Mushrooms add great texture to vegetarian dishes and the blended cashews provide a rich creamy base for this curry.

Gravy is the sauce of the curry and it’s personal whether it should be thick or thin. The joy of cooking your own is you get to decide. Personally, I like a thicker gravy so I don’t add too much water.  

MATAR MUSHROOM – mushroom and pea curry

For the curry

Serves 4 as a side, 2 as a main

75g cashews
50ml hot water
1.25cm (½ inch) piece of ginger, peeled
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 green chilli, seeds removed
2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp asafoetida
2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
1.5cm (½ inch) fresh ginger, peeled
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 green chilli, seeds removed
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
salt to taste
2 medium tomatoes, cut into small pieces or pureed with a hand blender
300g fresh mushrooms, thickly sliced
200g peas, frozen or fresh
1 tsp garam masala
fresh coriander leaves, to garnish

Method:

To make the cashew paste, place the nuts in a bowl, cover with water and let them soak for 20 minutes. Blend or liquidize until smooth, adding more water if needed. 

Grind the ginger, garlic and chilli together in a food processor, mortar and pestle, or chop/grate finely by hand. Heat the oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds and asafoetida. Allow the cumin seeds to splutter and turn brown, but be careful not to burn.

Add the onion and fry until it starts to turn golden, about 5-8 minutes; add a splash of water if the onion begins to stick.

Stir in the ginger, garlic and chilli paste. Add the paprika, ground coriander and turmeric and stir for 30 seconds, to release the flavours.

Add the tomatoes and cook down for about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes. Add the peas, stir and cook covered on a low heat. If necessary add 100ml of water. The gravy should not be too thin as mushrooms and peas let out a lot of their own water. 

When the vegetables are cooked add the cashew paste, garam masala, salt to taste, and stir. Turn the heat off and allow to sit for a couple of minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves.

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