Mushroom Matar, or mushrooms and peas in a creamy onion, tomato and cashew sauce, is a staple of Indian restaurant menus. But this creamy, spicy, saucy dish is just as easy to put together quickly in your own kitchen. Serve it hot with basmati rice or roti. Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free recipe, free of added oils. Can be nut-free.
If you've read this blog before, you probably know of my weakness for saucy mushroom dishes. It's a love that was kindled way back in childhood, when my father would bring wild mushrooms back with him from trips to his birthplace in south India, and my stepmother would cook them in a delicious sauce whose taste is impossible for me to forget.
Not that I want to. In fact, I've since made different versions of saucy mushroom curries and I've loved each one of them, like this velvety mushroom makhani and an unforgettable mushroom curry based off a mutton curry my dad would cook in my childhood home.
This Mushroom Matar is my latest foray into making a delicious curry to soak up with a roti or crusty bread. Rice is great too!
While my mom's Mushroom Curry would have taken hours to make, with the careful grinding of spices and slow cooking that made her recipes so special, my much quicker version takes only 30 minutes, and it's delicious too. Better still it's free of all added oils, with the only fat in this recipe coming from a handful of cashew nuts.
The sauce for this Mushroom Matar is dreamy: it is not just creamy and smooth, it has complex notes from the cayenne, garam masala, onions, and tomatoes. One bite and you'll be begging for more.
Recipe card
Mushroom Matar, Mushrooms and Peas in a Creamy Sauce
Ingredients
- ¾ lb cremini mushrooms or button mushrooms (sliced. If you have wild mushrooms, feel free to use those-- they'll be delicious here)
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 2 large cloves garlic (chopped)
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne (or any red chili powder)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon kasoori methi Optional, but nice
- ¼ cup cashews (If you want to make this nut-free, use ¼ cup canned coconut milk)
- 1 heaping tsp garam masala
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a saucepan and add the onion and garlic to it. Add 2 tablespoon water and saute the onion and garlic over medium heat until the onions soften and start to change color, about five minutes.
- Add the tomatoes along with the coriander powder, cumin powder, cayenne, turmeric and kasoori methi. Stir well, cover, and cook for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are very soft and mushy. Stir in the cashew nuts and turn off the heat.
- Let the onions and tomatoes cool slightly, then add a cup of cold water and use an immersion blender to blend to a smooth consistency or transfer to a blender and blend into a very smooth paste. Use caution. When blending hot liquids, I fill the blender only halfway, remove the blender's center insert and hold a kitchen towel over the top, and then blend. This keeps steam from building up inside the blender which could blow the lid off.
- Rinse the saucepan and place over the stove over medium heat. Add the mushrooms to the pan along with a little salt and pepper. Stir-fry the mushrooms in the dry pan until they begin to caramelize, about three to four minutes. Add the peas and cover until peas are cooked, which should take no more than two to three minutes.
- Add the blended sauce to the pan and give it a good stir. Add the garam masala and check if more salt is needed. Add water if the sauce looks too dry. Stir in the sugar.
- Heat through and once the mixture comes to a boil, turn it off. Garnish with coriander, if you wish, or serve as is.
Nutrition Information
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Anonymous says
Absolutley delicious.
This is my favourite Indian dish. Unfortunately, there are very few restaurants in Australia that serve this dish so was glad to find your recipe.
I accidentally forgot to add the cashews in the mix before blended but added them whole when combining.
I also wanted to skip the sugar and doubled the peas instead.
It was fantastic. Many thanks
Sergio Gabriel Bustos says
Hi, dear! Excellent dish. Please, note that you forgot to write when to add the sugar. I had already put the peas in when I realised, so pease were a bit sweet. Anyways, excellent, so thank you, Vaishali. You're my favourite cook.
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Sergio, so happy you enjoyed the dish, and thanks for the kind words. 😍 The sugar is at the end of step 5.
Monika says
did you have an original recipe which included oil and cream, is this one modified ?
If so, could you include the original version as well, please, or indicate how to go about using oil and cream.. Many many thanks ! 🙂
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Monika, my recipe never included oil or cream, but you can use one tablespoon oil to sauté the onions in step 1, and add cream instead of cashew cream (1/4 cup).
