Kadai Mushroom Recipe (3 Delicious Variations)

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Kadai Mushroom is such a super easy and delicious dish of sautéed button mushrooms, onions, bell peppers (capsicum) in a spiced, tangy tomato sauce. The recipe comes together in 30 minutes and so delish with naan, roti and even bread rolls.

kadai mushroom garnished with coriander leaves, ginger julienne and served in a steel kadai on a white napkin on a dark ebony colored board

Mushrooms, spices, onions, tomatoes and bell peppers – their combination never goes wrong.

Here I shared three variations of making this dish:

  1. Semi-dry recipe: Stove-top recipe made in the kadai (wok).
  2. Instant Pot version: Quick method in the Instant Pot.
  3. Stove-top method: Gravy recipe of kadai mushroom made on stove-top

You can make either of them as per your preference or the gadgets you have. All the three recipes are easy and taste good.

What is Kadai Mushroom

Kadai Mushroom as the name implies is made of two words Kadai and Mushroom. In Hindi language the word “Kadai” or “Kadhai” refers to a dish resembling the Chinese wok.

The Indian kadai does look like the Chinese wok but is much deeper than the wok. As the entire mushroom dish is made in the kadai and hence the name Kadai Mushroom.

In India the kadai (kadhai, karahi) is used for sautéing veggies, for making Indian sweets and also for deep frying. It is one multi purpose pan which is found in every Indian kitchen.

Additional ingredients like onions, tomatoes and green bell peppers are also added in the dish.

A special and unique spice blend called as “kadai masala” is also added. The kadai masala is freshly pounded and added in the dish.

Whenever you make any kadai recipe from any veggie or paneer or tofu, then always always freshly pound or powder the spices.

They add such an aroma and flavor to the food that is not possible when you use readymade or store-brought spice powders.

About this recipe

The semi-dry version of Kadai Mushroom tastes so good. As mentioned above, freshly roasted and pounded spices called as kadai masala is added.

The spices that I add in the kadai masala are coriander seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chilies, cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom, black pepper and mace (optional).

The lemony citrus notes of ground coriander seeds is distinctly felt in the dish. The red chillies impart a bright orange-red color as well as some heat and spice. The acidity and tang comes from the tomatoes.

Generally kadai mushroom is not a hot or spicy dish as the dried red chillies added to it are not of the pungent kind.

I have used dried byadagi chillies in the recipe which are less hot and give a deep color. Byadagi chillies are an Indian variety of red chillies that are grown in Karnataka.

You can also easily add dried kashmiri red chillies. Dried kashmiri red chillis give a good color and spice to the dish without making it too hot or pungent.

This Kadai Mushroom recipe can be made spicy and hot depending on the kind of dried red chillies you add. So if you use hot chilies, the curry will be hot. If you use less hot and pungent chilies, the gravy will not be hot.

So depending on the heat in the chilies, you can decrease or increase their amount.

This delicious Kadai Mushroom has been adapted from the popular restaurant style Kadai Paneer Recipe on the blog.

To make this dish satvik & onion-garlic free,  you can easily skip onion and garlic. It will still taste delicious.

You can serve it with some roti or naan or paratha and accompanied by a salad.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Kadai Mushroom

Making Kadai Masala

1. First dry roast all the spices for the kadai masala on a low flame in a kadai or pan till fragrant.

The spices are – 1 tbsp coriander seeds, ½ tsp cumin seeds, 3 to 4 dry red chilies, 2 cloves, ½ inch cinnamon, 1 green cardamom, 3 to 4 black pepper and 1 single strand of mace (optional).

whole spices being roasted in a brass kadai (wok)

2. Once the spices cool down, add them to a grinder jar.

roasted spices added in a grinder jar

3. Grind to a semi fine powder. You can also grind to a fine powder.

spices ground to a semi-fine texture

4. Keep the ground kadai masala aside.

ground spices powder or kadai masala taken in a small steel plate

5. In the same jar, add chopped tomatoes (2 medium to large tomatoes, pureed, about ¾ cup tomato puree. Use tomatoes which are ripe, red and not too tangy).

chopped tomatoes added to the same grinder jar

6. Blend the tomatoes to a smooth puree. Keep aside. No need to add water while making the puree.

tomatoes blended or ground to a smooth tomato puree

7. Slice 200-250 grams button mushrooms. Slice 1 medium to large capsicum (bell pepper) thinly. Chop the onions (1 medium onion, about ½ cup finely chopped onion). Keep aside.

white button mushrooms sliced and green & red bell pepper sliced

Sauteing mushrooms

8. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a kadai/wok or pan. Add the sliced mushrooms.

