Creamy mushroom masala curry

What goes in mushroom masala curry?

To make masala mushroom recipe you will need the ingredients shown below:

Ingredient notes and substitute suggestions

• Mushrooms: Use white button mushrooms. They are the best for most Indian mushroom recipes. If that's not available cremini is the second-best option. Fresh mushrooms are the best for Indian recipes but if you don't have them, canned button mushrooms can be used too.
• Onion: Preferably red onion.
• Tomato: Use a red juicy fully ripe tomato.
• Green chilies: Adding chilies is optional, if you don't like spicy food, skip it.
• Ginger and garlic: I have sauteed fresh ginger garlic with onion and tomatoes and then made a paste with them. You can also use ginger-garlic paste instead.
• Fresh cilantro: Most Indian savory dishes are incomplete without fresh cilantro (coriander leaves). If you don't like the taste of cilantro, skip it but don't replace it with parsley in Indian recipes. Parsley doesn't go well with Indian flavors.
• Cream: Cream balances the heat of spices in this mushroom curry. I have used full cream, you can also use light cream or half and half depending on how rich you want to make your curry. Vegans may use plant-based creams.
• Powdered spices: I have used basic Indian powdered spices like coriander powder, garam masala, kasoori methi, red chili powder, and turmeric powder. You can also add cumin powder and curry powder.
• Whole spices: The whole spices used in this curry are bay leaf, cumin seeds, black cardamom, green cardamom, black peppercorns, and cloves. It's fine if you don't have 1 or 2 of these spices, use whichever Indian spice you have. However, if you like Indian food and planning to cook it often, I would suggest keeping these spices in your pantry. They not only make your food more flavorful but are good for your health too. You can buy all the powdered as well as whole spices from any Indian or Middle Eastern grocery store. They are easily available online too.
• Cooking oil: Use mustard oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil. Non-vegans may also use ghee or butter.

Other ingredient details and nutritional information are shared in the recipe card.

How to make(step-by-step instructions)?

To make this easy mushroom masala recipe, just follow the easy step-by-step instructions given below:

Step 1: Heat around ½ a tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add chopped onion, garlic, and ginger.

Step 2: Cook until the onion starts turning brown.

Step 3: Add chopped tomato, green chilies, and a dash of salt.

Step 4: Cover the pan and cook until the tomatoes turn mushy. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to reach room temperature.

Step 5: Transfer the onion-tomato mixture to a grinding jar.

Step 6: Grind to make a smooth paste. Keep it aside.

Step 7: Heat the remaining oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, black peppercorns, cloves, green, and black cardamom. Saute for a few seconds or until the spices become fragrant.

Step 8: Add the onion tomato paste.

Step 9: Add the remaining salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and red chili powder.

Step 10: Mix and cook for around 5 minutes.

Step 11: Add chopped mushrooms.

Step 12: Mix everything.

Step 13: Cover the pan.

Step 14:  Cook covered until the mushrooms are nicely cooked. If the mushroom gravy is too thick, add a little water and cook for a few minutes.

Steps 15 and 16: Add cream and stir continuously for about a minute.

Step 17: Add crushed kasoori methi and garam masala.

Step 18: Mix and cook for another minute.

Your delicious creamy mushroom curry is ready to be served.

Making a vegan version of mushroom masala recipe

To make vegan curry, follow the same recipe but replace dairy cream with a plant-based cream, full-fat coconut milk, or cashew cream

To make cashew cream at home, soak around ⅓ cup of cashew nuts in warm water for around 10-15 minutes. Put the soaked cashew nuts into a grinding jar along with some water and grind to make a smooth paste.

Use this cashew paste instead of cream to make vegan mushroom curry.

Serving mushroom masala

Serve mushroom masala hot. Indian curries taste the best when served hot and that's how they are served in India.

You can enjoy it with any Indian bread like roti, naan, or paratha. This creamy curry also goes well with plain steamed rice, jeera rice, or pulao.

Storing, freezing, and reheating tips

To store, transfer the leftover mushroom masala to an airtight container and refrigerate. It will be fine for up to 3 days.

It also freezes well. To freeze, put it in a batch-size, freezer-safe container and keep in the freezer. It will be fine for around 3 months.

To reheat, if the curry is frozen, thaw it first. Then transfer to a microwave-safe container, microwave for a minute, stir, and microwave again until evenly heated.

Otherwise, transfer to a pan, add a splash of water, cover the pan, and reheat on the stovetop on low heat until heated well. Keep checking and stirring in between.

Meal prep tips

If you want to do some meal planning for this dish to save time on the day you want to serve it, prepare the sauce by following the steps till step 10 (step-by-step instructions shared above) i.e. cooking the powdered spices with the sauce.

Allow the paste to reach room temperature then store it in an airtight container. It will be fine in the fridge for 3-4 days. For a longer shelf life, add some vinegar or extra oil to the paste.

You can also make the sauce in bulk and freeze it in small batch size, freezer-safe containers for 3 months.

When you want to enjoy mushroom masala, just heat the sauce in a pan, add chopped mushrooms, and follow the remaining steps of the recipe. Your dish will be ready in just 10 minutes.

Recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions

1. Use button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms to make this mushroom curry.
2. To make vegan mushroom masala, use vegan cream instead of regular dairy cream.
3. Full cream milk can also be used instead of cream but it will make the gravy thinner.
4. Usually, the mushroom masala gravy is made slightly thick so don't add a lot of water to it.
5. If you don't like whole spices in your gravy, tie them in a small clean muslin cloth before adding them to the oil. Once the dish is ready remove the spices tied in the muslin cloth. The spices will leave their flavors in the curry but you won't get bothered by the spice pieces in your mouth.
6. Don't skip kasoori methi and garam masala in this Indian mushroom curry. These spices give a very nice and unique flavor to the dish.
7. You can also use the sauce of this curry to make other similar dishes by replacing mushrooms with paneer, potatoes, cauliflower, or any other vegetable of your choice.

Frequently asked questions

More easy Indian mushroom recipes

If you enjoyed this delicious mushroom masala curry and want to try more easy Indian-style mushroom recipes then don't miss to check out the following links:

1. Matar mushroom
2. Kerala style pepper mushrooms
3. Mushroom curry with coconut milk

More mushroom recipes from around the world

And, if you want to try different mushroom recipes from around the world then the following recipes are worth checking out:

1. Stir-fried tofu with bean sprouts and mushrooms
2. Garlic butter mushrooms
3. Vegan mushroom soup
4. Mushroom rice
5. Easy mushroom noodles
6. Thai stir-fried mushrooms
7. Mushroom tom yum soup
8. Mushroom potato soup
9. Mushroom enchiladas
10. Mushroom barley soup
11. Mushroom ricotta pasta

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