This delicious Indian mushroom curry, based on my dad's mutton curry recipe, has a spicy coconut sauce that explodes with flavor! Use your favorite mushrooms and serve with basmati rice, roti or vegan naan.
My Dad's Not-Mutton Mushroom Curry has lived on this blog since its infancy. I am resharing it today, and the rest of this post much as I had written it so many years ago, in memory of my father who passed away last week.
Dad stood apart from men of his generation in many ways (you can read more about him on my Facebook post), one of those being his willingness to help my mother around the kitchen--something men in India rarely did at the time. He was also a good cook in his own right and a mutton curry he made so lovingly for the family each Sunday was the highlight of our weekends.
The mutton curry was made in the style of Karwari konkani cuisine--Karwar being a beautiful coastal city in the south Indian state of Karnataka where Dad's family came from. Dad would do most of the work, right from buying the mutton (goat's meat) in the morning to actually cooking it, as well as supervising everyone in the household who had some role to play in the actual preparation.
My job was peeling a whole bulb of garlic and grating two kinds of coconut, fresh and dry. I hated both jobs: the juices from the garlic set my fingernails on fire, and I don't remember a time when I didn't grate my hand along with the coconut!
But I did love that curry. I can close my eyes and still see Dad standing over a two-burner stove in our Bombay kitchen, carefully roasting the spices and then grinding them to perfection in a little blender. He loved making that curry, just as much as we loved eating it.
After turning vegetarian, I sometimes would crave the spices in my dad's mutton curry and that's why I came up with this not-mutton mushroom curry. I make it with the exact masalas Dad used, but because I use veggies instead of meat, I get to skip several steps involving marinating and tenderizing the meat.
I use two kinds of mushrooms in this recipe, fresh crimini and dry shiitake, which I reconstitute. The mix adds lots of flavor and texture. You can use other kinds of mushrooms, and you can also use eggplants. I swear you will not miss the meat in this curry, and even meat-eaters I've served it to love its robust flavors.
The curry is perfect either with brown or white rice or with any kind of Indian bread. We would eat the curry with rice or a soft roll called a pav, tearing pieces of the bread with our fingers and dunking it into the curry. You can just use a storebought dinner roll of something like this soft sourdough roll.
I hope you will try this curry and love it as much as we have, in memory of the man who taught me how to cook with love.
This one is for you, dearest Dad.
Table of Contents
Why you'll love this mushroom curry
- It's so delicious. The curried mushroom gravy is packed with flavor thanks to a homemade, fresh-ground garam masala mix similar to the one my dad used for his meat curry. Coconut mellows the heat down and adds a wonderful creaminess. You won't be able to stop eating this curry.
- It's easy to make. If you have the spices needed for this dish handy, you will find that the recipe comes together really quickly and easily. The only spice here that may not be familiar to some is the stoneflower or dagad phool and it is optional.
- You can use your choice of mushrooms. I use shiitake and cremini, but you can use just about any mushroom you like, or a combination, including white button mushrooms, oyster mushrooms or portobello mushrooms.
- It is everyone friendly. The curry is vegan, of course, but omnivore friendly because of the rich, robust flavors. And it's soy-free, nut-free and gluten-free. Leave out the potatoes to lower the carbs considerably if you are on a low-carb/keto diet. You can adjust the amount of red chili peppers down if you are serving this to kids.
Ingredients
- 1.5 tablespoons vegetable oil. If you are trying to eat less oil, you can cut this down to 1 tbsp.
- Spices: 2 tablespoons coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1-2 dry red chili peppers (can use cayenne, up to 1 tsp, or any red chili powder, like Kashmiri chili powder for good color and moderate heat), ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1-inch cinnamon stick, 5 cloves, 5 green cardamom pods, 1 tbp poppy seeds, and 1 teaspoon black peppercorns (use less for less heat).
- Optional spices: ½-inch piece dagad phool (stoneflower), ½ flower javatri (mace)
- 1 large onion
- 6 large garlic cloves
- 1-inch piece ginger
- ½ cup shredded coconut. Use unsweetened coconut that's freshly grated or frozen. You can substitute with coconut milk. Use 1 cup of thick, canned or fresh coconut milk.
- 2-4 tablespoons cilantro
- 2 medium potatoes
- 2 cups dry shiitake mushrooms
- 8 oz crimini mushrooms (or white button mushrooms)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Plus more lemon wedges for serving.
How to make mushroom curry
- Soak the dry mushrooms in 3 cups boiling water for at least 30 minutes to help them reconstitute. Once they are plump and juicy, halve or quarter them. You can trim out any tough stems.
- Heat ½ tablespoon of the oil in a skillet. Add the coriander, cumin, chillies. cardamom, cloves, dagad phool and mace if using, cinnamon, peppercorns, poppy seeds and fennel seeds, Roast over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the coriander seeds start changing color and become fragrant.
