Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Mushroom Bell Pepper Curry

In addition to the various health benefits that I mentioned here mushrooms are also said to have tons of phytochemicals, natural compounds that prevent cancer. All varieties of mushrooms are said to be healthy and are high in anti oxidants but most especially crimini and portobello varieties. Eating mushrooms is said to be associated with a strong immune system too. If these reasons are not enough to include mushrooms in our diet, mushrooms are also extremely versatile not to mention tasty and can be used in a number of dishes from various cuisines around the world.

This curry is inspired from a recipe I saw in one of Sangeeta Khanna's books that I recently purchased.I made some changes to the recipe based on taste and availability of ingredients and loved the final result. This curry is flavored with Indian spices and makes a great side dish for an Indian meal.

Before moving on to the recipe, completely off topic, a question for you all....do you enjoy puzzles. If yes then here is a brain teaser that I came across recently....what is black when you buy it, red when you use it and grey when you discard it? Can you guess what this could be, let me know what you think .....and I will publish the answer in my next post :-)

Update : This is the post that contains the answer to this puzzle :) 


 photo 42861213-8273-4e2b-b23d-a69593e20a27_zpsac56bd0e.jpg


Ingredients and Method to make mushroom green bell pepper stir fry / curry

3 1/2 cups of sliced button mushrooms
1 large green bell pepper (capsicum) cut into 1/2 inch pieces (yielded about 1 1/2 cups of cut green bell pepper)
1 very large onion or 2 small onions cut fine
2 medium tomatoes ( I used Roma tomatoes) (yielded about 1 1/2 cups of cut tomatoes)
4 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 inch ginger finely grated
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
1 tsp dry fenugreek leaves ( kasuri methi ) (available in most Indian groceries)

To be dry roasted and powdered finely
1 tbsp coriander seeds (dhania)
2 dry red chillies (or to taste)
a pinch of fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)

Dry roast the ingredients mentioned under "to be powdered" in a heavy bottomed pan on medium to medium high heat until the aroma from the spices gets released.

Alternatively spread the spices on a microwave safe dish or plate and place in microwave and heat on high for about a minute or so (will depend on the power of your microwave)

Cool spices thoroughly and powder in a spice grinder to a fine powder and keep aside

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add onions to it.

Saute the onion until it turns transparent, then add minced garlic and grated ginger and stir for a minute or so.

Add tomatoes, turmeric powder and saute until the tomatoes turn soft and mushy.

Add green bell pepper and mushrooms, salt to taste, fenugreek leaves and stir the vegetables regularly for a few minutes until they are cooked 
(it took me about 7 to 8 minutes but that again will depend on the heat and the pan in which the vegetables are being cooked)

Add the powdered spices and stir for another minute or two.

Serve hot with roti (Indian flat bread) or as a side dish with rice and dhal

Serves approximately 2 to 3


Update :
This curry works great either as a stir fry or as a curry with gravy. The one above is for the stir fry, for the gravy curry, after adding the mushrooms and bell peppers, lower heat and cover with a lid and allow the veggies to cook until soft. Add powdered spices and simmer for another couple of minutes. Serve hot with Indian flat bread or with rice. The gravy is not very thick for this curry,it is a little light but tastes delicious

38 comments :

Padma said...

Looks so yummy Usha and nice combo :)

Ann said...

A great combo for roti, I love this recipe:)

Vani said...

Looks really yummy!

Poornima Nair said...

Great dish Usha...would love to have it with hot rotis.

suvi said...

i make this combo of veggies in a south east asian style stir fry, would love to try it your way sometime!!

Unknown said...

Looks delicious and nice and colorful click.

the twins said...

your recipe sounds great! i have no idea what the answer to that puzzle is though =)

Anonymous said...

Looks awesome..I love mushrooms too..this is a new one to me.

kittymatti said...

yummm! looks so delicious da!!!

CurryLeaf said...

I am clueless about the black-red-grey answer.May be I am too old and my memory is playing with me (hmmm) Love the curry.The combo is one of my favourites

Gita Jaishankar said...

Nice photos Usha...I too make a curry like this with idlis for breakfast..looks delicious :)

Vikis Kitchen said...

Mushroom and bell pepper... all the goodness in one curry...That sounds great dear. Nice recipe.

Lisa Turner said...

I can never resist mushrooms, especially when they are all spiced up. Just lovely!

Shri said...

Yummy!

Vaishali said...

Mushrooms and bell peppers are a great combination, Usha, and I love the addition of some kasuri methi. I always love how it rounds out the flavors. Delicious.

Laavanya said...

We love dry mushroom curries too.. I had a friend who for his research studied the effects of shiitake mushrooms on cholestrol & cancer - apparently it did work out to have a +ve effect though it warranted more research.

Andhra Flavors said...

looks delicious and inviting.

Deepthi Shankar said...

Very colorful & yummy

Saritha said...

Looks delicious and temtpting

Valarmathi Sanjeev said...

Looks so delicious. Nice click.

Prasukitchen.blogspot.com said...

Looks temptin Usha!!

Unknown said...

This must make a great sidedish with rotis!. looks yummy.

April Marie Claire- Girl Japan said...

Veggies is something I have been missing out on recently... this looks like a great dish.

Unknown said...

perfect combination looks great and spicy yum yum.

cooker said...

Charcoal - black-red-grey.
Havent commented on your blog in a while but want to let you know that I am faithfully reading it and I find it as useful as ever.
Some of your oat recipes are hits in my kitchen.
Luv you. Keep up the good work.

Lore said...

Sounds healthy and a real burst of flavour. Love the colours as well!

Soma said...

Hmmm black red & gray? can't think of anything at this moment, will sleep over it & then wait for the answer..

I like mushroom a lot & do a dry fry with kalonji in it.. with pepper but no tomato. this looks great.

Dreamhomeforu said...

Absolutely mouth-watering and amazing burst of colors and flavors as Lore put it.

Anonymous said...

I love dry kari with chappathi.. and this look nutritious too Usha..

Soma said...

The Puzzle.. It is a COAL!! isn't it?

miss v said...

i make tons of mushroom/pepper stir frys with soy and hoisin, but i've never though of trying it with curry. this looks great!

Ivy said...

This has all my favorite ingredients. Delicious!!

A_and_N said...

Stir fries are always the best no? :)

Vidya said...

Yummy stir fry. I could have it anytime!

lata raja said...

Dear Usha, I would love to pass the Kreativ Blogger award that I received from two other friends. Kindly accept.

Uma said...

Yummy!! Please pick up your awards and tags from my blog.

http://teluguruchi.blogspot.com/2009/07/tagged-and-awarded.html

Archana said...

Love mushrooms...this looks really nice...Didnt know it was good for health...thats one more reason to pick them up more often...

Purva Desai said...

lovely combo....will try this soon....thanks for sharing

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