Maunika Gowardhan was asked to create a mushroom recipe for the Mushroom Bureau’s #BringontheBlend campaign. The aim was to help home cooks incorporate more vegetables into their diets, thus reducing their meat, fat, calorie and cholesterol intake.
Maunika came up with a Hyderabadi chicken and mushroom korma, with whole spices, turmeric and creamy cashew paste, enhancing the nutritious value of this chicken dish whilst maximising on flavour. Try it for yourself:
Ingredients
700gms chicken on the bone (thigh and drumsticks)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
5 green cardamom pods
2 bay leaves
1” cinnamon stick
2 black cardamom
4 cloves
360gms white onions finely chopped
2” ginger roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves roughly chopped
½ tsp mild chilli powder
Pinch of turmeric powder
2 tbsp greek yoghurt
50mls water
200gms mushrooms thinly sliced (use your favourite type)
100gms cashew nuts soaked in warm water
Salt to taste
Coriander for garnish
Handful of cashew nuts toasted and chopped for garnish
Mix the yoghurt with the chilli powder and turmeric powder in a bowl and set aside. Add the ginger and garlic to a blender with a little water and blend to a thick smooth paste. Set aside and in the same blender add the soaked cashew nuts with 100mls of the soaking liquid. Blend to a smooth fine paste and set aside.
In a heavy bottom large non – stick saucepan heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the whole spices and fry for 2-3 seconds. Followed by the chopped onions; stirring well and continuing to fry for 16-18 minutes. As they begin to change colour and brown add the chicken along with the ginger and garlic paste and fry for 5 minutes. Stir well making sure to seal the chicken pieces.
Add the yoghurt spice mix and stir well coating the chicken pieces and continue to fry for 2-3 minutes. Add 50mls water, season to taste and simmer over a low heat for 17-18 minutes with the lid on. Make sure to stir half way through the cooking process. Add the mushrooms and simmer with a lid on for 3 minutes. Now add the cashew nut paste and simmer for a further 5 minutes over a low heat stirring continuously. Garnish with fresh coriander and cashew nuts. Serve with naan or pulao.
