Oyster Mushroom Curry

Having lived in India my whole life, I had only tasted button mushrooms and had never heard of or tasted ‘Oyster mushrooms.’ It was only in 2019 (when I moved to the USA) that I got to see and taste them for the first time. And the first dish that my husband and I made from these was an appetizer – mushroom pepper fry, eating which I instantly fell in love with these delicious mushrooms. They taste a little ”non-veggie”, and all you non-vegetarians would love these for sure!

Oyster mushrooms are slightly chewy, so it’s a perfect vegetable to use for making an appetizer. However, this recipe using oyster mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, cashews, whole spices, powdered spices, and herbs tastes delicious too as a side dish with rotis/ chapatis/ rice. Continue reading to know how to make this yummy curry.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 3 servings

ingredients:

250g oyster mushrooms
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 Green chillies, split into halves
Curry leaves, 5-6
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped or blended
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
3/4 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 tablespoon coriander powder
Coriander leaves

procedure:

1. Chop mushrooms to the desired size and rinse them thoroughly in cold running water and soak them in water, adding a teaspoon of salt until used.

2. Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot enough, add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle.
3. Add chopped onion and saute them until translucent on medium heat. Then add the ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell completely goes away.
4. Add the split green chillies and curry leaves and fry them for 20 seconds.
5. Add finely chopped tomatoes, sprinkle a little salt over and cover, and cook on low-medium heat until the tomatoes are soft and mushy.

6. You will start to notice the oil separating from the tomatoes. Now, set the heat on low, and add all the powdered spices – turmeric, red chilli, cumin, and coriander. Fry these spice powders for about a minute on low heat and later add 2 tablespoons of water and mix well.
7. Drain out the water from soaked mushrooms and transfer the mushrooms into the cooking pan. Combine everything, cover the lid and cook mushrooms on low-medium heat for about 10 minutes allowing the curry to come together well. (Without adding any water)

8. Taste for salt and adjust if necessary.
9. Add garam masala, give the curry a good mix and cook for another minute or two.
10. Garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves and enjoy a yummy oyster mushroom curry with rotis/ chapatis/ rice.

note:

• You can tweak the quantity of each ingredient as per your taste and preference.
• Do not chop mushrooms into small sizes, chop them medium-sized.
• You could use tomato puree instead of finely chopping them.
• You could store this curry for a day in the refrigerator.