Capsicum-Mushroom Stir Fry ( Shimla Maricha - Chattu bhaja)

My Odisha trip is coming to an end and the last of these days are turning out to be quite hectic. Hence I am not getting time to do much cooking apart from the regular meals. And I try and stick to quick and simple dishes whenever possible so that we can get more time to spend with family and friends.

This is a simple stir fry I made today with some capsicum and leftover mushroom fry ( simply fried with a bit of salt and turmeric ). Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup mushroom (chopped in small pieces)
• 2/3 cup green capsicum (chopped into small pieces)
• 1 large onion (chopped into thin long pieces)
• 2-3 green chilis (finely chopped)
• 2 pinch turmeric
• 4 tsp mustard oil
• 1/5 tsp salt or to taste

Cooking - Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok. Add the mushrooms along with turmeric and a little salt. Stir fry on high heat till the mushrooms no longer ooze water. Remove from wok and keep aside.

Add more oil to the wok. Add the chopped green chilis and onions. Fry till onions turn translucent.

Add the capsicum and the fried mushrooms. Adjust the salt and stir fry for a few minutes on high till the capsicum just starts to wilt.

Remove from the wok and serve hot with rice/rotis.

Click here for more delicious mushroom recipes !!

Capsicum- Mushroom Korma

An easy vegetarian korma !! Or a toned down version of the luxurious gravy dish that most people remember savoring at a restaurant !! My modified version is one that can be had on a everyday basis and it goes equally good with both rice and rotis.

It is somewhat similar to ( and inspired by ) the mushroom-capsicum curry that we make with mustard sauce in Odisha. Do check the recipe (HERE)

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 20-25 mins

Ingredients -

• 200 gm button mushrooms
• 1 cup chopped capsicum
• 1 medium sized boiled potato (boiled, peeled & cubed)
• 1 medium sized tomato 
• 1 small onion
• 1/2 inch ginger
• 4-5 garlic flakes
• 1-2 dry red chilli
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1-2 green cardamom
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 8-9 cashews
• 3 tsp oil
• 1/3 tsp turmeric
• salt to taste
• coriander for garnishing

Preparation - Clean the mushrooms and cut each one into 4 pieces along the length.

Chop the tomato into small pieces.

Grind the onion, ginger, garlic, red chili, 2/3 tsp cumin seeds, cardamom and cinnamon into a smooth paste using as little water as possible. Keep aside.

Similarly, soak the cashews for half an hour in warm water before grinding them into a smooth paste.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the cumin seeds and allow them to splutter.

Add the onion and spices paste to the wok. Fry lightly till the raw smell just goes off. Add the tomato and cover for 1 minute to allow the tomatoes to soften.

Add the mushrooms, capsicum and potato to the wok. Stir fry on high heat for 3-4 mins till you can see the mushrooms starting to shrink.

Add 1 cup hot water to the wok along with salt and turmeric. Bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and allow to simmer on low flame.

Once the mushrooms are cooked, add the cashew paste and mix well. Allow the curry to simmer for 3-4 mins. Finally garnish with corinader leaves before removing from the flame.

Serve hot or warm.