sliced white button mushrooms being sautéed in oil in the kadai

9. Stir & saute the sliced mushrooms. First you will see the mushrooms releasing a lot of water.

mushrooms releasing plenty of water

10. After some minutes, the water evaporates. Saute till the mushrooms get browned from the edges.

mushrooms have got browned from the edges

11. Remove the mushrooms and keep aside.

sautéed mushrooms kept aside in a square-shaped steel plate

Making kadai mushroom dry

12. In the same oil, add finely chopped onions.

onions added in the kadai

13. Saute the onions till they turn translucent or light golden.

onions sautéed till light golden

14. Add 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste (1 inch ginger + 3 to 4 small to medium-szied garlic, crushed in a mortar-pestle). Stir and saute till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.

ginger-garlic paste added

15. Add the tomato puree (about ¾ cup).

added prepared tomato puree

16. Stir and saute.

sautéing tomato puree

17. Saute till you see some oil releasing from the sides.

sautéing tomato puree till some oil releases from the sides

18. Add the sliced capsicum/bell pepper (1 medium to large capsicum). You can even green bell pepper or red or yellow bell pepper.

sliced green and red bell peppers added

19. Mix and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes on a low flame.

sautéing bell peppers

20. Add the ground kadai masala which we made. You can also add ¼ tsp turmeric powder at this step. Adding turmeric powder is optional though.

ground kadai masala added

21. Mix very well.

mixing kadai masala with the rest of the ingredients

22. Then add ½ cup of water.

water added and mixed

23. Season with salt.

salt being added

24. Bring the gravy to a simmer on a low flame till you see a few specks of oil floating on top.

simmering gravy

25. Add the sauteed mushrooms (200-250 grams).

sautéed mushrooms added to the gravy

26. Mix again.

mixing

27. Lastly add 1 tsp crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) to kadai mushroom. Switch off the stove. If you want you can also add 1 or 2 tbsp cream to tone down the tang. You can also add about ¼ tsp of garam masala powder.

crushed kasuri methi added to the kadai mushroom gravy

28. Mix and then serve Kadai Mushroom hot with roti, paratha or naan. While serving you can garnish with ginger julienne and chopped coriander leaves (cilantro).

kadai mushroom garnished with coriander leaves, ginger julienne and served in a steel kadai on a white napkin on a dark ebony colored board

Tips & Ingredient Substitutes

  • Roasting spices: The spices are roasted till they are aromatic. Do not brown them too much or burn them.
  • Mushrooms: I have used white button mushrooms, but you can use any variety of fresh edible mushrooms.
  • Dried red chillies: The color, spice, pungency and heat factor in the dish depends on the type of red chilies used. Thus use chillies which have a low heat quotient like Kashmiri chillies or Byadagi chillies. These chillies are low in heat and also give a deep orange color to the dish. But if you like a spicy dish you can use medium-hot red chilies – just reduce their quantity.
  • Bell pepper: Apart from dry red chilies, the recipe also uses capsicum or green bell pepper, which is a must and an essential ingredient. You can even use red or yellow bell peppers.
  • Tomatoes: Use tomatoes which are not very tart or sour. You can even use packaged tomato puree. When using packaged tomato puree, add some more water as they have a thick consistency.

More Tasty Mushroom Recipes

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kadai mushroom garnished with coriander leaves, ginger juliennes and served in a steel kadai on a white napkin on a dark ebony colored board.

Kadai Mushroom Recipe (Semi Dry Gravy)

Kadai mushroom is a delicious dish of sautéed button mushrooms, onions and bell peppers in a semi-dry gravy of spiced and tangy tomato sauce.
4.83 from 80 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Cuisine North Indian, Punjabi
Course Main Course
Diet Gluten Free, Vegan
Difficulty Level Easy
Servings 3
Units

Ingredients

for kadai masala

  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 3 to 4 dry red chilies – broken and deseeded if preferred
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½ inch cinnamon
  • 1 green cardamom
  • 2 cloves
  • 3 to 4 whole black pepper
  • 1 single strand of mace – optional

other ingredients

  • 200 to 250 grams button mushrooms – sliced
  • ½ cup thinly sliced capsicum – or 1 medium-sized capsicum (red or green or yellow bell pepper)
  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes – pureed or about ¾ cup tomato puree or 2 medium-sized tomatoes (use tomatoes which are ripe, red and not too tangy)
  • ½ cup finely chopped onions or 1 medium-sized onion
  • 1 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste or 1 inch ginger + 3 to 4 small to medium-sized garlic, crushed in a mortar-pestle
  • 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder – optional
  • ½ cup water or 125 ml water
  • 3 tablespoons oil – sunflower oil or any neutral vegetable oil
  • salt as required

for garnishing

  • 1 to 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
  • 1 inch ginger – julienne

variations

  • 1 or 2 tablespoons cream – low fat 25 to 35 % cream can be added right at the end and mixed with the gravy
  • ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala or punjabi garam masala- garam masala powder can be added when you add the kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)

