Recipe of the month: Spicy Mushroom Capsicum Fry

It is Mother’s Day today - that one Sunday in May when the world officially tips its hat to the tireless, selfless women we call mom. A single day hardly feels adequate, does it? If you ask me, mothers deserve a lifetime of celebration. But hey, I don’t make the rules. So here’s wishing a very Happy Mother’s Day to all the incredible moms out there! From one mother to another - you are seen, you are valued, and you are absolutely irreplaceable 💖

This is going to be a short (and spicy!) post. Since it is Mother's Day, I am going to share a recipe that I got from my own mother more than a decade ago. Rewind to when I was a newly married and slightly panicked bride, frazzled at the thought of running a household. Before embarking on the new chapter in my life, I got myself a notebook in which I hurriedly jotted down a handful of simple recipes (including dal 😝). Among those recipes was this one for Spicy Mushroom Capsicum Fry that I nicked from my mom's handwritten recipe book. 

This recipe just needs a handful of ingredients, looks vibrant, tastes good and can be made within 30 mins. Sounds perfect right? This dry side dish is heavy on the spices, so feel free to go easy on the chilli if you prefer a milder version. I used to make this dish often, but it has made fewer appearances in recent years, mostly because the husband is Team Gravy when it comes to side dishes. I think this would be a perfect side dish to serve alongside a simple dal/mild curry and cooling raita with any Indian flatbread or one-pot rice dish. That way you get a satisfying, well-balanced meal that hits all the right notes.

If you are old enough to cook for your mom, you know what you need to do. Give her the day off and put a smile on that face that has worked a lifetime to make sure you always have one on yours 😊

Spicy Mushroom Capsicum Fry

Preparation time: 10 min; Cooking time:10-15 min

Total time: Less than 30 min

Serves: 2-3

Recipe category: Side dish/ North Indian

Recipe level: Easy

Recipe source: Unknown

Ingredients:

200gm button mushrooms (white or brown), kept whole if small or halved/quartered if large

1 large or 2 medium-sized red onions, diced

2 medium-sized (~1.5 cups) capsicum/bell peppers, diced

3 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tsp coriander (dhania) powder

1 tsp cumin (jeera) powder

1/2 tsp dry mango (amchur) powder

1/2 - 1 tsp red chili powder, add according to spice level

1/4 tsp turmeric (haldi) powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp sugar

1 tbsp unsalted butter

Method:

1. Chop all the vegetables as shown

2. In a pot, boil water to which a little salt and turmeric powder has been added. Add in the mushrooms and cook till half done. Drain the water and keep the mushrooms aside.

3. In a skillet, heat the butter and saute the onions until light golden. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry until the raw smell disappears.

4. Add in the capsicum/bell peppers and fry for 2-3 mins. Add in the mushrooms and fry for an additional 2 minutes.

5. Now add in the masala powders, salt and sugar. Sauté on low flame for a few minutes.

6. Serve this spicy mushroom capsicum fry as a side dish with phulkas, roti, naan or rice. 

Notes:

• You could use vegetable oil instead of butter but I would recommend sticking to butter as it gives the dish that required richness
• You can use any color of capsicum/bell pepper that is available on hand. I used three colors to make the dish look more appealing
• You can garnish this dish with chopped fresh coriander and julienned ginger if desired

Cheers,

Megha