Mushrooms come into their own in this simple but delicious side dish. Browning them on high heat at the beginning of cooking caramelises them and intensifies the flavour.

Try adding a little Worcestershire sauce, which complements the mushroom bhaji nicely.
This recipe serves two to three as a side dish.

This delicious recipe is one of the many in Indian Restaurant Curry at Home Volume 2.

INGREDIENTS

3 TBSP (45ml) Oil
200g Mushrooms, sliced
50g Onion, very finely chopped
¼ tsp Salt
1¼ tsp Ginger/Garlic Paste
½ tsp Kasuri Methi

SPACEHOLDER

1 tsp Mix Powder
¼ tsp Chilli Powder (optional)
180ml Base Gravy, heated up
2 TBSP Tomato Paste
A few dashes of Worcestershire Sauce (optional)
1 TBSP of finely chopped fresh Coriander Leaves

METHOD

Add the oil to a frying pan on high heat.
When the oil is hot, add the chopped onion, mushroom slices, and the salt.
Fry for 1–2 minutes until the mushrooms have reduced in size and browned slightly. Stir frequently.
Then add the ginger/garlic paste and fry for a further, 20-30 seconds, continuing to stir frequently.
Now add the kasuri methi, mix powder, and the optional chilli powder.
Fry for 20-30 seconds, adding a splash of base gravy (e.g. 30ml) if the spices start to stick to the pan. Stir very often and use the base of the spoon to ensure flat and even distribution of the spices.

SPACEHOLDER

Next add the tomato paste. Stir together and leave for 20-30 seconds or until the oil separates and small craters appear around the edges of the frying pan.
Now add 75ml of base gravy. Stir everything together and leave to cook on high heat until the sauce has reduced a little, the oil has separated, and small craters form around the edges again.
Add a second 75ml of base gravy and the optional Worcestershire sauce. Stir and scrape the pan once, then leave to cook for a couple of minutes until the sauce is very thick.
Add the fresh coriander then mix everything together. Make sure you scrape the sticky caramelised sauce back into the bhaji. Adjust salt to taste.

NOTES

When emptying the curry from the frying pan, ensure you include all the residue from the bottom and sides too. There’s a lot of amazing flavour in the thick bits.
All spoon measurements are level, i.e. 1 tsp=5 ml, 1 TBSP=15ml.

SPACEHOLDER

If using Worcestershire sauce, bear in mind that it contains anchovy, which is non-vegetarian. Vegetarian-friendly brands are available, such as Henderson’s, Biona and Chippa.