Mushroom Do Pyaza

5 from 10 votes

Mushroom do pyaza recipe is a flavorsome, delightful dish featuring button mushrooms cooked with lightly caramelized onions, tomatoes and ground spices. Make this easy vegan, gluten-free recipe with simple everyday Indian ingredients in less than 30 minutes.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time25 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: North Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 275kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

3 tablespoons oil - any neutral oil
200 grams onions or 2 large or ¾ cup onions cut in one inch square and ½ cup finely chopped onions
1 small to medium tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
½ teaspoon Ginger-Garlic Paste
150 grams tomatoes or 2 medium to large or 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon red chilli powder or cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
½ teaspoon cumin powder (ground cumin)
200 grams button mushrooms or about 2.5 cups chopped or sliced
salt as required
½ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
1 to 2 green chillies or half or quarter portion of 1 anaheim or serrano pepper - slit or sliced
3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves - for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preparation

Peel and rinse the onions. Chop one onion and if required some portion of the second onion, in one inch squares. You will need ¾ cup onion squares.
Finely chop the remaining onion. You will need ½ cup finely chopped onions.
Also finely chop the tomatoes and slice or chop the button mushrooms

Lightly caramelizing onions

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a kadai or pan.
Add the onions which have been cut into squares. On a medium-low or medium heat, begin to sauté the onions.
Stir at intervals while sautéing the onions until their edges turn golden.
Remove the onions with a slotted spoon and transfer on a plate.
Lower the heat and in the same pan, add 1 small to medium tej patta.

Sautéing Onions

Add the finely chopped onions and sauté until translucent or light golden.
Then add ginger-garlic paste.
Mix well and sauté for some seconds until the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.

Sautéing Tomatoes

Now add the finely chopped tomatoes. Mix very well and sauté for a minute.
Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder or cayenne, coriander powder and cumin powder. Mix very well.
Sauté the masala, stirring often until the tomatoes soften and become mushy. If the masala ingredients start sticking to the pan, add a few splashes of water. Mix, deglaze and continue to sauté .
Add the chopped button mushrooms and salt as needed.
Mix very well. Sauté the mushrooms on a low to medium heat.
First the mushrooms will release plenty of water. Continue to sauté until the water dries up and the mushrooms are cooked. The gravy will also look thick.
Now add the lightly caramelized onion squares. Mix again.
Add garam masala powder, chopped coriander leaves and green chilies (slit or sliced).
Mix very well and then switch off the heat.

Serving Suggestions

Enjoy mushroom do pyaza hot or warm with a side of roti, naan, paratha, bread or dinner rolls. Garnish with some coriander leaves while serving and if you like, drizzle some lemon juice on it.
For a smaller period of a few hours, you can pack this in a lunch box with a side of bread or roti.

Storage and Leftovers

Make sure that you store any leftover in the fridge for a day only. Store in a covered steel container or box.
While reheating, warm in a frying pan, adding a few splashes of water as the gravy will become too thick or look dried.

Notes

Mushrooms: Button mushrooms are easily available to me, so I often use these in any recipe. Other options that work in the recipe are fresh shiitake mushrooms, cremini mushrooms and baby portabella mushrooms.
How to clean mushrooms? To clean the mushrooms, give them a quick rinse in a colander first. Then hold each mushroom with your fingers and keep it under the running water from the tap. Gently scrub or rub the attached mud on the mushroom with your fingers and clean it thoroughly. Rinse all mushrooms this way and set them aside in a strainer.
Onions: The recipe works well with any kind of onions that you have. While I prefer red onions, feel free to add white, yellow onions or shallots depending on what you have. But do not use scallions (spring onions).
Tomatoes: If out of fresh tomatoes, use crushed canned tomatoes in the same proportion. For a smooth consistency, consider making fresh tomato puree from the tomatoes.
Ground spices: While I recommend to include all the ground spices, you can opt to add pungent spices like red chilli powder/cayenne less or more according to your taste preferences. The same rule applies for the green chillies. Add less or more according to your heat tolerance and sensitivity.
Green Chillies: In the recipe, I have used the Indian variety of green chillies that are not very spicy. If you do not get Indian green chillies, swap with half or a quarter portion of chili peppers like Anaheim pepper or serrano. You can also include Thai green chillies but then add very less amounts of it. This recipe is not spicy and the green chillies only add a bit of heat and spiciness.
Richer variation: To make this mushroom do pyaaza rich and creamy, add 2 tablespoons of light cream (low-fat cream) or a vegan cream when the cooking is complete. You can also sauté the ingredients in butter (dairy or vegan) or ghee.
Scaling: Double or triple this recipe easily to suit your needs.

Nutrition