Minimalist Tuesdays 3.0: Mutter Mushroom (Peas Mushroom Curry)

Minimalist tuesdays are an ode to yummy and healthy food, without too much time in the kitchen or ingredients on hand. They are meant for "minimum time in kitchen, maximum results". Mutter mushroom fits the bill, hands down :) 

Time is a premium commodity for everyone and cooking often takes a back seat. However, feeding oneself should not seem as a burden. SS and I are of the opinion that healthy, wholesome food is at the very bottom of Maslow's hierarchy; hence non-negotiable, essential for survival. Barring some special occasions, we believe food should be down to earth, entering the mouth and reaching the soul. That doesn't have to cost an arm and leg, and neither a large chunk out of your day.

As is the trend with all recipes (so far) on the blog, this recipe is effortless, quick, made with ingredients found in your home almost all the time, when in season!

Ingredients:

Button Mushrooms (chopped) - 250 gms

Peas - 200 gms

To be blended into a paste:
Tomatoes - 2
Onion - 1
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Green chillies - 5 (adjust as per hotness desired)
Garlic - 5 cloves

Ghee - 2 tsp
Khoya - 2 tsp (Completely Optional)

Cumin - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 0.5 tsp
Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp (or according to taste, can omit too)
Salt - as per taste
Garam Masala - 1 tsp

Coriander leaves to garnish.

Directions

1. In a pressure cooker, heat some ghee

2. Add some cumin seeds. If using khoya, proceed to step 3 else step 4.

3. When they start spluttering, add the khoya and brown for 1 minute.

4. Add the tomato puree and cook it till it becomes grainy in texture.

5. Add the mushrooms, peas, salt, turmeric, coriander powder, red chilli powder.

6. Mix all of them well and add water to the gravy.
Do not add too much water as mushrooms also release water while cooking. Add enough to cover the vegetables.

7. Close the lid of the pressure cooker. Allow it to whistle once on high power on the induction cooktop (or high flame on the stove). Lower the power (flame) to medium and let it whistle 4 more times.

8. When the pressure subsides, open the lid. Add garam masala. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with chapatis or rice!

Notes:

Mushrooms are a powerhouse of nutrition. They are low in calories, fat-free, cholesterol-free, low in sodium, high in vitamin-D, potassium and B-complex. Coupling them with protein rich peas makes for a nutrient packed wholesome and absolutely finger-licking dish!

The addition of khoya makes this dish richer as well as a little sweet. Adjust salt and chillies keeping this in mind if you add khoya.

Whenever I make ghee at home, I use the left over browned solids as khoya - they are delicious and also does not waste them!!

This is such a typical winter dish -- do you also make mutter mushroom like this? Do not go away without commenting, o silent one! :D

Winter Wonderland: Subz Miloni (Mixed vegetables in green gravy)

We love winters! The slight (or the not so slight) chill, foggy mornings, ginger tea, hot chocolate, oversized sweaters knit by mom and grandmom, the list goes on... What's not to love!

And I love eating (I hope it is evident by now). Going to a vegetable market for me is like entering a candy shop for a child -- my pupils get dilated and I want to pick up anything and everything I can lay my eyes and hands upon...The colours and freshness makes me go crazy. It's a different matter altogether that on coming back home I curse myself for not being more prudent. But well, food is never wasted in this household and we find ways to use / freeze all things. 

I also don't find spending more on food ever a waste. There is a rule in this household -- we will curb our monthly / weekly outings or clothes shopping, but we will never ever compromise on the quality of food we eat. Whaddya think about it ?! Super rule, no! :D

Greens are plentiful in winters in India. Sarson (mustard greens), palak (spinach), bathua (chenopodium), suva (dill), methi (fenugreek leaves) all make regular appearances in our food shopping at this time of the year; staple foods for us also keep changing depending on the weather. What is in season is eaten, preserved and enjoyed more till it goes out of season, be it fruits or veggies.

So I (again!) found a super delicious way to incorporate all seasonal vegetables with the super-food that are winter greens! This is an extremely easy recipe which can help you include more greens in your diet. Do not get intimidated by the number of ingredients I use; you can totally customise it.

Ingredients

Mixed chopped vegetables (100 gms of each): cauliflower, carrots, beans, capsicum

Sarson (Mustard Leaves): 250 gms

Palak (Spinach Leaves): 250 gms

Bathua (Chenopodium Leaves): 250 gms

Methi (Fenugreek Leaves): 250 gms

Laung (Cloves): 4, Optional

Zeera (Cumin seeds): 1 tsp

Heeng (asafoetida): 1 tsp

Red chilli powder: 0.5 tsp

Turmeric: 1 tsp

Coriander Powder: 2 tsp

Garam Masala: 1 tsp

Directions

1. Clean and chop all the greens well. Rinse them several times so that no grit and dirt remains.

2. In a big vessel enough to accomodate all the chopped leaves, heat some water. Immerse all the greens in it.

3. Put a teaspoon of salt in the vessel and cover it, steam the greens. The greens will reduce drastically in volume.

The salt preserves the bright green colour of the vegetables.

4. After about 5 minutes, switch off the stove and blanch the vegetables by running them under cold water. Let them cool down.

5. Blend them smooth in an immersion blender / hand blender / what have you.

At this point, you can freeze the blended mix if you do not intend to cook this recipe straightaway.

6. In a wok (kadhai), heat some oil. Sizzle some cloves, asafoetida and cumin seeds.

7. Add all the chopped vegetables (NOT the greens) in the wok. Add salt, red chilli powder. turmeric powder and coriander powder.

8. Cover the wok and let the vegetables cook for ~ 8-10 minutes on medium flame.

9. At this point, open the lid and check if the vegetables are done. If not, cook them some more by adding a little water. If they are about 80% cooked, proceed to step 10.

Do not cook them till mushy. We will be cooking them further.

10. Add the blended greens mixture in the vegetables. Mix well, and cover for another 8 minutes.

You can add as much greens as you want in this step. If you want a gravy, add all of it. If you prefer it on the drier side, only add a little greens mix. I prefer it dry and add only a little, freezing the rest.

11. Open the lid and add some garam masala for taste. Also check for salt once more.

Serve this nutritious and delicious gravy hot with phulkas or rice!

Notes

Winter greens are amongst the healthiest vegetables you can eat. They supply you with tonnes of fiber, iron, calcium, vitamin C and proteins. 

Seasonal vegetables also are the most nutritious in their season and also come very cheap due to their abundant supply. So you can eat cheap as well as healthy -- no brainer!

If you want to make it richer, add some cashews to the oil in step 6. You can also garnish with cream if you would want to serve this to guests.

It is a very healthy dish for vegetarians who strength train and would like to include more proteins in their diets. One can only eat so many eggs, you know!

If you try this recipe, let me know! We would love to hear from you :) Drop in!