Chettinad Mushroom Masala is a south Indian restaurant style gravy of silky tomatoes and onions cradling juicy mushrooms. Serve it with a simple but delicious dal and basmati rice or jeera rice for a tasty dinner you will want to make again and again.
This spicy Chettinad Mushroom Masala has all the allure of other spicy Indian masala dishes, like Chana Masala and Baingan Masala. Only it's south Indian and differently delicious.
What is Chettinad mushroom masala?
Chettinad mushroom masala is a spicy dish from the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu in south India. This is a region known for its opulent wealth, beautiful temples, and a cuisine so delicious but so fiery that it can make your mouth, eyes and nose water simultaneously.
The fire come from a liberal use of black pepper. Black pepper is part of nearly every garam masala or spicy curry ever cooked up in India, but usually its heat mingles, merges with other ingredients and mellows during the cooking process. But in Chettinad cuisine the black pepper is usually added to dishes at the tail end, which means you will taste it in the prepared dish. It's a unique deliciousness and not one to be missed if you love Indian cuisine.
Chettinad cuisine is famous for its non vegetarian dishes; in fact the first Chettinad dish I ever ate many, many years ago was a spicy chicken curry. But those spicy curry bases are also perfect with vegetarian preparations. Like this Chettinad Mushroom Masala, a velvety curry of tomatoes and onions flavored with ginger, garlic and curry leaves.
Why you will love this recipe
- If you like cooking and eating Indian food, this mushroom masala offers an experience that's as delicious as any other Indian curry you've ever eaten, but differently so.
- It is easy to make. This is a one-pot dish and it takes no more than 30 minutes to put together.
- You can make it as spicy as you want it to be. My family doesn't have a high tolerance for spicy, pungent foods, so I usually make this dish only mildly spicy. If you like more fire in your food, add in more black pepper and red chili powder or cayenne.
- If you know someone who doesn't love mushrooms (don't we all?), this is a good dish to feed them. The mushrooms are just barely cooked in this dish so they retain a good dal of their bite and are rather juicy.
- It is everyone friendly. The recipe is nut-free, soy-free and gluten-free and it's, as always, vegan.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Coconut oil is a great choice for south Indian cooking. In addition to infusing the dish with health it also adds a lovely flavor.
- Veggies: 12 oz mushrooms (cremini or button mushrooms) + 1 onion + 3 medium tomatoes
- Whole spices: 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds + 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- Powdered spices: ½ teaspoon turmeric + 1 teaspoon ground fennel seed + 1 tablespoon ground coriander + 2 teaspoons garam masala + 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (you can use less)
- Herbs: 2 tablespoons cilantro + 2 sprigs curry leaves + 2 green chili peppers (jalapeno or serrano) + 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste.
- ¼ cup coconut milk. This will add a nice creaminess to the curry, but don't use too much of it as you don't want to dilute the flavor.
- Salt to taste
How to make Chettinad Mushroom Masala
- Heat oil in a skillet or wok. Add the mustard seeds to it, then the cumin. As soon as the mustard seeds crackle, add half the cilantro, curry leaves and slit green chili peppers.
- Stir in the onions with a pinch of salt and saute them until they are a rich golden brown. Onions fried this way will melt into the gravy and help thicken it, so take your time and don't leave them half-cooked.
- Add the ginger garlic paste, stir it in and saute for a minute.
- Add the tomatoes along with the turmeric, ground fennel and ground coriander. Mix well and let the tomatoes cook, stirring frequently, until they are pulpy and very soft and have acquired a deeper color.
- Add the coconut milk and cook the curry for 4-5 minutes until it's a rich reddish-brown in color.
- Add the chopped mushrooms and stir them in. Let the curry come back to a boil, then stir in the garam masala, ground black pepper and salt and turn off the heat.
- Stir in the remaining cilantro, then serve hot.
What to serve with this dish
- Serve as a side with dal and rice.
- Serve with roti or vegan naan, with vegan raita on the side.
- Serve as a side with dosa.
Frequently asked questions
Chettinad Mushroom is not as saucy as some Indian curries. But it is saucy enough that you can eat it with a flatbread like roti or naan.
Chettinad mushroom masala is meant to be spicy but you can tune the spice level to whatever you are comfortable with. My recipe is moderately spicy, but if you have very little tolerance for heat I'd advise you use just one green chili pepper and deseed it. You can also halve the quantity of black pepper.
Absolutely. This sauce would be awesome with roasted eggplant or cauliflower. It would even work with potatoes or sweet potatoes --boil them before you add them to the sauce.
Storage and freezing instructions
- Refrigerate: Place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
- Freeze: Freeze in an freezer-safe container for up to three months.
- Reheat: Reheat the frozen or refrigerated curry on the stovetop or in the microwave before serving.
More Indian mushroom recipes
Chettinad Mushroom Masala (South Indian Mushroom Pepper Curry)
Equipment
- Wok or skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (rai/kadagu)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera/jeeragam)
- 2 sprigs curry leaves (kadi patta/karuveppilai)
- 2 tablespoons cilantro (coriander leaves/dhania. Chopped)
- 2 green chilli peppers (like jalapeno or serrano, slit down the middle. Deseed or use less for less heat)
- 1 large onion (finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
- 3 medium tomatoes (diced)
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander (dhania)
- 1 teaspoon ground fennel (saunf/sombu)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric (haldi/manjal podi)
- 12 oz cremini mushrooms or button mushrooms
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (miri/milagu)
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a skillet or wok. Add the mustard seeds to it, then the cumin. As soon as the mustard seeds crackle, add half the cilantro, curry leaves and slit green chili peppers.
