Matar Mushroom is a popular Indian dish that is close to the paneer dishes. This Mushroom Matar Masala recipe is super easy and is flavored with fresh tomatoes. Made during Navratri, I omitted onion and garlic but they would go well with mushrooms. A vegan and nut free mushroom matar taste as creamy as the classic mushroom masala!
Matar Mushroom is a vegan recipe of matar and mushrooms made in one pot in rich tomato masala. The best thing I love about mushrooms is that they blend easily with the spices and other vegetables, yet are amazingly delicious. This recipe of mushroom matar is made as dry masala and can be easily converted to gravy dish.
This savory and spicy mushroom recipe goes well with crispy paratha or chapati. If you are reading my blog, you would be knowing that I love whole wheat parathas. Since I shot it during navratri, I avoid onion and garlic. Though I love my veggies with onion and garlic, this one without it was really delicious and I could realize the real flavor of mushroom. You may check the recipe notes for how to make this recipe with onion and garlic. Another Popular Mushroom recipe from my blog is Kadai Mushroom Masala.
Why You Would Love This Recipe?
- Gluten Free
- Vegan
- Exploding with rich flavors of Indian spices
- Fresh Ingredients
- Made without onion and garlic
- Easily made creamy gravy dish
- The Best Mushroom Matar Dry Recipe ever!
Ingredients Overview
Mushrooms: I have used white button mushrooms as they are commonly available in India. You may use your local variety as well.
Tomato: Since I had to omit onion and garlic, I used fresh tomatoes to make this recipe. I had used chopped tomatoes. You may use the tomato puree or combo of both if you like mushroom as semi-gravy dish. Add fresh cream to make it more creamy but then it wont be low calorie.
Peas: I use the fresh peas as we get amazing variety in India during the winters. As a kid I would have them as raw. Though the frozen would work as well.
Mustard Oil: Being in India means using mustard oil for making spicy curries or masala veggies. Mustard Oil may not be locally available in every location. I suggest using any vegetable oil or Ghee. I love vegetables roasted in ghee.
Spices: Indian spices bring taste to another level. Garm Masala, Amchur, Fennel Seeds, Bay leaf, dried red chilly and bay leaf. I have not used all of these spices for this recipe but you may use them to make it authentic Indian vegetable dish.
Variations
- Try Another Vegetable: You may use Paneer or Tofu in this recipe without making any changes to make Matar Paneer. I also make cauliflower matar, Potato Matar with or without Curry.
- Add Onion Garlic: You may add onion and garlic (chopped) and they definitely make this recipe more flavorful.
- Try another oil: In India, we prefer using mustard oil for dry vegetables. The antifungal properties of this oil makes the shelf life of cooked vegetable better. I also love the spiciness that comes from mustard oil. One may use Desi Ghee or any other vegetable oil.
- Gravy Mushroom Matar: I love creamy veggies specially with mushroom and paneer. This recipe was made super quickly and I avoided the use of onion, garlic and cream. For a gravy mushroom masala, make sure to use onion, garlic, and tomato gravy. (all fresh ingredients). Once the gravy is cooked, add half a cup of milk or fresh cream from milk. Trust me, this mother’s touch to gravy dishes has always been a hit in the family.
- Baked Mushroom Pasta: As much as I love Indian food, I am a big fan of pasta dishes and mushroom is a perfect ingredient for baked pasta dish.
- Try another Seasonings: I have garnished the mushroom matar with fresh coriander leaves. They surely bring freshness to any dish. You may also add Kasuri Methi (dry fenugreek leaves) for more savory flavor.
What To Serve With Mushroom Matar?
Being North Indian, I love Paratha or Chapati teamed with dry veggies. Rice lovers can make this a semi-dry gravy dish and enjoy with plain or Jeera Rice.
Recipe Overview
Before I begin with the recipe tips, I would suggest you to wash mushrooms under tap and keep them in sun for few hours. Next section tells you ‘Why’.
Add Heeng, jeera to warm mustard oil. Then add green chillies, tomatoes along with spices. I have used turmeric, Fennel powder (Saunf), Red chilly powder, Dhaniya powder, Garm Masala (at the end). Add little salt along with tomatoes and cover with lid. Then add chopped mushrooms.
Soon mushroom would leave water and start shrinking. Once the water is absorbed, its done. Let it be covered for sometime. Garnish with coriander leaves and lemon juice.
Why Mushrooms are kept in sun?
With masses’ focus being drifted towards a healthy lifestyle, mostly neglected Mushrooms are now gaining popularity owing to their richness in Vitamin D. We all know that Vitamin D is essential for all age groups and depending upon the climatic condition of your place, you may or may not get it from the sun.
