Kalan Uppu Kari

Ingredients
• 500 g button mushrooms
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tbsp pepper powder
• 1/4 tbsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tbsp garam masala (we can also use tandoori chicken masala or any mutton masala)
• 3 sprigs curry leaves
• 1 cup peeled baby shallots (sambar onions)
• 10 cherry chillies
• 1.5 tbsp crushed ginger-garlic paste
• 1 whole garlic, peeled
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• salt as per taste

Method
To prep
Wash button mushrooms thrice and place in a colander, allow the excess water to drain.
Chop the mushrooms into halves or quarters depending on size.
Peel and wash the garlic and shallots, reserve.
Peel 10 garlic pods and 1” ginger using a mortar and pestle crush and prepare a coarse paste.

Heat a wok with sesame oil and sunflower oil on medium flame.
Add crushed ginger-garlic paste and fry for 30 seconds.
Add fennel seeds stir and allow to splutter. Once the fennel stops spluttering, add peeled garlic and dried red chillies, fry for a minute.
Add curry leaves and onions fry on medium flame.
Once the onion starts to turn transparent, add garam masala, chilli powder and pepper powder, fry for a minute.
Add mushrooms, stir-fry for a minute, place on low flame, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Do not add salt and water to the mushrooms as it tends to turn salty and soggy, allow the mushrooms to wilt, adjust salt later. Mushrooms have a lot of moisture, so let them cook in their own moisture.
Check the mushrooms if done, in 10 minutes, add salt as per taste and place on high flame. Stir-fry, allow the excess moisture to evaporate before serving. Serve hot with rice, roti and dal.
Enjoy this simple side dish for lunch or dinner.

Recipe courtesy: CGH Earth Visalam