- Stir in the onions with a pinch of salt and saute them until they are a rich golden brown. Onions fried this way will melt into the gravy and help thicken it, so take your time and don't leave them half-cooked.
- Add the ginger garlic paste, stir it in and saute for a minute.
- Add the tomatoes along with the turmeric, ground fennel and ground coriander. Mix well and let the tomatoes cook, stirring frequently, until they are pulpy and very soft and have acquired a deeper color
- Add the coconut milk and cook the curry for 4-5 minutes until it's a rich reddish-brown in color.
- Add the chopped mushrooms and stir them in. Let the curry come back to a boil, then stir in the garam masala, ground black pepper and salt to taste. Turn off the heat.
- Stir in the remaining cilantro, then serve hot.
Rachel
I made this today and it was delicious, and quite different to the other curries I tend to make. I will definitely make it again. Thank you!
Vaishali
So happy you made it, Rachel. It's one of my favorites too.
Karyn
I made some adjustments to this, but it was still delicious. Comfort food for the win! We had ½ can of jackfruit that went in with the tomatoes & a small bunch of sliced baby bok Choi that went in with the mushrooms. There wasn’t a timing on how long to cook the mushrooms or how fine they should be chopped. I went with until done. Oh - full cans of coconut milk. Served over jeera rice. This was DELICIOUS!
Vaishali
Sounds simply delicious!
Smanders
Hello and thank you! I obsessed with this dish; I have made it 3 times so far. Each time the only thing I add is some broiled eggplant. The heat is perfect and the large chunks of mushroom and green pepper really make it hearty. My only question- Is there a trick to removing the whole spice pieces and pods? I have been trying to sort through before I dig in but invariably I get big bite of cardamon or clove… That in no way stops my from chowing down of course!
Vaishali Honawar
Hi Smanders, eggplant is a great addition. You can add ground garam masala instead of the whole spices, but add no more than a teaspoon. Or just fish out the whole spices before serving. So happy you liked the dish, and thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Carol ROBSON
I cannot find the quantity for the coconut milk to put in the Chettinad Mushroom Masala please advise.
Vaishali
It's 1/4th cup.
Hannah
I made this for dinner on Friday and it was delicious! Chucked a tin of chickpeas in and it worked wonderfully. And was lovely for a quick lunch on Saturday too. Many thanks! 🙂
Vaishali
I used crimini or small portabella mushrooms here. But you could try shiitake or button mushrooms-- they would be great. And this dish would actually taste better the next day because the flavors have had time to percolate into each other.
Hannah
I can't wait to make this but just a quick question what variety of mushroom do you prefer? O and do you think this would keep and reheat well/work cold the next day or is it best fresh? Thanks!
Vaishali
Dear Hannah, thanks for breaking the silence, and for your kind words. The tomato masial is Desi's favorite dish, and I'm happy to hear you love it too.
My recipes would typically feed about six people, although that can of course vary. I would serve this curry with rice and parathas, and some chickpeas or tofu would actually work quite well in here. Good suggestions. 🙂
Hannah
Hi Vaishali I've been reading your blog and making and enjoying your recipes for ages so I feel the need to break the silence and say Thank You!!! I've made many of your dal recipes (my mum and I LOVE your green tomato masial and green tomatoes are surprisingly easy to get year round from the Turkish shops in London). This looks absolutely delicious do you think it would be good with some chickpeas or cubed tofu or would you serve it as a side dish? Also how many people are your recipes for?
Thanks again! 😉
Poornima Nair
Love spicy chettinad dishes....this looks amazing!
Vaishali
Anthony, thank you: you are kind. This is a great dish for a black-pepper-lover. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Rashmi, Sanjeeta, Priya, thanks!
Priya
Super delicious mushroom chettinad..
Sanjeeta kk
Perfect dinner recipe!
Rashmi
Looks yummy and beautiful.It must be spicy,I will try it.
anthony stemke
Yeah what they said, all your recipes are superb. I adore black pepper and all the ingreds here,going to make it soon.
Thank You.
Vaishali
Sharmilee, Divya, Thanks!
Priyanka, welcome to the blog, and thanks!
Elena, yes, but as I say in the post, adjust the pepper and chilies down to your taste.
Priyanka
First, I love all your recipes. Mushrooms are my favorite and this chettinad looks so good!
Lin
I didn't have a few of the ingredients, curry leaves, fresh coriander and black mustard seeds. I live in Turkey and these ingredients are not always readily available, so I left out the curry leaves, substituted yellow mustard seeds and put in extra ground corridor. It was still absolutely delicious, I will make again and again. My sister is coming out in a few few weeks and she will bring me the missing ingredients. Thank you Vaishali xxxxxxx
Elena
Is that really one TABLESPOON of black pepper? O my. It looks delish, tho, and really, you had me at indian flatbread.
divya
Wow.. that looks delicious.!! Amazing clicks
Sharmilee! :)
Looks flavourful n yummy