Mushroom Matar Makhani – Mushroom and Peas in a Creamy Sauce

Ingredients

250 grams mushrooms, sliced
1 cup peas (can use frozen)
2 large ripe red tomatoes
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
15 whole cashews
1 inch fresh ginger, chopped roughly
1/2 inch fresh ginger, julienned
4 garlic cloves, chopped roughly
1 green chili, slit (and de-seeded if desired)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (or 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder)
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon garam masala powder
1/2 teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves, crushed
1 Indian bay leaf (Tej Patta)
1 – 2 tablespoons cream
1.5 cups water
1 teaspoon sugar (or your preferred sweetener)
2 tablespoons oil (or ghee)
1 tablespoon butter
Salt, to taste

Directions

Soak the cashews in just enough hot water to cover them for 30 minutes.
In a large pan over medium heat, warm the oil and fry the mushrooms until theeir juices have released and dried up, and the mushrooms have started to turn golden on the edges. Remove from pan and set aside.
Cook the peas until tender, then set aside.

In a blender, make a paste with the onion, garlic, the 1 inch ginger piece, and 1 tablespoon of water to help it all blend. Remove from blender and set aside.

Drain the cashews and put them into the blender with the tomatoes. Mix well until you have a smooth paste with no chunks of cashew remaining.

In the large pan, melt the 1 tablespoon butter and fry the bay leaf for 1 few seconds. Add in the red chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, and coriander powder and fry in the oil for a few seconds, making sure not to burn the spices. Add in the onion/garlic/ginger paste and fry until golden. Then, add in the tomato/cashew paste and sautée until the oils are released from the mixture. Pour in the water, salt, and sugar. Add the green chili, and simmer until the sauce thickens. Add in the crushed fenugreek leaves, cream, and the julienned 1/2 inch garlic piece. Simmer for a minute or so, then return the fried mushrooms to the pan, add in the peas, and simmer for another few minutes.

My Notes

I didn’t have cashews in the house so I used 1/2 cup of peanuts, soaked as directed.
I didn’t use the green chili at all.
I didn’t have an Indian bay leaf, so I used a few dried curry leaves, because they’re smaller. I’m sure fresh leaves from the local market would also be fantastic to use.
I lowered the quantity of Kashmiri red chili powder to 1/8 teaspoon.
I also added in a red bell pepper for the final simmer. I’d sautéed it just after the mushrooms, setting it aside for later as with the mushrooms.
I used frozen peas, and set them out to thaw a bit at the same time I started the 30min soak for the nuts. I didn’t cook them at the beginning, just added them thawing to the pan during the final simmer where they cooked up just fine.

Doubling This Recipe: While this recipe probably doubles quite well, I’d have to do it in 2 batches due to the size of my blender. 🙂