Malaysian Mushroom Korma is a beautiful curry, full of rich flavor, and it works for either a weeknight dinner or a special meal with family or friends.
I've been making this Malaysian Mushroom Korma for many years now, and I had shared it with you almost a decade ago. But like many old recipes on the blog, it was in need of some refreshing, so this time, when I made it, I got some new photographs for you.
This is a creamy curry that coats your tongue with a myriad of complex flavors. Malaysian cuisine is often described as a melange of influences from China, Indonesia and India, and in this curry, the contribution of the nation's Indian residents is quite obvious. The flavor profile reminds me, in fact, of a mutton curry my father would make for us when we were children.
Ingredients for Malaysian Mushroom Korma:
- Mushrooms, of course. If you are a lover of mushrooms, you will be delighted by the possibilities. You can use just about any wild mushroom in here, dry or fresh. If using dry, be sure to reconstitute them first in hot water. I typically use shiitakes, portobellos or criminis. Oysters work great too. This time, criminis were all I had on hand.
- Onions
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Garam Masala
- Coconut Milk
- Yogurt. I use a tangy homemade cultured cashew yogurt, and it contributes to both the creaminess and the complexity of the flavors in this korma. You can go with a storebought yogurt too.
- Potatoes. These are optional, but I really like the balance they bring to this spicy curry.
- Peppercorns
- Fennel seeds
- Cumin seeds
- Coriander seeds
- Cayenne
How to make a delicious Mushroom Korma:
There are no special skills needed, but make sure you have all of the ingredients, because each contributes to the unique flavor profile.
Also, make sure that you give the korma enough time on the stove, because the blended raw spices need to cook. Rushing things is just not a great idea. This curry takes under 45 minutes from start to finish, so you don't really need to rush.
What to serve with the Korma:
You can serve the korma with any sort of bread -- a flatbread like a naan or roti is great, but even a crusty French or Italian bread would not be amiss for dunking into this curry and scooping it into your mouth. Or drizzle it over rice or quinoa.
Serve with fresh salad or, better still, a vegan cucumber raita on the side.
The korma tastes even better the next day, once the flavors have had time to work themselves into tasty harmony, so this is definitely a dish you can make ahead. It freezes well too -- thaw and warm before use.
Looking for more Indian mushroom recipes?
- My Dad's "Not Mutton" Mushroom Curry
- Mushroom Matar, Mushrooms and Peas in a Creamy Sauce
- Mushroom Masala Curry
- Mushroom Biryani
- Mushroom Paratha
- Railway Mushroom Curry
Malaysian Mushroom Korma Recipe
Malaysian Mushroom Korma
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large onion (thinly sliced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp ginger (grated)
- 2 tbsp cilantro (optional)
- 1 ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ cup vegan yogurt
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 24 oz mushrooms (shiitake, portabella, crimini, oysters are all wonderful. Chop or slice the mushrooms according to your preference. If you use dry wild mushrooms, be sure to reconstitute them in hot water and reserve the stock to use in the curry)
- 2 medium potatoes (cubed)
- Juice of 1 lemon
Spice paste:
- 4 shallots (or 1 medium red onion, chopped)
- 6 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 inch piece ginger (chopped)
- 1 tbsp peppercorns
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1-2 tsp cayenne (optional -- if you can't tolerate too much heat, leave this out because the peppercorns and the garam masala will add some heat)
Instructions
- Place the ingredients for the spice paste in a blender and using just as much water as is necessary, process to a thick, smooth paste.
- Heat oil in a large saucepan.
- Add the onions, cilantro if using, ginger and garlic and a pinch of salt. Saute until the onions turn translucent.
- Add the garam masala and stir to mix.
- Add the spice paste and stir well. Cook, on medium-low heat, stirring frequently to keep the paste from sticking to the bottom. Cook about 10 minutes or until the paste is quite fragrant.
- Add the yogurt, potatoes and mushrooms. Mix well. Don't add water at this point even if you think the curry looks dry because the mushrooms will express water, especially if you're using fresh mushrooms. If using dry mushrooms, add ½ to 1 cup of the mushroom stock -- the water remaining after you reconstitute the mushrooms.
