Palak Mushroom Curry

Inspired from the gourmet meals served at Shreyas Retreat, a luxury boutique resort in South India. During my annual yoga retreat, the chefs teach my students and I how to prepare some of the outstanding dishes they have served us during the week. This dish serves nicely with biryani or plain basmati rice and/or roti.

Course Side dish

Cuisine Indian

Ingredients

 

Main

• 2-3 handful of fresh spinach
• 1 cup white button mushrooms
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 inch ginger
• half of a white onion
• ½ cup fresh tomatoes
• 2-3 tsp fresh cream
• 2 tbsp extra virgin oil olive
• ½ green chili pepper (deseeded, chopped)

Spices

• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp gram masala powder
• ½ tsp fenugreek powder
• ¼ tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 2-3 cloves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2-3 cardamom
• 1 bay leaf

 

Method

1. Wash and boil the spinach for 2-3 minutes. Immediately place into a bowl with ice cubes and let sit for 2-3 minutes. Remove and blend with 2-3 chopped gloves, chili and the fresh basil. Set aside.
2. In a large frying pan add the oil olive and cumin seeds. They should pop before adding all the raw spices. Fry until the aroma is nearly gone.
3. Add the chopped onions and fry until golden brown.
4. Add the garlic and ginger and fry until the new aroma has diminished.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes. Fry until all the water is released and they have become soft.
6. Add the turmeric and coriander. Mix lightly.
7. Fry the sliced mushrooms, which will release water as they cook. Fry until they have absorbed all the other ingredients in the pan.
8. Add the remaining spices. Mix lightly.
9. Add the blended spinach and stir. Let this simmer for a few minutes.
10. You can blend it again, but I prefer the chunkier than smooth.
11. Add the fresh cream as desired and salt to taste.

When planning to cook an Indian dish one of the secrets is using fresh spices as well as the order in which the spices are fried with the other ingredients. This is my personal Indian spice container. It has all the necessities to make super tasty dishes. My dinner guests with whom I have served this to have told me it is a quiet explosion of a multitude of tastes. I have prepared this dish and not cooked the tomatoes or onions as recommended. And truthfully, it does make a difference.

 

© Copyright of Heather Morton, The Yoga Way, 2017. All written rights reserved.