- Add the sliced onion, garlic and ginger and saute until the onions get brown spots. Remove to a plate to cool down.
- Without adding any more oil, roast the shredded coconut in the hot pan until some of the shreds turn quite brown but be careful not to burn. Coconut has oils and can burn easily. Place the coconut on the plate with the other roasted spices.
- Once the coconut and spices have cooled, add them to the blender with a cup of water (or use a cup of the water you soaked the mushrooms in). Blend into a very smooth paste.
- In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.
- Add the chopped onions and cilantro with about ½ teaspoon of salt and cook until the onions begin to brown.
- Stir in the potatoes and the shiitake mushrooms. Add the water remaining from soaking the mushrooms to the pot, stir, cover and let the potatoes cook until almost tender. Stir a couple of times while they are cooking to make sure there's some liquid in the pot.
- Once the potatoes are almost done, add the crimini or button mushrooms, stir to mix, and then add the ground masala from the blender.
- At this point add a cup or two of water or vegtable stock to thin out the curry to your liking. Stir well, check the seasoning and add salt, and let the curry come to a boil. Let it cook, uncovered, over medium-high heat until you see some specks of fat pool at the top, about 10-15 minutes. You can add more water at any point if the curry gets too thick.
- Garnish with cilantro and turn off the heat. Serve hot with wedges of lemons to squirt on top of the curry.
Serving suggestions
- Soft dinner rolls or any Indian flatbread, including roti or vegan naan.
- Over a flavorful rice, like jeera rice, carrot rice or turmeric rice.
- Serve vegan raita on the side.
Storage and freezing instructions
This curry tastes even better the next day! Keep in the fridge for up to three days and reheat before serving. You can freeze the curry in an airtight container for up to three months. Thaw and reheat.
More Indian mushroom recipes
Mushroom Curry
Equipment
- Bowl for soaking dry mushrooms, if using.
- Large pot or saucepan with lid
Ingredients
- 1.5 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 2 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1-2 dry red chili peppers (can use cayenne, up to 1 tsp, or any red chili powder, like Kashmiri chili powder for good color and moderate heat)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 5 cloves
- 5 pods green cardamom pods
- ½-inch piece dagad phool (stoneflower, optional)
- ½ flower mace (optional)
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns (use less for less heat)
- 1 large onion (half sliced, the other half finely diced)
- 6 large garlic cloves (sliced)
- 1-inch piece ginger (thinly sliced)
- ½ cup shredded coconut (unsweetened. Use freshly grated or frozen)
- 2-4 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)
- 2 medium potatoes (cut into 1-inch cubes)
- 2 cups dry shiitake mushrooms
- 8 oz crimini mushrooms (or button mushrooms are fine)
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice (plus more lemon wedges for serving)
Instructions
- Soak the dry mushrooms in 3 cups boiling water for at least 30 minutes to help them reconstitute. Once they are plump and juicy, halve or quarter them. You can trim out any tough stems.
- Heat ½ tablespoon of the oil in a skillet. Add the coriander, cumin, chillies. cardamom, cloves, dagad phool and mace if using, cinnamon, peppercorns, poppy seeds and fennel seeds, Roast over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the coriander seeds start changing color and become fragrant.
- Add the sliced onion, garlic and ginger and saute until the onions get brown spots. Stir in turmeric after turning off the heat. Remove the spices to a plate to cool down.
- Without adding any more oil, roast the shredded coconut in the hot pan until some of the shreds turn quite brown but be careful not to burn. Coconut has oils and can burn easily. Place the coconut on the plate with the other roasted spices.
- Once the coconut and spices have cooled, add them to the blender with a cup of water (or use a cup of the water you soaked the mushrooms in). Blend into a very smooth paste.
- In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.
- Add the chopped onions and cilantro with about ½ teaspoon of salt and cook until the onions begin to brown.
- Stir in the potatoes and the shiitake mushrooms. Add the water remaining from soaking the mushrooms to the pot, stir, cover and let the potatoes cook until almost tender. Stir a couple of times while they are cooking to make sure there's some liquid in the pot.
- Once the potatoes are almost done, add the crimini or button mushrooms, stir to mix, and then add the ground masala from the blender.
- At this point add a cup or two of water or vegtable stock to thin out the curry to your liking. Stir well, check the seasoning and add salt, and let the curry come to a boil. Let it cook, uncovered, over medium-high heat until you see some specks of fat pool at the top, about 10-15 minutes. You can add more water at any point if the curry gets too thick.
- Garnish with cilantro and turn off the heat. Serve hot with wedges of lemons to squirt on top of the curry.
Recipe notes
- For a low-carb diet, leave the potatoes out of this recipe to reduce carbs to 16 net grams.
- To reduce the oil, cut down the oil in step 6 to ½ tbsp.
