Oyster Mushroom Curry
This oyster mushroom curry is my plant-based take on my dad's famous chicken curry. Oyster mushrooms are pan-fried before swimming in a gravy of whole spices and low-and-slow aromatics. It's not exactly like his chicken curry, but it's wonderful in its own way!
Ingredients
- 8-10 oz. oyster mushrooms
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil for frying mushrooms
- 2 tbsp avocado oil or another neutral oil
- 2 cloves
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- 1 dry red chili
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 1 green cardamom
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 2 inch ginger, minced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 roma tomatoes, diced
- 2 cups water
- ½ tsp kosher salt + more to taste
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp kashmiri lal mirch (kashmiri chili powder) *optional for color
- cilantro, for garnishing
Instructions
- Clean the oyster mushrooms with a napkin and squeeze any excess moisture out of them. Do not wash them, or they will lose their ability to crisp up in the pan.
- Over medium heat, add olive oil to a cast-iron (or the same saucepan you will cook the rest of the curry in, if you'd prefer to clean one less pan). Add the mushrooms, cooking them in batches if necessary (I did two batches). Cook for about 2 minutes per side, or until they are golden-brown and slightly crisp. They will simmer later in the gravy, so they do not have to be fully cooked. Set the mushrooms aside.
- In a medium sauce pan, heat the neutral oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the whole spices (before doing this, make sure you have a strong food processor! if not, then separately grind the whole spices). Stir for 1-2 minutes, or until the oil is sizzling and you can definitely smell the spices.
- Add the onions and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add ginger and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the smell of raw ginger dissipates. Let the pan cool off before removing the cinnamon stick and processing its contents in a strong, small food processor. If necessary, add a splash of water to help with blending.
- To the same pan, add the onion-garlic-ginger paste. Add the tomatoes and salt, and cook until the tomatoes clump together with the paste. Add turmeric and kashmiri lal. This will take 5-7 minutes.
- Add 2 cups of water. Cover and simmer over medium-low for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Adjust for salt if necessary, garnish with cilantro, and serve!