11 October, 2012

Mushroom-Pepper Curry | How to Make Simple Mushroom & Capsicum Curry

Learn how to make Mushroom-Pepper Curry ~ Simple and quick stir fry recipe of spicy bell peppers/capsicums and mushrooms marinated in aromatic spice blend

Autumn is here in full glory!
She has turned the world into one giant rainbow.
The sky is vivid blue and the grass is gold
The trees look like the Cupid’s colourful bow!
The birds are tweeting melodious songs
And the bees are buzzing all day long
People are covered from head to feet
In their woolly hat and coat
Little Dumpling likes his evening walks
While his boots crushes dry leaves and the stalks
Pitter-patter rain is here to stay
Dancing in the puddles is so much fun, I say!
Soon the winter will spread her chills
So let’s enjoy one last trip to the hills!
A quick fix curry ~ Mushroom-Pepper Curry
Pardon me for posting such silly poem online, but the happy thought of our up coming week long holiday makes my fingers tap dance on the keyboard weaving the words in to silly songs!

My heart is happy, and so is my soul
And at last I feel I am ready to let go…

Sorry, again! I just don’t have any control over my other-forgotten-self who thinks she is all poetic soul! ~sigh~ But I am enjoying her company as she looks at me with happy contagious smile and stars in her twinkling eyes! She looks fresh and happy. She makes me happy. And the world around me looks even better through her eyes, even the dark grey clouds and damp weather!

Simple recipe for Mushroom-Pepper Curry
Soon we will pack our bags, fill our car boot with walking gears. We will carry few books and toys and the camera to capture the happy memories! We will fasten our seat belts and drive up north, to the land of Gaels and fun! Yes, we are going to Scotland for a week and will be staying in a beautiful cottage tucked away in large farmland. We will wake up to rooster’s cock-a-doodle instead of shrill of our phone alarm and look forward to playing all day with Lil Dumpling instead of rushing to get ready for long hours in office.

We have got a major plan for our holiday. The plan is not to have any plans! We plan to do things on whim, instead of doing touristy stuffs! We plan to do things as we like… We plan to do nothing if Lil Dumpling let’s it that way… We plan laze around and go for walks in the farm and say hello to our neighbours, cows, sheep, lambs, hens, horses and some bees too! We plan to go on a fishing in the river close to our holiday cottage and pretend to fish with our make shift fishing gear of a stick with a string! We plan to open a can of soup and dunk some homemade bread in it. We plan to eat Maggi with ladle full of ketchup! We plan to lay down on the hammock and BBQ in cold autumn weather! And then we plan to sleep under the open sky counting the stars… We plan to live our life by embracing laziness and solitude… We plan to teach Lil Dumpling the simple pleasures of life… We plan to relive our childhood through Lil Dumpling… Oh, so many plans and yet, it feels like a grand plans!

Weekday dinner ~ Mushroom-Pepper Curry
While I get busy packing the bags, I haven’t forgotten you, my dear reader friends! I have cooked this Mushroom-Pepper Curry exclusively for you, and for us! It is simple and yet packed with complex flavours. It is quick and yet so satisfying! It is just a stir fry, and yet tastes so different! It is my simple Mushroom-Pepper Curry that wins the heart! Before I make you crazy with my rhymes and poems, here is the recipe for Mushroom-Pepper Curry. Marinate the mushrooms and peppers with the aromatic spice mix if you have time but feel free to skip the whole marinating process if you are short of time. There is will little difference in depth of flavours, but both will taste equally good!

Meaty mushrooms and peppery bell peppers for Pepper-Mushroom Curry
Aromatic spice powders used in Pepper-Mushroom Curry
Mushrooms and bell peppers marinated with spice powders
Marinating is fun ~ Mushroom-Pepper Curry

Mushroom-Pepper Curry (Simple and quick stir fry recipe of spicy bell peppers/capsicums and mushrooms marinated in aromatic spice blend)
Prep Time: 5 mins
Marinating Time: 10-15 mins (Optional but recommended)
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Serves: 4-6 people
Spice Level: Medium
Recipe Level: Easy/Beginner
Shelf Life: Best served fresh but can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and frozen for a fortnight)
Serving Suggestions: With any Indian flat breads (Whole Wheat Naan or Butter Naan or with any stuffed parathas) or plain/flavoured Basmati rice