Amongst many food sources of Vitamin D, the veg sources are quite less. Mushrooms can become an ideal source of it if we show them sun (UV rays) for some duration.
I have talked about Vitamin D at length in my article. You may get it here.
Expert Tips
- For making a dry vegetable, always use a heavy bottomed pan or kadai. Avoid using Non-stick as Iron vessels are superb and they add naturally iron to the vegetable and make a crispy one too. trust me my vegetable has never been burnt over years.
- Mushrooms leave water when cooked as they are rich in water content. Let the vegetable be covered with lid and let it cooked in the steam. If mushrooms don’t leave water, they must be old. Prefer to use the fresh ones. In that case place a bowl of water over the lid. This makes sure that vegetable doesn’t stick to the bottom of the Kadai. This tip would work like a charm with not just mushroom but any dry vegetable.
- Add a little salt while sauteing onion and tomato. It helps cooks faster.
Can Mushrooms help lose weight?
Mushrooms are perfect food for people on a diet plan. Who wont opt for a food that is low in sugar, low in calories and rich in fibre, protein, Vitamin D and B12.
A total zero-cholesterol food, mushroom might have zero flavour (hence an odd taste), but they are really good for bone health.
Choose from a good source (to avoid the toxins) and don’t eat them raw.
Why use Mustard Oil for vegetables?
This is a question that I have come across from various users. Mustard oil is a dark yellow colored oil made using mustard seeds. Popularly called as Sarson ka Tel in North India, this is a pungent tasting oil which makes a spicy vegetable. An oil low in saturated fat that has omega 3 fatty acids is a perfect choice over the refined oils.
About the benefits and use of mustard oil in cooking, I shall be posting an article soon.
FAQ on Mushroom Matar
When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms. You should hear a sizzle. If the fat isn’t hot enough, the mushrooms will start to water out and steam instead of sautéing. Cook the mushrooms 4 to 5 minutes or until they’re tender and lightly browned.
Should you wash mushroom before cooking?
Rinse mushrooms before slicing them. And be careful not to wash mushrooms until you are ready to cook them or they will turn slimy.
How can you tell a good mushroom?
Your mushrooms shouldn’t have a noticeable or strong odor. If you can smell them, they’ve gone bad. Of course, if you’re sticking your nose right up to them, you’ll notice a mushroom scent, but it should be light and subtle. If you pick up the bag, open it, and have to turn your head, then you’ve got bad mushrooms
Stories From Kitchen
Its after a long time that I had made this Mushroom veggie. As a kid, I would eat up at least two bowls of mushroom vegetable. My extended family didn’t like mushrooms and I also avoided it. Its recent only when I read more about Vitamin D and had a word with few Docs about it that I began my healthy journey with it.
When I go down the memory lane, I get stuck at our lunch scenes. We used to have little chitchat at dining table and I was a terrible eater. Sometimes so slow that I was all alone, trying to have tiny bites and thinking nothing. As a mother, I feel worried to have a slow-eater daughter. However, I choose to give her space and time to grow. Trusting your kids is really an important part of parenting and knowing them that you have faith in them matters even more.
Detailed Steps
1)Wash the mushrooms under fresh water and dry them in sunlight for 2 hours. Tap them dry and chop them in half or as desired.
2) Take a heavy bottomed pan/Kadai and heat mustard oil in it. Flame shall be full. Let the smoke come out for 2-3 min. (This process ensures that mustard oil is not used in raw form)
So from a dark yellow color, after burning it for few min, It changes its color to light yellow.
Let it cool for a bit and chop tomatoes, green chillies in the meanwhile.
Switch on flame and let it be slow. Add Heeng, Jeera to oil.
3) Once jeera gives crack sound, Add tomatoes and green chillies. Add some salt at this step. Cover with lid. After 3 min, add spices on slow flame.
4) The tomatoes would not leave much oil as I have used optimum oil (too much oil not just spoils health but taste also).
If you think tomatoes are sticking to pan, add little water.
Finally add peas (wash peas before using). Add Chopped mushrooms and more salt next. Mix well and cover with lid.
5) The mushrooms would leave water and start shrinking after sometime. It takes about 5 min to get the mushrooms softened.
If for some reason mushrooms dont leave water and veggie sticks to pan, dont panic. Take a small bowl of water and place it over the lid. the water above lid helps create steam inside and veggies cooked nicely.
This tip works for any vegetable.
