TGIF – Mushroom Bhuna
Mushroom Bhuna is a deceptively simple and flavorful dish. A Friday night dish that tastes like a Sunday affair. A slowed long cooked Sunday affair done with loads of attention and affection.
I do infuse a lot of affection whenever I make it. Just for the 20 minutes of cook and prep time.
We (all but my son), love mushrooms in our household. Some of our other favorites are mushrooms with green peas, and mushroom pulao with chickpeas.
What does Mushroom Bhuna Mean
The term Bhuna is a reference of slow sautéing of the spice base or masala. This is done until it reaches a well-balanced caramelized perfection. I know you are thinking of long well attended cooking. The bhuna or slow cooking process does take time, but since this recipe uses mushrooms, it is quicker than say a meat-based version. The general technique here is what we in Bengali call kasha and in Bangladesh or North India bhuna, or cooking without water, and it essentially yields a slow cooked rich tasting gravy. The catch here is that, since I am doing this with mushrooms, I do not actually have to wait till the dish cooks down or until the meat is down to a super tender consistency, but it still offers a nice and satisfying taste. Just the kind that you would expect from a Sunday kind of dish.
The Story Behind the Recipe
Today I did a good job of closing out work before leaving for our vacation. Made a last-ditch trip to pick up a few essentials and then had to fix dinner. Friday night dinners for me are rather tricky. Friday tells me it is time to recharge and relax. I have usually done away with going out on Friday’s. However, the husband thinks it is time for weekend fare.
Every so often however you get lucky with your kitchen exploits. This dish delivers the whole package, rich slow cooked magic, without hours of time. It works especially well with summer tomatoes. But good jarred tomatoes do the job too!
On the other hand, yes, the tomatoes help, but what really seals this dish is the fact that it is a dish that is a Friday kind of dish in terms of cooking time and efforts but almost convinces you that it is a Sunday afternoon kind of flavor.
Constant stirring for about 15 minutes gets you in the mushroom bhuna business. If you are looking for other vegetables to play with, my hunch is that this recipe will also work well with eggplants. The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles offers a wonderful variation with shrimp.
A simple and rich tasting mushroom dish, made with the basic flavors of tomatoes and essential Indian seasonings.
Ingredients
- 1 large red onion, peeled
- 3 pods garlic
- 1 inch piece of peeled ginger
- 2 fresh green chilies
- 4 tablespoons oil
- ½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1 teaspoon cumin-coriander powder
- 3 cups of cremeni (baby bella) mushrooms, halved
- Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 11/2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Quarter the onion, place in a food processor with the garlic, ginger and green chilies.
- Process until finely chopped.
- Heat the oil on medium heat for 1 minute.
- Add in the cumin seeds and wait until they begin to sizzle, this will take a few seconds.
- Add in the onion mixture and began cooking on high heat, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. At this point, the onion should turn dry and begin to turn translucent.
- Add in the tomatoes and cook on high heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken.
- Add in the cumin coriander powder and cook for another one or two minutes.
- Add in the mushrooms, salt and the sugar and continue cooking the mixture, stirring frequently until the mixture forms a thick fairly dry sauce that coats the mushrooms. This should take another five minutes.
- Stir in the cilantro and serve.