Priti Lakhani says
I had an excess of mushrooms and some frozen peas so I gave this a try. It was delicious and better than the restaurants! Thank you.
Vaishali Honawar says
So happy to hear, Priya!
Emily says
Great and super easy to make. Nice healthy dinner. Thank you
Vaishali Honawar says
Awesome! Happy to hear.
Ross says
Delicious! This is my second time making your recipe. Had tried mushroom muttar at a resto and was prompted to find a celebrated recipe - thankfully I landed here. For those who prefer a baseline for their salt, I have found that adding a 1/2 teaspoon with the first spices and then another 1/4 to 1/2 alongside the garam masala works well for my tastes. For a protein bump I have added a 1/2 cup of textured soy protein (rehydrated after measure) to the curry / sauce after it has been blended (before adding to the mushrooms nd peas). Does not affect the flavor and is barely noticeable to the mouth feel. The whole over some basmati is delightful indeed!
Vaishali Honawar says
Sounds delicious! I like that you added protein to the dish. Thanks for sharing.
Tina says
I've been looking for a good mushroom curry for ages and this is it. I made a few adjustments and a couple of additions. I did approx two thirds of the quantity for 2 hungry people, I added some kale (because it needed using up), and added a couple of teaspoons of coconut milk powder towards the end. I served it over steamed baby new potatoes instead of with rice or naan, and that turned out to be a lovely texture combination. Can't wait to do it again. Five stars definitely!
Vaishali Honawar says
That sounds gorgeous! I can almost taste it.
Emma says
Thank for this delicious healthy recipe. The sauce is amazing! I’ve made the recipe a few times now. Sometimes with mushrooms, but when I haven’t had them I’ve subbed in cauliflower. I am about to make a double batch tomorrow.
Vaishali Honawar says
Yay!! So happy you've loved the recipe.
Anju says
I tried out yesterday….it was very good…thank you
Vaishali Honawar says
So happy to hear!
Shaili says
Can this same gravy be used to prepare paneer dish instead of mushroom matar ?
Vaishali says
Yes, this gravy would be fantastic with tofu.
Teresa says
This is so tasty- spicy and savory! Hard to believe it is oil free!
christine straight says
so glad to find your site...loved this recipe!! really delicious!
Vaishali says
So happy to hear!
Aishwarya says
This is without a doubt the best sabji I have made so far. The recipe is fantastic!! I especially love the use of cayenne pepper and that little sugar makes a world of difference. Love!
Rebecca says
Hi, love this recipe! What's the carb count please?
Raili says
Hello! I was looking to find some good vegetables witch may the best accompaign pearl muschrooms and onion and where the vest look for if not in Indian kitchen! With beas.. Sounds really suitable, its gonna be my first try! The only thing after reading all was not clear to me: naam or rice? Thank You!
SREE says
It came out pretty good .. Thanks for sharing ..
Vaishali says
Awesome!
Lisa Nicholson says
I made this it was good but didn’t look like yours. I left out the cashews and coconut milk. So mine wasn’t creamy like yours. I’m guessing this is the reason, what do you think?
Vaishali says
Yes, it won't be creamy without the cashews and coconut milk.
Guri says
Can we use normal milk cream to replace coconut milk?
Jasdeep says
Actually it turned out finger licking good!!!
Awesome recipe..
Vaishali says
Great to hear!
Jasdeep says
Actually it turned out finger licking good!!!
Awesome recipe.. thanks for sharing
Jenny says
Hello
I love this your recipes. I made this with your tomato onion sauce. I used 2 cup to replace the onion, tomato and first set of spices. I added the turmeric, more cayenne and the garam masala. It worked really well.
Thank you for your blog
Vaishali says
Thanks, Jenny, for letting me know--so happy you loved it!
Odri says
This became the food we are dreaming about at night if we do not make it for longer than 2 weeks. Thank you so much for sharing. Incredibly delicious!
Vaishali says
😀 Odri, that's so awesome to hear!!
Laurie Baird says
Do you use raw or roasted cashews?
Vaishali says
Raw.