This dry matar mushroom sabzi (peas and mushroom) will easily satisfy your work lunch requirements: simple, comforting, and flavorful.
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I’ve been working in San Francisco this summer and sometimes summer here is like…winter. So I had to start taking lunch more seriously for the sake of my sanity. Naturally, this leads me to a tiffin series. Tiffin is an Indian English word for a meal, usually lunch, and they consist of food packed in a special stacked steel container. As cool as tiffins are, packing it the way pictured above was more convenient for me, so for this series, I’m just going to riff on the tiffin ethos. A well-done tiffin proves that there is no reason meals should be sad when you’re away from home or at work.
A simple roti sabzi sounded like the move this week, so I made a dry matar mushroom and paired it with some cucumbers and peanut chutney for munching. “Sabzi” is a term to describe vegetables cooked with Indian flavors, but the term is also used throughout South Asia and the Middle East. The matar mushroom sabzi is one of those recipes that gets a lot done with a handful of ingredients you probably already have!
How to Make Mushroom Matar Sabzi
Pick a mushroom
I decided to use white button mushrooms, but you could also use cremini/baby bella mushrooms.
Start with aromatics
Onions, garlic, and ginger. After frying these in oil for a bit, add a diced tomato.
A few spices go a long way.
Indian food tends to have a reputation for being heavily spiced, but it is often overlooked that a lot of homemade sabzis strike a pleasant balance between honoring the vegetables and the spices. All you need for this is ground coriander, turmeric, a little garam masala, and red chili powder to your liking.
The amounts listed in the recipe box seem like very little, but trust me on this one!
Pair it with a quick peanut chutney
As long as you’re not allergic to peanuts, you should definitely take this next step. I usually eat peanut chutney with South Indian foods like idli and uttapam, but recently I’ve been using chutneys beyond their intended purposes and I love their versatility. Cucumbers and chutney is so refreshing.
Start with cumin seeds. Then add a little garlic, ginger, and dry red chilis. After toasting the peanuts for a few minutes, process everything in a small processor with
Peanut chutney often includes dal and a tadka (tempering), but I wanted to make this as simple as possible.
Matar Mushroom Sabzi
Ingredients
- 8 white button mushrooms, cut into eighths (~ 2 cups when cut)
- 1.5 cups frozen green peas
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or another neutral oil
- ½ large onion, finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- 1 tomato, diced
- salt to taste
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp garam masala *amount depends on preference and strength of your garam masala. mine is on the stronger side.
- ¼ tsp black pepper *optional
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger. Sauté for a minute or so.
- Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, or until they turn golden and translucent.
- Add tomato and salt. Stir occasionally and cook until the tomato pieces mush together, which should take 3-4 minutes.
- Add all the ground spices (except for black pepper) and stir for a minute. Add peas and allow them to soften. Finish with mushrooms and continue to stir occasionally until the mushrooms and peas are cooked all the way. Taste, finish with black pepper if you want, and add salt to taste if necessary.
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Oooh love that lemon peel idea! Glad you enjoyed this.
This was a great recipe to riff on. You’re totally right about the spices. When was the last time I cooked a sabji without any kind of cumin, mustard, or like, any phoron at all? Haha. Anyway, I added some finely diced fresh lemon peel halfway through cooking and it really emphasizes the achar vibes with little pops of bitter citrus flavor.