This curry was heavily adapted from a “Railway mutton curry” recipe I found on Sanjeev Kapoor’s Web site. The curry, Kapoor says on his site, “gets its name from the days of the Raj when it used to be served in the railway pantry cars.” The “raj” being a quaint word used by some to describe Britain’s often bloody colonization of India for three centuries.Whatever. I do like the part about it being served on railway cars because what can be a better setting for food than changing scenery? Besides, the curry really is delicious.For those not familiar with Indian television chefs, Kapoor is India’s first– and perhaps its most successful– one. Apparently he’s called India’s Rachel Ray for having spawned a food empire, but I don’t think that does him any justice– I think of him more as India’s Julia Child, if you know what I mean. A trained chef, Kapoor comes up with some pretty great recipes. In fact, I can’t think of a single recipe of his that I’ve tried and not liked.
I used mushrooms to substitute for the mutton in the curry, and they were pretty great. With some rotis to scoop it up, it was a fabulous weeknight meal. The curry would also be great with rice and some tofu raita.
Gotta run now coz it’s a busy day. Enjoy, all!
Railway Mushroom Curry
Ingredients
- 1 8- oz package of mushrooms , quartered (I used cremini. Feel free to use button or even shiitake)
- 2 tsp canola or other vegetable oil
- A sprig of curry leaves
- 6 cloves garlic , chopped
- 1- inch piece of ginger , chopped
- 3 dry red chillies
- 1 large red onion , chopped
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 medium potatoes , diced
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
Instructions
- In a dry, hot skillet, roast the coriander and cumin seeds. Place in a blender.
- Heat 1 tsp of oil in the skillet. Add the curry leaves, garlic, ginger, chillies and onions and saute until brown spots appear on the onions. Add to the blender and, when cooler, grind along with the turmeric and some water to make a smooth paste.
- Heat the remaining oil in the skillet. Add the potatoes and stir-fry for a couple of minutes until they start to turn golden.
- Add the mushrooms and and saute until they begin to soften, about 2-3 minutes.
- Now add the ground masala and the tomato puree. When the mixture starts to darken and express oil, add 2-3 cups of water and salt.
- Cover and cook about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
- Garnish with coriander leaves.
Rightly said, nothing like hot food on a train journey. I wish I could experience that again…
Nice curry an looks very tempting.
ooh this sounds heavenly, Vaishali, I absolutely need to try it!
The curry looks divine. I can polish off the entire serving in one sitting!
Beautiful colour and looks delicious.Nicely clicked too.Do drop by simply.food sometime.Following your blog.
Curry looks fantastic, very attractive name..
Train journeys brings back lots of memories of food..some stations have some special food 😉
Curry looks delicious..Like the way you have called Kapoor as Julia child, not RR..I wonder how Sandra Lee has a show on FN (and how many people make them!)
I have no clue why the food served in Stations or trains tasted so good…curry looks delicious and i have thought Sanjeev kapoor to be India’s Emeril.
The Mushroom curry looks juicy and yummy.The egg curry served in the Indian Railways kitchen and the pantry cars is again another delectable item and has to be tasted and experienced
Regards
Baskaran
Looks very good. I know just how to convert this so that I can eat too. We don’t eat mushrooms. Will keep you posted.
I know the typical tomato soup served in trains, thought not authentic it tastes the same always !
I loved the thickness here in mushroom curry.
Sabzi looks very delicious. Perfect click. Loved it.
Sanjeev Kapoor is a wonderful chef and creator….yes,you’re right I’d compare him to Julia Childs, not Rachel Ray!
Love the name and the look of this recipe….!
-desi mom/desi dad
Hey, I love the bit under your profile pic – love animals and love great food but like you I don’t mix the two either..
This recipe is so fab. I’m going to try it tom..
Most of SK’s recipes I’ve tried are super though once had the opportunity to taste something he made at a show here in Dubai and it was sadly unfortunately quite crap 🙂
Can’t wait to try this naturally gluten free curry recipe. I just printed it and am going upstairs to make it for dinner! Thank you!
Love this curry,looks delicious !
Its a yummy curry, looks tempting!
Hi, I tried your recipe and the curry was fantastic. Thanks a lot for sharing.
Made i today for dinner, and it was marvelous. Got to say that i used sweet potato instead of the normal one, but hey… tasted fantastic! The strong flavour of the roasted coriander seeds is great. thanks!
The curry looks lovely,have just made some for dinner and also added spinach and green beans.