Kadai Mushroom Recipe

kadai mushroom garnished with coriander leaves, ginger juliennes and served in a steel kadai on a white napkin.

4.79 from 80 votes

Kadai Mushroom is a North Indian dish made with mushrooms, onions and capsicum cooked in a tangy tomato-based gravy and flavored with freshly ground kadai masala. It can be made as a dry, semi-dry or gravy dish. This quick recipe pairs well with roti, naan or paratha.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: North Indian, Punjabi

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 197kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

For kadai masala

1 tablespoon coriander seeds
3 to 4 dry red chilies - broken and deseeded if preferred
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ inch cinnamon
1 green cardamom
2 cloves
3 to 4 black peppercorns
1 thin single strand of mace - optional

Other ingredients

200 to 250 grams button mushrooms - sliced
½ cup capsicum - thinly sliced (red or green or yellow bell pepper)
1 cup tomatoes - chopped
½ cup onions - finely chopped
1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste or 1 inch ginger + 3 to 4 small to medium-sized garlic, crushed in a mortar-pestle
1 teaspoon kasuri methi - crushed, (dry fenugreek leaves)
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder - optional
½ cup water or add as required
3 tablespoons oil - sunflower oil or any neutral vegetable oil
salt as required

For garnishing

1 to 2 tablespoon coriander leaves - chopped (cilantro)
1 inch ginger - julienne

Variations

1 or 2 tablespoons light cream or low fat cream - can be added right at the end and mixed with the gravy
¼ teaspoon garam masala - garam masala powder can be added when you add the kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Making kadai masala

First dry roast/toast all the spices mentioned above for the kadai masala, on a low heat in a kadai or wok or a frying pan until fragrant. Don't burn them.
The spices are lightly browned and ensure not to brown them too much or burn them.
Once the spices cool down, add them to a mixer-grinder or spice grinder.
Grind to a semi fine powder. You can also grind to a fine powder. Keep the ground kadai masala aside.
In the same jar, add chopped tomatoes. Blend the tomatoes to a fine and smooth puree. Set aside.
Rinse, wipe and then slice the mushrooms. Trim the base stalks slightly and trash the lowest bottom part of the stalk.
Also thinly slice the bell pepper & chop the onions etc. Keep the veggies aside.

Sautéing mushrooms

Heat oil in a kadai or a wok or a frying pan. Keep the heat to a medium and add the sliced mushrooms.
Stir & sauté the sliced mushrooms on medium to medium-hight heat. First you will see the mushrooms releasing plenty of water.
As you continue sautéing, the water will begin to evaporate. Sauté until the mushrooms get browned or golden from the edges.
Remove the sautéed mushrooms from the kadai and keep aside.

Making kadai mushroom

In the same oil, add the finely chopped onions. Sauté the onions till they soften and become translucent or light golden.
Add the ginger-garlic paste and briefly sauté for a few seconds until their raw aroma disappears.
Next add the tomato puree. Stir, mix and sauté until you see some oil releasing from the sides. The tomato mixture will also look glossy.
Add the sliced capsicum (bell pepper). Stir and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes on a low heat.
Next add the ground kadai masala which was made. You can also add ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder at this point.
Adding turmeric powder is optional though.
Add ½ cup water. Season with salt.
Stir and bring the gravy to a simmer on a low or medium-low heat until you see a few specks of oil on top.
Add the sautéed mushrooms and mix very well. You can add some more water if the gravy looks too thick to you.
Lastly add crushed dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) and mix well. Turn off the heat.
Remember to check the taste of the gravy and add more salt if needed.
Serve Kadai Mushroom hot or warm with roti, paratha or naan. While serving you can garnish with ginger julienne and chopped coriander leaves.

Video

Notes

Spices: Use fresh spices which are in their shelf-life. The spices are roasted till they are aromatic. Do not brown them too much or burn them.
Mushrooms: Other varieties of mushrooms can also be used instead of button mushrooms.
Dried red chillies: The color, spice, pungency and heat factor in the dish depends on the type of red chilies used. So you can increase or decrease the amount of red chilies as per their heat & pungency. Chillies which are not spicy like Kashmiri chillies or Byadagi chillies can be used and they also give a deep orange color to the dish.
Bell pepper: You can use a mix of red or green or yellow bell peppers or just one colored bell pepper.
Tomatoes: Use tomatoes which are not very tart or sour. You can even add ¾ cup of packaged tomato puree. When using packaged tomato puree, add some more water as they have a thick consistency.

Nutrition