Khumb Hara Dhaniya ||| Prashad Masters Style!

Diversification is the key and in all spheres of life & business! so even I decided to take a plunge into the good-big world of Vegetarian Gourmet Cooking! Took the help of  Prashad: Cooking With Indian Masters, often considered to be the BEST book on Indian Recipes; bought this book in November 2012 & I feel very guilty to accept that this is the first recipe I have cooked from this book! though Bandita has made the awesome Sofiyani Biryani through this which was oh-so-awesome! but then as some wise old man once said, better late than never & I use the same logic for this long wait!

Started with this Mushroom recipe named Khumb Hara Dhaniya which sounded a little too cumbersome but I was ready to give it a try! and as always I adhered 100% to the recipe except some minor changes...it took me almost an hour to make this but the result was DELICIOUS! worth all those 60 minutes I spent in the Kitchen...as always Bandita was my perfect Partner-in-Rhyme and helped me all the way through! this was definitely OUR effort! 

The flavour of this dish was very different to what we have had previously, all thanks to the Boiled Onion Paste which added magic to the curry! and the aroma & taste of the Fresh Coriander and Ginger is delightful too! This one is a definite must-try for all Mushroom lovers! 

And yes, for everybody like me who want to try Indian Cuisine dishes and is looking for the perfect book to begin with you can buy this one online, and I bet this is worth every rupee you would spend: http://www.infibeam.com/Books/info/j-indersingh-kalra/prashad-cooking-with-indian-masters/9788170230069.html

Without further adieu, presenting the recipe details: 

Ingredients:

1. 700 grams Fresh Medium Sized Mushrooms

2. 50 Oil or Ghee (I used Sunflower Oil)

3. Whole Garam Masala

    6 Green Cardamoms

    1 Black Cardamom

    6 Cloves

    1 2-inches long Cinnamon Stick

    1 Bay Leaf

4. 200 grams Boiled Onion Paste

    Peel, wash and roughly cut 4 medium Onions. Put in a Handi, add 1 Bay Leaf, 3 Black Cardamoms and      100 ml water, bring to a boil, simmer until onions are transparent and the liquid has evaporated. Transfer to    a blender and make a fine puree (Don’t remove the Bay Leaf and Cardamoms as these would add a             brilliant colour and taste to the paste)

5. 5 teaspoons Ginger Paste

6. 5 teaspoons Garlic Paste

7. 3 teaspoons Finely Chopped Ginger

8. 2 teaspoons julienned Ginger

9. 4 Finely Chopped Green Chillies

10. 2 teaspoons Red Chilly Powder

11. 2 teaspoons Coriander Powder

12. 350 grams Whipped Fresh Yoghurt

13. 60 grams finely chopped fresh Green Coriander

14. 2 tablespoons Cashew Paste

15. Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Trim, wash, blanch, drain the Mushrooms (add 1 teaspoon salt in the water while boiling); and then cut them in halves
2. Heat the Oil in a Handi, add whole garam masala and sauté over medium heat until it starts to crackle
3. Add the boiled Onion Paste, bhunno for 5-7 minutes, add the Ginger & Garlic pastes, bhunno for another 3-5 minutes
4. Add the chopped ginger & green chillies, red chilly & coriander powder and stir for 1-2 minutes
5. Remove the Handi from the Gas, add the whipped yoghurt and salt; return to heat after mixing, add 2 cups of water, bring to a boil and then simmer until the fat leaves the curry
6. Now add 45 grams chopped green coriander, simmer for a minute, add the mushrooms and then simmer for 10-15 minutes
7. Add the Cashewnut Paste and bring to a boil
8. Adjust the seasoning and the consistency of the curry as per your preference
9. Remove the Dish and garnish with the remaining coriander and ginger juliennes
10. Serve with Chapatis and boiled rice
11. Say Thanks to Jiggs Kalra! And if you want you can thank me too! 

Don't get bogged down by the lengthiness of the preparation; I promise this isn't that difficult as it may sound! And the final result would definitely make the efforts worthwhile....

Till the time we meet again…

Cheers to life…

Till then ride safe and have safe sex…

Hasta la Victoria Siempre…

Jai BoP!