Instructions
 

Making kadai masala

  • First dry roast all the spices mentioned above for the kadai masala, on a low flame in a kadai or wok or a pan till fragrant. Don't burn them.
  • Once the spices cool down, add them to a grinder jar.
  • Grind to a semi fine powder. You can also grind to a fine powder. Keep the ground kadai masala aside.
  • In the same jar, add chopped tomatoes. Blend the tomatoes to a smooth puree. Keep aside.
  • Rinse, wipe and then slice the mushrooms. Also thinly slice the bell pepper & chop the onions etc. Keep the veggies aside.

Sautéing mushrooms

  • Heat oil in a kadai or pan. Add the sliced mushrooms.
  • Stir & sauté the sliced mushrooms. First you will see the mushrooms releasing a lot of water.
  • Then later the water evaporates. Saute till the mushrooms get browned from the edges.
  • Remove the mushrooms and keep aside.

Making dry kadai mushroom

  • In the same oil, add finely chopped onions. Saute the onions till translucent or light golden.
  • Now add the ginger-garlic paste and saute till their raw aroma disappears.
  • Add the tomato puree. Stir and saute till you see some oil releasing from the sides.
  • Then add the sliced capsicum (bell pepper). Stir and saute for 5 to 6 minutes on a low flame
  • Add the ground kadai masala which we made. You can also add ¼ tsp turmeric powder at this step. Adding turmeric powder is optional though.
  • Then add ½ cup water. Season with salt.
  • Stir & bring the gravy to a simmer on a low flame till you see a few specks of oil on top.
  • Add the sautéed mushrooms and mix very well. You can add some more water if the gravy looks very dry.
  • Lastly add crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) and mix well. Switch off the heat.
  • Serve kadai mushroom dry hot with roti, paratha or naan. While serving you can garnish with ginger julienne and chopped coriander leaves.

Video

Notes

  1. Spices: Use fresh spices which are in their shelf-life. The spices are roasted till they are aromatic. Do not brown them too much or burn them.
  2. Mushrooms: Other varieties of mushrooms can also be used instead of button mushrooms.
  3. Dried red chillies: The color, spice, pungency and heat factor in the dish depends on the type of red chilies used. So you can increase or decrease the amount of red chilies as per their heat & pungency. Chillies which are not spicy like Kashmiri chillies or Byadagi chillies can be used and they also give a deep orange color to the dish. 
  4. Bell pepper: You can use a mix of red or green or yellow bell peppers or just one colored bell pepper. 
  5. Tomatoes: Use tomatoes which are not very tart or sour. You can even use packaged tomato puree. When using packaged tomato puree, add some more water as they have a thick consistency.

Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)

Nutrition Facts
Kadai Mushroom Recipe (Semi Dry Gravy)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 197 Calories from Fat 153
% Daily Value*
Fat 17g26%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 7mg2%
Sodium 402mg17%
Potassium 433mg12%
Carbohydrates 11g4%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 712IU14%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg67%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg59%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 3mg15%
Vitamin B6 1mg50%
Vitamin B12 1µg17%
Vitamin C 30mg36%
Vitamin D 1µg7%
Vitamin E 6mg40%
Vitamin K 7µg7%
Calcium 23mg2%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 26µg7%
Iron 1mg6%
Magnesium 24mg6%
Phosphorus 89mg9%
Zinc 1mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

About Instant Pot Kadai Mushroom

In this recipe, the kadai is replaced with the instant pot. Hence the recipe gets done in less time and quickly.

Even though I have used an instant pot, I have kept the name as Instant pot kadai mushroom, just so that readers can identify the recipe easily.

In this recipe too, the unique blend of ground spices called kadai masala is made and added. This kadai masala gives a distinct taste, aroma and flavor to the dish.

I have kept this recipe and the cooking process really simple so that the recipes take less time.

