Kerala Mushroom Thiyal

Daydream's Note:

If you love mushrooms, coconut, and south Indian food, this is the recipe for you. The original recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of chili powder, which, unless you have very mild chili powder, could be blisteringly hot. My chili powder is very hot and I find 1/2 teaspoon plenty enough. You can either serve this as a side vegetable dish, or as a main dish with rice or Indian breads. Adapted from a recipe by Velayudhan Koolichalakal.

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

For Coconut Paste

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 8 garlic cloves , peeled and left whole (use less if preferred, I do!)
• 1 ½ cups grated coconut (fresh or frozen or unsweetened, desiccated)
• ½-1 teaspoon pure chili powder (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon coriander powder
• ¾ cup water

For Mushroom Curry

• ½-1 tablespoon vegetable oil or ½-1 tablespoon butter or ½-1 tablespoon ghee
• 16 ounces fresh button mushrooms , halved (or quartered if large)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil , extra
• 1 tablespoon gingerroot , cut in julienne strips
• 1 -3 green chilies , cut in half lengthwise (de-seeded for less heat)
• ½ cup onion , sliced
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• reserved mushroom liquid , made up to 1 1/2 cups, with water
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 10 -15 fresh curry leaves (or frozen)
• 2 -3 teaspoons thick tamarind paste

For Tempering

• 1 ½ teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

Directions:

1. For the coconut paste: Heat the vegetable oil in a non-stick, heavy skillet and add the coconut and garlic. Stirring frequently, gently toast the coconut with the garlic cloves, until the coconut is golden brown. If using freshly grated or frozen grated coconut, this will take 15 to 20 minutes. If using unsweetened dessicated coconut, it will take less time. Be careful not to burn the coconut.
2. Stir in the chili powder and coriander powder and roast with the coconut for one minute. Set aside and cool lightly, then transfer the mixture to a blender with the water, and grind to a very fine paste. Set aside.
3. For the mushroom curry: Lightly saute the mushrooms in vegetable oil, butter or ghee until silken and just softened. Drain and reserve any liquid. Set aside.
4. In a medium-size pan, heat the extra vegetable oil and saute the ginger, chilies and onions for two to three minutes. Add the drained mushrooms, turmeric powder, the mushroom liquid made up to 1 1/2 cups with water, and salt, then partially cover with a lid, and simmer 5 minutes. Add the curry leaves and tamarind paste, and stir briefly before adding the coconut paste. Cover pan and cook over low heat for three minutes.
5. For tempering: Just before serving, heat the 1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil in a small skillet or flameproof ladle and toss in the mustard seeds. Once they start to pop and crackle, pour them into the mushroom dish, stir, and serve.

Reviews

[Seeprats]

Thanx for this great recipe...i was waiting to try this myself...but since DH was in a chef-mode,he tried it out...though we had it alongwith pita bread..it would b great with white rice too... The only modification he made was to decrease the amount of tamarind as we use tamarind concentrate at home rather than the thick paste.

[Blue Peacock]

Daydream, this mushroom thiyal is excellent! With my parents being from Kerala, we truly enjoyed this dish, as it is very flavorful and quick to make. Thank you for sharing a recipe that will be made again and again.

[Aunt Cookie]

Outstanding! I used the full amount of chili powder and 2 jalapenos. I left out the curry leaves (I can't get them here in small-town Ohio), but this still turned out great. Don't be scared off by the long list of ingredients...this really isn't very difficult to make. Thanks for posting; I'm sure I'll be making this again.