7) You may switch off the flame when water is absorbed fully. You may check manually be pressing a chunk of mushroom or pea. The Matar Mushroom in one pot is ready. Garnish it with coriander leaves and add garm masala and lemon juice.
Enjoy it with paratha.
You may also like:
More Low-Calorie Veg Recipes:
- The Best Substitutes for Ghee
- Tomato Garlic Chutney | How to make Spicy Chutneys for dosa
- Pumpkin Sandwich { Vegetarian, Egg free, Cheese Sandwich}
- Healthy Vegetarian Breakfast Recipes for Weight Loss (Easy, Egg free & Low Calorie)
- Dhaniya Chutney | How to make Spicy Dhaniya Chutney
- Raw Mango Chutney | How to make Kacche Aam Ki Launji
If you make this recipe, share the image of it on our instagram account @veg.buffet or twitter account @vegbuffet
Matar Mushroom { Vegan & Low Calorie Mushroom Recipe}
Equipment
- Kadai/ Heavy bottomed pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup matar (peas) use fresh
- 300 gm Mushroom
- 1 tablespoon Mustard Oil
- 1 medium tomato
- 1 tsp Haldi (Turmeric)
- 1 tsp Red Chilly Powder
- 1 tsp Dhaniya Powder (Coriander)
- 1 tsp Saunf Powder (fennel seeds)
- 1/2 tsp Garm Masala
- 1/2 tsp Heeng (asafoetida)
- 1 small green chilly chopped in small
- 1 tsp Amchur powder (Mango) or 1 tsp lemon juice
- salt as per taste
Instructions
- Wash the mushrooms under fresh water and dry them in sunlight for 2 hours. Tap them dry and chop them in half or as desired.
- Take a heavy bottomed pan/Kadai and heat mustard oil in it. Flame shall be full. Let the smoke come out for 2-3 min. (This process ensures that mustard oil is not used in raw form)So from a dark yellow color, after burning it for few min, It changes its color to light yellow.Let it cool for a bit and chop tomatoes, green chillies in the meanwhile.Switch on flame and let it be slow. Add Heeng, Jeera to oil.
- Once jeera gives crack sound, Add tomatoes and green chillies. Add some salt at this step. Cover with lid. After 3 min, add spices on slow flame.
- The tomatoes would not leave much oil as I have used optimum oil (too much oil not just spoils health but taste also).If you think tomatoes are sticking to pan, add little water.Finally add peas (wash peas before using). Add Chopped mushrooms and more salt next. Mix well and cover with lid.
- The mushrooms would leave water and start shrinking after sometime. It takes about 5 min to get the mushrooms softened.If for some reason mushrooms dont leave water and veggie sticks to pan, dont panic. Take a small bowl of water and place it over the lid. the water above lid helps create steam inside and veggies cooked nicely.This tip works for any vegetable.
- You may switch off the flame when water is absorbed fully.You may check manually be pressing a chunk of mushroom or pea.The Matar Mushroom in one pot is ready. garnish it with coriander leaves and add garm masala and lemon juice. Enjoy it with paratha.
Notes
- For making a dry vegetable, always use a heavy bottomed pan or kadai. Avoid using Non-stick as Iron vessels are superb and they add naturally iron to the vegetable and make a crispy one too. trust me my vegetable has never been burnt over years.
- Mushrooms leave water when cooked as they are rich in water content. Let the vegetable be covered with lid and let it cooked in the steam. If mushrooms don’t leave water, they must be old. Prefer to use the fresh ones. In that case place a bowl of water over the lid. This makes sure that vegetable doesn’t stick to the bottom of the Kadai. This tip would work like a charm with not just mushroom but any dry vegetable.
- Add a little salt while sauteing onion and tomato. It helps cooks faster.
- To make this recipe a gravy dish of mushroom, make a thick paste of fresh onion, garlic, green chilies and tomatoes. Cook this on slow flame in Desi Ghee and once it leaves Kadai, add half cup of milk or fresh cream from the milk. Cook and add mushrooms. Let it cook with lid on for few minutes.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: 1 bowl | |
| Servings: 3 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 112 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 5.2g | 7% |
| Saturated Fat 0.6g | 3% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 13mg | 1% |
| Total Carbohydrate 12.3g | 4% |
| Dietary Fiber 4.1g | 14% |
| Total Sugars 5.7g | |
| Protein 6.2g | |
| Vitamin D 346mcg | 1728% |
| Calcium 17mg | 1% |
| Iron 4mg | 20% |
| Potassium 540mg | 11% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
I had no clue that Mushrooms were good source of Vit D. Thanks for sharing.
Good to know. thanks for stopping by.