Ingredients:
1 large Onion, finely chopped
2 medium Tomatoes, finely chopped
2 cups/300 gms Button Mushrooms, cleaned and halved or quartered
3 medium Capsicums/Bell Peppers, deseeded and cut into 1 inch squares or triangles
1-2 Green Chillies, roughly chopped
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
½ tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Spices Used for Marinating:
¼ tsp Haldi/Turmeric Powder
¾-1 tsp Red Chilli Powder (Adjust acc to taste)
¼ tsp Amchur/Dry Mango Powder (Optional, can be replaced with 1 tbsp lime/lemon juice)
½ tsp Garam Masala (Adjust acc to taste)
1 tsp Dhania/Coriander Powder
¼ tsp Jeera/Cumin Powder
½ tsp Kitchen King Masala (Optional)
Quick to make and yummy to taste ~ Mushroom-Pepper Curry
Method:
  1. Take mushroom and bell peppers in a large mixing bowl. Mix all the spice powders listed above and add salt to taste and mix well. Add this spice mix and gently mix them well until every single piece of mushroom and bell peppers is well coated with the spices. Keep it aside for 10-15 minutes.
  2. While the mushrooms and bell peppers are marinating, you can proceed to finish chopping the vegetables and other prep work.
  3. Heat oil in a pan and add chopped green chillies and ginger-garlic paste. Keep stirring till the raw smell of ginger-garlic paste disappears, about 1 minute.
  4. Add finely chopped onions and sauté till they are translucent, about 2 mins, on medium heat.
  5. Mix in finely chopped tomatoes and cook then till they are pulpy and release their juice, about 2-3 minutes.
  6. Next add the bell peppers and mushrooms and increase the heat to high. Go on stir frying them for 4-5 minutes or until mushrooms starts to sweat and release their juice.
  7. Cover and let it cook on medium flame for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Make sure that the mushrooms are cooked thoroughly.
  8. Serve this simple and yet delicious Mushroom-Pepper Curry with any Indian flat breads (Whole Wheat Naan or Butter Naan or with any stuffed parathas) or plain/flavoured Basmati rice

Mushroom-Pepper Curry


Sia’s Notes:
  • You can entirely skip the marinating process and proceed to cook the vegetables with spices. However, the marinating gives a depth of flavour for this delicious Mushroom-Pepper Curry.
  • Use as little or as much spice as you want. You can add more or omit some of the spice powders listed above to create the curry that pleases your palette!

19 comments:

  1. Have a great vacation Sia! You all deserve it :)

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  2. Those are tow of my favorite vegetables. A scrumptious curry!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  3. Delicious mushrooms. Enjoy your hols and come back with lots of memories both digital and mental:)

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  4. so yummy and peppery
    great-secret-of-life.blogspot.com

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  5. Hi, I love this recipe because it is a great way to enjoy, really enjoy, bell peppers, mushrooms and onions. The spices make it mouthwatering, we cannot wait to try it.
    Thanks.

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  6. Have a safe and fun filled vacation Sia. The curry looks so yum!! It makes me want to try this ASAP :)

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  7. Nice recipe..Have a great vacation...

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  8. enjoy your holiday sia. the pics are great as always. i especially like the steam rising from the curry.

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  9. Spicy good dish for the winter night. I love the color these veggies bring to the plate. Such a pretty looking dish.

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  10. Hi Sia,

    Love the clicks and its looks so tempting..

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  11. wow! i just tried this dish yesterday Sia and it tasted just awesome! i used to fail making tasty mushroom-pepper curry until i saw ur recipe. The marination is the highlight of this dish. thank u!

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  12. Love mushroom + capsicum combo! The styling is so drool-worthy!

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  13. @Unknown, I have this weakness for mushrooms and I try to experiment cooking it in different ways. Glad you enjoyed this curry :)

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  14. how did i miss this.... i love my mushrooms like this, I first had a mushroom like this in a restaurant here and checked with them for the recipe, and since then i prepare the mushrooms exactly the same way. They add a tbsp of curd in the marination and it works beautifully.

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  15. Loved this simple and delicious recipes. Marinating the veggies made all the difference. Thanks.

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  16. Wonderful recipe! The marination adds so much depth to the mushrooms! I'll be making this again and again with a different spice mixture each time :)

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  17. Hi tried you recipe today.....simple and quick one, tastewise okay......though i fail to understand why you wud say that marination is optional and it tastes the same even if you dont. Then why have step one?

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  18. @bekxy78, I said it tastes equally good and not same! Marinating gives depth of flavour to any veggie as the vegetables absorb the spices before cooking them. This is what I have experienced after cooking it both ways, marinating and without marinating.

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