(Lima) Beans and Delhi Cha(a)t

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Mushrooming My Way Back...

It's been a while, hasn't it? As I write this first proper foodie post of 2007, I have some Thank Yous to say. My gratitude to all of you who kept our humble blog listed on your blogrolls despite our unexplained absence; a big thank you to new friends who wished to exchange links with us (the links will be up with this post, I promise); much appreciation for all the kind comments that came in to our sporadic posts, reassuring us our blog hadn't yet been sucked up by a big black hole. Many thanks for staying our friends. :-)

I have missed the food blogging experience and have been every bit sore about it. I missed the encouragement and inspiration from fellow food bloggers, the propeller which fuelled my culinary adventures with such gusto. I hope to get back on that adventure trail with you all soon. That's what brought me back here to share with you my experiment with...

Achari mushroom. Achar is the Hindi word for pickle, as many of you may know. I had seen the recipe for Achari Paneer (cottage cheese) somewhere and thought of adapting the same for cooking mushrooms. The recipe is simple and uses the spices that usually go into the making of north Indian pickles. The experiment went well and produced a tongue-clicking, finger-licking dish. Here it is:

Achari Mushroom

Ingredients:

White button mushroom: 250 grams, cut into cubes or halves
Mustard seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
Fenugreek (methi) seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin (jeera) seeds: 1 teaspoon
Nigella (kalonji) seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
Fennel seeds: 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon
Yogurt: 1 cup (beaten well)
Onions: 2, chopped fine
Coriander/Mint leaves: 4 teaspoons, finely chopped
Green chili: 2-3, slit in the middle
Oil: 2 tablespoons
Sugar: 1/2 teaspoon
Salt: To taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in a wok and add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, nigella seeds, and cumin seeds.

2. When the seeds start spluttering, add the chopped onions and stir. Fry until they turn translucent.

3. Add the mushrooms

4. Add the beaten curd and mix well, stirring constantly. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

5. Add turmeric powder, salt and sugar. Mix well.

6. Garnish with green chilies, mint and coriander leaves.

7. Serve hot with roti/paratha/naan.



Achari mushroom tastes expectedly tangy (perfect for my palate) and takes no time to cook. If you are in a hurry and want to eat something delicious, this is the perfect item for you. Give it a try and do let me know how it turns out in your kitchen.

Happy cooking and hearty eating, all!

~ Sury

posted by Sury at 10:40 AM

15 comment(s):

Welcome back! What an re-entrance with a great dish!:))

By Blogger FH, at 7:43 PM  

Thank you so much, Asha and Parna!

By Blogger Sury, at 12:08 AM  

hey sury,

sounds delicious..i shall try this :)

happy new yr

By Blogger Meenal Mehta, at 3:25 AM  

Thanks a lot, Meenal. Do let me know how you like it.

Happy New Year to you, too!

By Blogger Sury, at 11:06 AM  

Welcome back, Sury!

By Blogger sra, at 2:28 PM  

Sury - Hope your new year is off to a good start. Achari mushrooms looks durdanto. Have to try it soon

By Blogger Mandira, at 8:11 PM  

Thank you, Sra! Good to see you here. :)

By Blogger Sury, at 8:49 PM  

Hey thanks, Mandira. The year is unfolding nicely here. I hope you are having a great start to 2007, too!

Do let me know how the mushroom turns out in your kitchen. :)

By Blogger Sury, at 8:53 PM  

Mmmm, yummy, yummy, yummy.....can you please e-mail me some of that?

By Blogger ::Alejandro::, at 1:26 PM  

LOL, Alejandro. I could, only if you promised to email me some seafood ceviche in return. ;)

By Blogger Sury, at 2:43 PM  

I once had achari chicken and it was to die for. Mushrooms look good. And so good to see you back.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at 7:59 PM  

Hey, Gini, thanks for the kind words! Achari chicken sounds yum. Must try it one of these days. :)

By Blogger Sury, at 9:22 PM  

Hi Sury - great to find your blog. We have more than cooking in common.

My husband is Peruvian and I am Indian. Just got back from India and off to Peru later this month.

Lovely recipe...

By Blogger Mallika, at 10:47 PM  

Glad you dropped by, Mallika! That's a great coincidence about you and your husband. You are very lucky indeed, considering how rich the cuisines of both countries are. :-)

By Blogger Sury, at 11:32 PM  

Looks delicious! I love mushrooms and must try this asap :)thanks

By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4:00 PM  

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