’s a bunch of whole spices like cumin seeds, Indian bay leaf (tej patta), cinnamon, green cardamom, cloves, mace and black cardamom (optional) added in it.

Along with these spices, there are some basic ground spices too, like turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder added to this recipe of Mushroom Masala. The touch of crushed dried fenugreek leaves at the end also makes it lovely.

There are no nuts like cashews and almonds in this Punjabi style recipe of Mushroom Curry. Thus, the gravy does not have a thick and creamy consistency.

Instead, it is incredibly flavorful, light and can be easily poured on steamed rice. You can also have it with some soft dinner rolls (pav), roti or paratha.

Most often, I use this Mushroom Masala gravy base with slight modifications to make other vegetable or paneer bhuna masala. For another protein rich curry, you can also check this Soya Chunks Curry and Soya Chaap Recipe that I make on occasions.

One thing that you must keep in mind before beginning to make this recipe is that, you have to rinse and clean the mushrooms very well with water.

Since there’s a lot of dirt that can be sticking to the mushrooms. So, it is essential to clean them well, wipe them dry and then use for this or any other recipe.

How to make Mushroom Masala

Preparation

1. Rinse or wipe dry 200 to 250 grams mushrooms. Slice off a bit of the base stalk. Then, slice or chop them. Keep aside.

2. In a grinder or blender, take ¾ to 1 cup chopped onions, 1 teaspoon chopped ginger and 1 teaspoon chopped garlic.

3. Grind to a smooth and fine paste, without adding any water.

4. Remove this paste with a spoon or spatula in a bowl. Set aside.

Make Tomato Puree

5. In the same jar, add ½ cup tightly packed chopped tomatoes.

6. Make a smooth puree, without adding water. Set the prepared tomato puree aside.

No need to blanch tomatoes before pureeing. If using packaged puree, then add ⅓ cup tomato puree.

7. Whisk 4 tablespoons fresh curd (yogurt) until smooth and set aside.

Make Onion Tomato Masala

8. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a pan and add the following whole spices:

• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 small or 1 medium to large tej patta
• ½ inch cinnamon
• 1 black cardamom
• 2 green cardamoms
• 3 cloves
• 1 single strand of mace

I forgot to add tej patta at this step, so added later at step 11.

Tip: Black cardamom does give some smokiness to the dish, but can be omitted, if you do not have it or if you do not like its flavors.

9. Sauté the spices for some seconds until they become fragrant.

10. Lower the heat, and add the prepared onion paste.

11. Mix the onion paste with the oil. If the paste splutters, then cover the pan with a lid allowing for some space for the steam to pass.

12. On low to medium heat, stirring often, continue to sauté until the onion paste starts reducing.

13. Stir and sauté until the onion paste becomes golden and caramelized.

This sautéing of onion paste takes some time. So, to quicken the process, add a pinch of salt.

14. Now, add the prepared tomato puree. Combine well.

15. Add the spice powders:

• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder (or cayenne pepper)
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder

16. Stirring often, sauté until you see oil releasing from the sides of the onion-tomato masala. The masala paste will also thicken and become glossy.

Add Mushrooms

17. Add the sliced or chopped white button mushrooms.

18. Lower the heat and add the beaten curd (yogurt). Beat the curd separately in a bowl and then add. If you add curd without whisking, it can curdle or become grainy.

Note: Add yogurt made from whole milk. Do not add low-fat milk or toned milk yogurt as they will split in the gravy. If you do not have curd, then simply skip it.

19. As soon as you add yogurt, mix very well.

20. Simmer on low to medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

Make Mushroom Masala

21. Then, add ¾ cup water or as required. You can add less or more water, depending on the consistency you prefer.

Remember that mushrooms release water. So, add less water keeping this point in mind. You can always add more water later, if the gravy becomes very thick.

22. Season with salt as required.

23. Stir and mix very well.

24. Cover the pan with a lid.

25. On low to medium heat, simmer the Mushroom Curry for 18 to 20 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked and the curry has thickened a bit.

You should also see some oil specks on top.

26. Lastly, add ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder and ½ teaspoon crushed dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi). Stir the gravy well.

At this step, for some richness, you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream.

27. Lastly, add 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves and mix.

28. Serve Mushroom Masala hot or warm.

Serving & Storage Suggestions

If you like, you can garnish the Mushroom Curry with some coriander leaves while serving. Then, enjoy it with steamed rice, jeera rice or pulao.

It also goes very well as a side gravy dish with a Dum Biryani. Or you can relish this curry with Roti, Paratha, Butter Naan, bread or dinner rolls (Pav). In the above photo, it is served with a simple fragrant Capsicum Rice.

The leftover Mushroom Masala can be refrigerated for a day. Simply warm the gravy in a pan, before serving. If the gravy has thickened too much, then add a few tablespoons of water to thin the consistency.

Expert Tips

• Mushrooms: Good alternatives for button mushrooms for this recipe are shiitake mushrooms and cremini mushrooms.
• Cooking Mushrooms: I have directly cooked the mushrooms when making the curry. If you prefer, sauté the mushrooms separately in oil and add them later to the gravy once its cooked.
• Tomatoes: You can make fresh tomato puree for this recipe, or use a readymade packaged one too. You can use ½ cup crushed canned tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes.
• Vegetables: Increase the nutrition quotient of this dish by adding ½ to 1 cup of other vegetables like green peas, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and bell pepper.
• Black cardamom: If you don’t have it, then skip adding it in the recipe. But its better to add as it imparts a smoky flavor to the dish.
• Yogurt: Make sure to use whole milk curd (yogurt), and not the one made with toned milk or low-fat milk. Using these may result in splitting, while being cooked.

FAQs

Mushroom Masala recipe from the archives was first published on July 2015.