The recipe tastes exceptionally good if you add fried or sautéed mushrooms to the gravy. But sautéing mushrooms till golden takes quite some time, so I have sautéed them for a few minutes and then pressure cooked in the instant pot.

instant pot kadai mushroom gravy served in a white enamel kadai on a  white enamel plate
Step-by-Step Guide

Step by Step Instant Pot Kadai Mushroom

Making kadai masala

1. First we need to make the kadai masala. Heat a small kadai or a pan. Add the whole spices – 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, 1-inch cinnamon, 2 cloves, 2 green cardamoms, 3 to 4 Kashmiri red chilies or 2 to 3 dry red chillies.

whole spices in a kadai

2. Dry roast all the whole spices on a low flame till they become aromatic. Stir them often while roasting.

Roasting the masala takes about 1 to 2 minutes. In a thick bottomed kadai or pan, roasting takes about 2 minutes on a low flame.

dry roasting whole spices

3. Once they cool down, add them to a grinder jar or a spice or coffee grinder.

roasted whole spices in a coffee grinder

4. Grind to a semi-fine or a slightly coarse powder.

kadai masala in the grinder jar

5. Remove in a plate and keep the kadai masala aside.

kadai masala in a plate

Sautéing

1. Switch on the instant pot. Press the sauté button for 15 to 20 minutes on the normal mode.

switch on the instant pot

2. Add 3 tablespoons oil in the steel insert of the instant pot. When the oil becomes hot, add ⅓ cup chopped onions. The oil should just be hot and not sizzling hot or smoking hot.

chopped onions in the instant pot

3. Sauté stirring often, till the onions soften and become translucent.

sauteing onions in the instant pot

4. Then add ½ teaspoon garlic paste, 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger, 1 slit green chilli or serrano pepper.

ginger garlic green chilli in the instant pot

5. Mix and sauté for 3 to 4 seconds.

sauteing ginger garlic in the instant pot

6. Add 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes.

chopped tomatoes in the instant pot

7. Sauté till tomatoes soften and become pulpy.

sauteing tomatoes in the instant pot

8. Add sliced button mushrooms (200 to 250 grams).

mushrooms in the instant pot

9. Mix very well and deglaze the pot. Scrap any stuck bits of ingredients from the bottom of the pot. The moisture from the mushrooms helps in deglazing.

mix the mixture

10. Sauté for a couple of minutes.

sauteing mushrooms in the instant pot

11. Add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and salt as required. Mix again well.

adding turmeric powder and salt to instant pot

12. Add ½ cup of water. Deglaze if required.

adding water to instant pot

Pressure cooking

13. Press cancel and press the pressure cook or manual button. Set the timer to pressure cook for 3 minutes on high pressure.

pressure cooking for 3 minutes

14. Then do a quick pressure release by lifting the valve. Open the lid.

check the mixture

15. Then add capsicum and ground kadai masala and 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (crushed).

You can reserve ½ teaspoon of kadai masala for garnish. Kasuri methi is dried fenugreek leaves. If you do not have kasuri methi then skip it.

adding capsicum and kadai masala to instant pot

16. Mix very well.

mix well

17. Press the sauté button for 5 to 6 minutes on normal mode.

saute button enabled in instant pot

18. Sauté for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir often. You can reduce to the low setting if the masala sticks to the pan or heat becomes too much.

saute the mixture in instant pot

19. Sauté till the capsicum is half-cooked. There should be some crunch in the capsicum. If the consistency looks very dry, then you can add some hot water.

saute the mixture in instant pot

20. Add 1 to 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves. Mix well.

adding coriander leaves

21. Serve the Instant Pot Kadai Mushroom gravy garnished with few coriander leaves and ginger julienne (optional). Serve with chapati, tandoori roti, naan or dinner rolls or bread. Also sprinkle the kadai masala, if you have reserved it while serving.

instant pot kadai mushroom served in a small enameled white wok on a white plate

Instant Pot Kadai Mushroom

In this delicious instant pot kadai mushroom gravy, white button mushrooms & bell peppers are cooked in a spiced onion-tomato based gravy in the instant pot.
4.77 from 59 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Cuisine North Indian, Punjabi
Course Main Course
Diet Gluten Free, Vegan
Difficulty Level Easy
Servings 3
Units

Ingredients

Whole spices for kadai masala

  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 inch cinnamon – use true cinnamon and not cassia cinnamon
  • 2 cloves
  • 2 green cardamoms
  • 3 to 4 dry kashmiri red chilies or 2 to 3 dry red chilies – broken and seeds removed

Other ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons oil – sunflower oil or any neutral-flavored oil
  • cup chopped onions or 1 medium-sized onion or 50 grams onion
  • ½ teaspoon garlic paste or 4 to 5 medium garlic cloves crushed in mortar pestle
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger or 1-inch ginger
  • 1 green chilli or serrano pepper – slit
  • 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes or 2 medium to large tomatoes or 150 grams tomatoes
  • 200 to 250 grams white button mushrooms – sliced or chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
  • salt as required
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup thinly sliced capsicum or 1 small to medium capsicum (green bell pepper)
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) – optional
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
  • ½ inch ginger – julienne, for garnish

Instructions
 

Making kadai masala

  • Heat a pan or kadai. Take all the whole spices mentioned under the “whole spices for kadai masala’ list in the pan.
  • Dry roast all the whole spices on a low flame till they become aromatic. Stir them often while roasting.
  • Once the spices cool down, add them to a grinder jar or a spice or coffee grinder. Grind to a fine powder.
  • Remove in a plate and keep the kadai masala aside.