- Cover and let the korma cook another 10 minutes. Check after five minutes to make sure there is enough liquid in the pot. If necessary, add some water or vegetable stock to thin out the korma to the consistency you like.
- Add the coconut milk and warm through before turning off the heat.
- Serve hot or warm. The korma tastes even better the next day!
Nutrition
Love this Mushroom Korma? Check out more vegan curry recipes on Holy Cow Vegan!
Hi, at what point do you put the lemon juice in? Thank you for a lovely recipe which I am cooking right now, smells delicious 🙂
Stir it in at the end!
I had the same question. Can you add the instruction for the lemon for the next person who reads? I had printed out your recipe, but luckily I had access to my computer while cooking to figure out what to do with the lemon juice. The korma is on the stove and is smelling good.
Our of curiosity, why do you call this particular korma "Malaysian"? My Punjabi Malaysian husband has been stopping past the stove and enjoying the aroma of the korma as it cooks.
Thanks for sharing!
Sounds dee-lish VV!
Will definitely be trying this one!
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing these yummy recipes!
Barry (Yorkshire, England) x
The perfect storm occurred to lead me to make this delicious recipe a few days ago. First, button mushrooms were on sale at a ridiculously low price. I had a large package of shiitakes in the pantry, but needed more. Went to a store I don’t often shop at to find crimini mushrooms at half price. Passed the “expiring soon” shelf at bakery section to find naan there. I had been wanting to try this recipe, and now it was an easy choice. I cut down on the pepper and garlic, and added a bit more coconut milk, but otherwise followed the recipe. Served with brown basmati (cooked with 1/4 cup chopped
carrots and peas and a cinnamon stick) and green salad. What a feast!!! Even my non-vegan husband enjoyed the meal Thank you, Vaishali.
Sounds like a delicious meal, Jane. So happy you tried the korma! ?
Looks delicious! Hopefully I’ll remember to give it a try soon! I live in Malaysia and while the different cultures definitely influence eachothers’ foods, there is also a very distinct separation. Meaning you can get Indian food, or Chinese food, or Malay food, or a few foods that have kind of been blended from the different backgrounds and are really “Malaysian” like nasi lemak, roti canai, etc.
But the only place you would find any sort of korma is a definite Indian restaurant. Most Indian restaurants here are Southern India influenced and it s extremely rare to find a korma there. In some of the fancier Indian restaurants you can find korma. But my mother-in-law makes lovely vegetable korma and I like to make it once in awhile too!
Hi Honey, that's interesting to know. I learned this recipe long, long ago from a Malaysian cookbook, I think, or perhaps it was someone on TV, and it's always stuck with me as a Malaysian Korma. 🙂 I think it was originally a muttton or lamb korma and I adapted it for mushrooms.
I cooked it tonight for my husband as a bit of a Father’s Day treat and served it with brown rice and roasted spicy cauliflower. He enjoyed it and suggested I make it next tine his parents visit! Yay! I couldn’t eat much as I found it quite spicy with all that black pepper. I think I’ll reduce it just a bit next time 😉
Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Honey, so happy you tried it. 🙂 The pepper can make this a bit spicy so certainly feel free to adjust it down to suit your taste.
This mushroom korma is the bomb. I tried it yesterday for dinner and we all were licking our fingers. Thanks for another great recipe.
Your naan looks absolutely delicious!
The naan looks just out of the world..And kurma looks rich n creamy..
The nan is simply beautiful, I tasted malaysian egg kurma, the mushr kurma sounds very interesting too 🙂
Wishing you and your family a Happy Diwali
WISHING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A VERY HAPPY & PROSPEROUS DIWALI VAISHALI......
Naan and Korma looks excellent...
Liked your new header.Korma is the one for me.I love naans,but shaping and rolling always gives me problems.But I am determined to try yours.As u said,perfect and comforting on chilly nights
WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY DIWALI
I love mushrooms, thanks for this recipe. I have yet to make naan but I will for sure.