- If you are feeding this to children, cut down the quantity of peppercorns to up to ¼ teaspoon and halve the amount of red chili peppers/powder.
- You can substitute coconut milk if you don't have unsweetened grated coconut. Use 1 cup.
- Use your favorite mushrooms in this recipe. I use shiitake and cremini, but just about any mushroom will work here. If using dry mushrooms be sure to reconstitute them.
- This mushroom curry tastes fabulous with any Indian flatbread, including roti or vegan naan. Or serve it with a flavorful basmati rice, like jeera rice, carrot rice or turmeric rice. Serve a vegan raita on the side.
- This curry tastes even better the next day! Refrigerate for up to three days and reheat before serving. You can freeze the curry in an airtight container for up to three months. Thaw and reheat.
Patrick
Great recipe! I will have to try this.
Lallie Pillay
Amazing mushroom curry for meat free Mondays
Curry loiks amazing and the gravy
Must try
Julia
It's true--I have loved this recipe since you first posted it!
Charlie
Tried this last night and loved it, but gosh it was hot 🙂
Mary McQuaid
I think you are doing a great public service. For people like us who grew up in meat-eating households it is wonderful to have recipes that satisfy our fondness for burgers and robust curries. Thank you!
orgeluse
Hallo vaishali, do you remember how your dad marinated the mutton? My husband doesnt like mushroom so i wanted to try this recipe with tempeh or seitan instead! And i thought maybe those substitutes would taste better marinated? What do you think?
Vaishali
Hi there, yes marinating tempeh or seitan first is a good idea. My dad used ginger, garlic, green chilies, turmeric and salt, all blended to a paste. You might want to reduce the ginger and garlic in the rest of the recipe proportionately. Good luck! 🙂
orgeluse
Thank you so much, Vaishali! Greetings from Germany, org.
Vaishali
Greetings, orgeluse, glad you tried it.
Vaishali
Hi, I am not sure since I don't live there, but you could try this recipe with other greens like spinach.
Swati
Hi Vaishali, Your Mushroom recipe looks yummy! Have you tried cooking with vegan meat?? I have some vegan stewed lamb chunks and am thinking to try it with your recipe.
Vaishali
Hi Swati, yes, you definitely can use vegan meat in this recipe. Where did you find vegan lamb chunks?
Swati
There is a restaurant in Falls Church (VA) called "Loving Hut". They sell vegan products too. Absolutely love their vegan meat! Heres the link for the same
Vaishali
Wow, that's good to know Swati. Gotta make a trip there soon. Thanks for the link.
archana
Hi, I made both versions , one with mushrooms and potatoes and the other with chicken. Chicken wins outright. But that may be because we are die hard non vegetarians. 😀 This has been my go to recipe for chicken curry for over 2 years now. Thank you. And my to go mushroom curry on vegetarian days. yummmm. And we finish with curd rice and this curry.
Anonymous
wow!!! I made the curry . It is really good!!!!
Anonymous
made this tonight, absolutely scrumptious! i'm adding this to my heavy rotation, thank you for a great blog and delicious, well written recipes!
Manju
Stumbled upon your blog hunting for an eggless mango cake recipe and I really liked the way you write...so cheerful and energetic.
And I really liked the name you coined for this dish! I love mushrooms and I definitley want to try this recipe. Sounds awesome.
and your dad reminds me of my dad too, who loves to cook occassionaly and comes up with lipsmacking curries 🙂 So glad to have met you here in this virtual world!
Kath
Hi Vaishali, I'm a new vegan and I'm so happy to find our site. I made this lovely curry and found it to be delicious. I am going to try many more of your recipes in the coming weeks. Thank-you for sharing them. Blessings, Kath in England
Tikva
Hi, this Recipe looks and sounds divine, but I just wanted to know if the Shredded Coconut you use is dried or not? Many thanks from New Zealand 🙂
Vaishali
Hi Tikva, fresh or frozen coconut is best because of the moisture. At a pinch, use the dried coconut but if you can find coconut milk, add some.
Vaishali
Hi Shilpa,absolutely! You can make the paste beforehand for both curries beforehand. You can even make it a couple of days before-- just be sure to refrigerate it.
Shilpa
Hi Vaishali! I'm an avid reader/recipe follower of your blog!! I was wondering, if I'm making this at a friends place, is it possible to make the paste-with the spices, onion and coconut beforehand (like a day before) and just bag it and bring it with me, and do the rest of the prep at her place? I guess I have the same question for the 'railway mushroom' recipe as well? I'm just trying to figure out how to cut cooking time at her house. Thanks so much for your help!
Gemini Xettigar
Hi Vaishali
Tried your recipe during the weekend. It was fantastic. It is very similar to the way Mangaloreansmake their version of garam masla gravies. Thanks A Million for a great recipe.
🙂