DARSH’S AWESOME MUSHROOM DRY CURRY

(for a lack of a better title!)

INGREDIENTS:
1. Mushrooms (white button / portobello) – 2 packs
2. Dried chilly (for extra heat – omit if you don’t want to light yourself on fire)*
3. Tomatoes – 3 large pieces
4. Ginger – 1 small piece (you may add garlic + red onion if you like for more flavour)
5. Turmeric ginger – 1 small piece
6. Cinnamon – 2-3 small barks
7. Star Anise – 3-4 pieces
8. Cardamom – 3-4 pods
9. Curry leaves – a handful
10. Korma curry powder (Baba’s is an excellent brand) – 1 tablespoon
11. Chilly curry powder (Baba’s is an excellent brand) – 1 tablespoon
12. Meat curry powder (Baba’s is an excellent brand) – 3 tablespoons
13. Turmeric curry powder (Baba’s is an excellent brand) – 1 teaspoon
14. Salt to taste
15. Oil – a generous amount to cook the curry powder (approximately 3-4 tablespoons)
16. Mushroom granules** – a sprinkling
17. Cilantro – only if you like it
PREPARATION:
1. Blend ginger (and garlic + red onion if you’re using them), turmeric ginger, candlenuts, 2-3
mushrooms [not all of the mushrooms, just 2-3 to create a flavourful mushroomy paste] together
into a coarse paste. I used a mortar and pestle that time when I cooked. Set aside.
STEPS:
1. Heat oil in a wok / deep-dish pan.
2. Add the curry leaves, cinnamon, star anise, and cardamom and sauté for a few seconds. Add dried
chilly (if you’re opting for this) and sauté till fragrant.
3. Add the blended mix of ingredients (ginger + turmeric ginger + candlenuts + mushrooms). Stir
until it’s slightly brown.
4. Add all the curry powders and let it cook in the oil. DO NOT ADD WATER at this point. If
your mixture looks like it’s getting burnt, add oil and let the powder cook in it. Discard all notions
of ‘healthy eating’ at this point. If your gut is telling you that you absolutely NEED to add water,
do not give in. Instead…
5. Add the tomatoes and some salt. Let the spices + paste + curry powder + unhealthy amount of
oil cook with the tomatoes to create a tomato-pastey-kind of mixture. Reduce heat to low; cover
and let it simmer. This may take anywhere between 4-5 minutes depending on the wok you’re
using.
6. Once you see the oil surfacing to the top and blooming in the mixture, that means the curry
powder has properly cooked (see image below if I make no sense here). Uncooked curry powder
will have an unpleasant, raw spice taste with a powdery aftertaste - not good. If it’s cooked, it will
taste like what you tasted that day.
7. Now, add the remaining mushrooms in. Since mushrooms absorb water (during the cleaning
process), your curry will automatically have more water. Let the mushrooms cook in the curry
 mixture for a bit. At this point, if you still think you need more water in the curry, then add some
hot water bit by bit. Wait until the water cooks with the oil + curry.
8. Sprinkle some mushroom granules if you want and stir. Sprinkle some chopped cilantro as
garnishing if you like.
9. Ta-da – ready to eat!
10. I hate uneven numbers. So, I’m adding this useless sentence so that my brain doesn’t hurt from
seeing 9 and computing it as an incomplete piece of work. Sorry!

* The dish I cooked had some dried chilly in it and since you survived, you could definitely add this without any
severe repercussions 😊

** The non-MSG kind. This is really an optional ingredient. Your dish will still taste great without it.

Figure 1: Hello! I have bloomed! Oil rising to the surface and blooming