Chettinad Kaalan Curry | Mushroom Masala Recipe | Gluten Free and Vegan

Hi Supermoms,

Mushrooms are a 'favourite' with my children. They like it in which ever way I cook them. Since it is one of the most easy vegetable ( Oops.. Fungi)  to cook, I usually make a simple stir fry out of it. It hardly takes 10 minutes to make a mushroom (dry) curry.

I add mushrooms to pasta , make a filling for sandwich or simply make a mushroom fried rice. One of the favourite ways of eating mushrooms are as a starter or snack . Though most of the mushroom starters are deep fried ones, I chose to make a healthier, non fried version of the Mushroom masala.

The speciality of this recipe is that you can either serve it as a stand alone dish/starter( dry gravy) or as a side dish to your flat breads or rice ( with gravy). The masalas are so flavourful and yummy. 

This Mushroom Masala is always a big hit at home. No advance preparation is required. All you need to do is to wash the mushrooms well . I guess that takes the maximum time 😅.

You can serve this even as  an ' after school snack'. You can boil and add your choice of pasta into it or can  toast some bread and serve along with the masala. I can give you plenty of ideas to serve this dish . But first, let me share the recipe 😁.

Chettinad Kaalan Curry | Mushroom Masala Recipe :

Preparation time : 10 minutes

Cooking time : 20 minutes

Serves : 2-3

1 cup = 250 ml cup

Ingredients :

250 gm button mushrooms ( washed and chopped )

1 teaspoon corn starch

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar Or jaggery ( optional) 

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

 salt to taste 

1 teaspoon oil 

To roast and ground :

1 teaspoon oil

1 bay leaf

1/2"cinnamon stick

1 clove 

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds/saunf

2 dry red chillies ( adjust according to your preferred spice levels)

1 garlic clove

1/2" ginger ( optional)

1 small onion ( roughly chopped)

2 tomatoes ( chopped roughly)

1 green chilli ( halved)

For garnish :

Finely chopped Indian Borage / Cilantro/ Scallion/Mint leaves 

Method :

1. Heat a wide pan with oil and add the mushrooms.

2. Add turmeric powder and allow the mushrooms to cook.

3. The mushrooms will start giving out water. 

4. Once the water has almost dried up, add corn starch, turmeric powder and salt and continue to fry the mushrooms.

5. When the mushrooms are well fried, transfer them to a another plate or vessel.

Chef tip : Do not close and cook the mushrooms. The entire process will take approximately 10-12 minutes.

6. Place the pan back on low flame.

7. Add all the ingredients given under 'to roast and grind' in the order given. 

8. Once they are cooked , transfer them to the jar of a mixer and grind them to a smooth paste .

Chef tip : I added just 1/4 cup water as I was making a dry gravy. You can add moe water and grind, if you are making wet one. 

9. Place the pan back on low flame and add the ground masala.

10. Cook over low flame for 5-7 minutes and add the pan fried mushrooms. 

11. Mix well , garnish and switch off. 

Chef tip : Alternatively, you can arrange the fried mushrooms on a serving plate and pour the masala on top , garnish and serve. 

Your delicious Mushroom Masala is now ready !

Happy Cooking !

With love,

Masterchefmom