Makes 3 generous servings
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan
- Add 0.5tsp of cumin seeds, 2 cloves, half inch cinnamon stick
- When cumin seeds splutter, add 1 large finely chopped onion
- Add salt and saute the onions until light brown
- Add 1 tbsp of ginger-garlic-coriander paste. saute.
- Add 1 green chilly slit lengthwise (can chop too. But I prefer long slit so my son can easily discard it.)
- Add a spring of curry leaves and saute for few seconds
- Add a pinch of turmeric powder
- Add 1 large ripe Tomato – finely chopped
- Saute until oil leaves by the sides
- Add washed and quartered button mushrooms (around 15 or so)
- Fry for a min and add 0.25 cup of water
- Cover and cook for 7 mins
- While it cooks, coarsely crush the following: 3 garlic pods, 0.5tsp of peppercorns, 1tsp of cumin seeds. Use a pestel preferably. Do not fine grind it. It must be very very coarse.
- After the mushroom is done do the following:
- Heat a really wide mouthed pan [I mean it
] - Add a dash of butter and 1 tbsp of oil . You can make it all butter…. but then the ‘cholesterol cop’ inside me, wont let me do that.
- Add the crushed garlic-pepper-cumin coarse masala and fry until raw smell vanishes
- Add few curry leaves and few cilantro leaves
- Add 0.5tsp of red chilly powder, 0.5tsp of coriander powder, 0.25tsp of garam masala pdr
- Qucikly toss the mushroom gravy into this wide pan
- Fry until all the water eaporates and the gravy thickens
- The gravy will be coating the mushrooms real good
- Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve or relish
- This dish tastes heavenly with Rice, Chapathi or any Roti
- You can even beat an egg (or egg white if your ‘cholesterol cop’ is still around) with little soy sauce and scramble it and add to the dish for an extra notch
Vegetable Stir Fry is my fav in Thai/Chinese cuisines. I always wondered how to cook this dish at home. So long! Today I summoned all my courage and dived in the kitchen to give it a try.
The recipe is a fusion of all the procedures I collected on the web. I tweaked it to my taste and God, it tasted so delicious, I can’t stop eating. I somehow managed to save Tamil a little to taste. Hey, I could make this anytime he wants – it only takes about 10mins.
Ok..before I forget what I did, here is my recipe..And yeah this would make 1 serving. (I wasn’t sure how it would turn out so I made just enough for one person. I should have trusted myself a bit more.)
Make a concoction of the following for the sauce:
1. Stir fry sauce – 0.5tbsp
2. Soy sauce – 1tbsp
3. Rice vinegar – 0.25tbsp
4. Water – 0.5tbsp
5. Chilly paste – 0.25tbsp
6. Pepper powder – 0.5tsp
- In a bowl break an egg (or just egg white) and beat lightly with 0.5tsp of soy sauce and little pepper (This step is optional if you dont like to add eggs)
- Heat the pan to high
- Add 1 tbsp or less oil
- Scramble the egg mixture quickly and transfer to a plate
- In the same pan, fry 2 chopped garlics, 1 green chilly, 0.25 medium size onion chopped into big wedges
- Stir fry all the veges you want in high heat for a about 2 mins or until the veges go aldente (cooked yet crisp)
- I used Cauliflower, Broccoli, Carrots, Snow Peas, Celery
- Now pour your sauce concoction and stir fry for another min or two
- Finally toss in the Tofu cubes. Give it a quick stir
- Just before you turn off the stove, toss the eggs in and stir once
- Garnish with cilantro
- Serve hot with plain rice or Thai Fried Rice
Tips:
Do not overcook brocoli – it would ruin the dish. Add it at the very last. Carrots take some time to cook. So add that in first.
Enjoy!!
+soy sauce+water+curd+rice ->8 mins and simmer 5 min
rice:water 1:1 3/4
I had some chicken soup leftover from my lunch menu. Just formulated a quick briyani recipe using that soup and Gosh, it came out delicious. Substitute water for chicken soup if you wish. I think it will be of less flavor but still must make a perfect mushroom briyani.
The recipe below is for 1 hungry person. Sorry I am the only non-vegetarian in my home. (My son ofcourse is non-vegetarian but he doesnt consume much)
- Wash and soak 1 cup basmati in 1 cup water for about 30 mins
- In a hot pan, add whole garam masala, green chillies, bay leaves
- Add thin sliced onions and saute until they turn light brown
- Add ginger-garlic-coriander paste and fry until raw smell goes
- Add 1 string of mint leaves and 1 handfull of cilantro and fry till they wilt
- Add thin slices of mushroom and fry for a min
- Add 1 sp water and stir the mushrooms in
- Add 1sp of any briyani masala you may have
- Add 1 sp curd (plain yogurt) and mix well before the curd breaks down
- Pour 1.5 cup of chicken soup (or 1.5 cups of water)
- Stir the contents and add the rice without draining
- Add salt if needed (the soup will have salt already – so be wary of it)
- Cover the pan with a tight lid and let it cook in medium high flame for 8 mins
- When you see craters forming in the surface and almost all water is evaporated, turn the heat down to the lowest possible
- Let it simmer for about 5 mins
- Garnish with cilantro and serve with raita
I may try the same recipe without chicken soup next time, so my dear husband can also taste it. For that vegetarian version, I plan to add all the soup ingredients to the briyani directly and see if I can come up with a decent dish. So stay tuned.
Almost same as Mushroom Pepper Gravy
Oil + curry leaves + Button Mushroom slices -> fry until it turns light brown then add little salt. As soon as water starts to separate, transfer it to dish.
Oil + pattai + lavangam (4)+ curry leaves + sombu + ginger-garlic paste (5 cloves garlic) -> fry until light brown.
add onions(3/4) + ripe tomatoes (1.5) + chilli powder(1.5 sp) + coriander powder (0.5 sp) + turmeric + salt + fried mushrooms . when oil separates and gravy starts to thicken (like abt 4 mins) add curry leaves + 2 sp coconut paste . Leave for another 6 mins
Oil + curry leaves + Button Mushroom slices -> fry until it turns light brown then add little salt. As soon as water starts to separate, transfer it to dish.
Oil + pattai + lavangam (4)+ curry leaves + sombu + garam masala powder (1/2 sp) + ginger-garlic paste (5 cloves garlic) -> fry until light brown.
add onions(3/4) + ripe tomatoes (1.5) + chilli powder(1.5 sp) + turmeric + salt + fried mushrooms . when oil separates and gravy starts to thicken (like abt 4 mins) add curry leaves + 1 sp pottukadalai powder + 1/2 sp sugar(optional)+1sp pepper coarsely powdered. Leave for another 6 mins.
