Mushroom Kofta Curry

I wish I had a better picture of the dish. This recipe is for people who hate mushrooms, but have a loved one in their life, who finds them delectable. Mushrooms are healthy food - low in calories, low in sodium, and high in Iron and Vitamin C and hence the excuse "UNHEALTHY" to not buy them, does not apply. If you are amongst those who have sensitive noses, good news is this recipe does not smell mushroomy at all! Eat and enjoy, and get all health benefits out of mushrooms :)


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Ingredients here serve 8. Time to cook is approx 1 hour.

For the Kofta - 

1 pack Button mushrooms.

3 potatoes 

1/2 cup Cottage cheese(grated)
2 Tbsp milk

2 green chilies(chopped)

2 Tbsp all purpose flour.

1 Tsp grated ginger

1/2 Tsp Garam Masala powder

Salt according to taste

2 Tsp Ghee(clarified butter)

Oil for frying 

For the gravy - 

2 Tbsp cashews

2 Tbsp grated coconut

1 Tbsp poppy seeds

1 dried red chily

2 green chilies 

1 Tsp grated ginger

2 Tsp turmeric powder

2 Tsp cumin Powder

1/4th cup Cottage cheese

(Make a smooth paste with all the above ingredients.)

2 Bay Leaves

2 Cardamoms

1 Cinnamon stick

1 Tsp Paanch Foron (A mix of Cumin seeds, Carom Seeds, Fenugreek seeds, Fennel seeds and Nigella seeds popularly used in Bengali vegetarian cooking)

Salt - according to taste

1/2 Tsp Sugar

1 Tsp Garam Masala 

2 Tsp Oil

2 Tsp Ghee (Clarified butter)

To make Kofta -

• Boil the potatoes. Peel them and let them cool in a bowl.
• Boil some water in a saucepan. Wash the mushrooms, and then add to the boiling water. Boil for about 5 minutes.
• Drain the mushrooms and let them cool.
• Once cool, cut each mushroom into small pieces. Discard the stem.
• Heat some Ghee in a pan, add the grated ginger and chopped green chilies and saute for a while.
• Add the mushroom pieces, and some salt.
• Saute the mushrooms on medium heat for about 8 minutes.
• In a bowl, add the sauteed mushrooms, cheese, milk, potatoes, garam masala, a little salt and mix.
• Add the flour in small quantities till the mix reaches a consistency where you can roll small soft balls with your hands. 
• Heat oil in a deep bottomed skillet.
• Make balls and drop them lightly in the hot oil.
• Fry at medium heat.
• The balls should not touch the base of the skillet, this will allow the balls to swell.

(Psst! A secret! I shallow fried the kofta in a pan, who cares for rounded swelled koftas! Lesser oil is sweller!)

• Do this batch by batch.
• Keep the fried balls in Kitchen towels so that excess oil is absorbed.

For the gravy - 

• Heat oil in a pan.
• Add the bay leaves and paanch foron.
• When the seeds splatter, add the Cinnamon and Cardamoms
• Then add the paste we prepared for the gravy.
• Saute until the mix releases oil from the sides.
• Add warm water (about 1/2 cup), salt and sugar.
• Bring to boil and then add the Kofta balls. (If necessary add more water. The gravy should be on the thicker side.)
• Add the garam masala and some ghee. 

Serve with rice or Parantha.

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