Sautéing

  • Switch on the instant pot. Press the sauté button for 15 to 20 minutes on the normal mode. Add oil in the steel insert of the instant pot.
  • When the oil becomes hot, add the chopped onions. Saute stirring often, till the onions soften and become translucent.
  • Then add ½ teaspoon garlic paste, 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger, 1 slit green chilli or serrano pepper.
  • Mix and sauté for 3 to 4 seconds.
  • Add 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes and sauté till the tomatoes soften and become pulpy.
  • Add sliced button mushrooms.
  • Mix very well and deglaze the pot. Scrap any stuck bits of ingredients from the bottom of the pot. The moisture from the mushrooms help in deglazing.
  • Sauté for about 3 minutes.
  • Add turmeric powder and salt as required. Mix again well.
  • Add ½ cup water. Deglaze if required.

Pressure cooking

  • Press cancel and press the pressure cook or manual button. Set the timer to pressure cook for 3 minutes on high pressure.
  • Then do a quick pressure release by lifting the valve. Open the lid.
  • Then add capsicum and ground kadai masala and 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (crushed). Mix very well. You can reserve ½ teaspoon of kadai masala for garnish. Kasuri methi is dried fenugreek leaves. If you do not have kasuri methi then skip it. 
  • Press the sauté button for 5 to 6 minutes on the normal mode.
  • Sauté for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir often. You can reduce to the low setting if the masala sticks to the pan or heat becomes too much.
  • Sauté till the capsicum is half cooked. The capsicum should have some crunch in them.
  • Add 1 to 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves. Mix well.
  • Serve instant pot kadai mushroom garnished with some coriander leaves and ginger julienne (optional). Serve with chapati, tandoori roti, naan or dinner rolls or bread. Also sprinkle the kadai masala, if you have reserved it while serving the dish.

Notes

  • Cleaning mushrooms: Rinse or wipe dry or simply wipe the mushrooms with a clean kitchen towel. Then slice or chop them. 
  • Use less red chillies if they are too spicy and hot. 
  • Fresh edible mushrooms of any variety can be added. 
  • If the dish looks too dry after cooking, then add some hot water. 
  • Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) can be skipped if you do not have it. 
  • Reduce to low sauté setting if while sautéing the ingredients stick to the pot. 
  • Any bell pepper variety can be added in the recipe. 

Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)

Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Kadai Mushroom
Amount Per Serving
Calories 196 Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Fat 15g23%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Sodium 66mg3%
Potassium 580mg17%
Carbohydrates 15g5%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 934IU19%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg67%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg59%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 3mg15%
Vitamin B6 1mg50%
Vitamin B12 1µg17%
Vitamin C 97mg118%
Vitamin D 1µg7%
Vitamin E 6mg40%
Vitamin K 13µg12%
Calcium 32mg3%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 35µg9%
Iron 2mg11%
Magnesium 35mg9%
Phosphorus 106mg11%
Zinc 1mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Stovetop gravy recipe

kadai mushroom gravy garnished with ginger julienne and cilantro served in a kadai on a blue board

Ingredients Required:

To be ground to a paste:

  • 135 grams onions OR 2 medium to large onions OR 1 cup heaped roughly chopped onions
  • ½ inch ginger OR 2 to 2.5 grams ginger OR 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
  • 5 to 6 garlic OR 4 grams garlic OR 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
  • 250 grams tomatoes OR 3 medium to large tomatoes OR 1.5 cup chopped tomatoes

Whole spices for kadai masala:

  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 inch cinnamon
  • 2 cloves
  • 2 green cardamoms
  • 6 to 7 whole black pepper
  • 4 to 5 dry red chilies or kashmiri red chilies

For gravy:

  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 1 tej patta (indian bay leaf)
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ½ teaspoon red chili powder or deghi mirch or kashmiri red chili powder
  • 200 to 250 grams white button mushrooms – chopped or sliced
  • 90 to 100 grams capsicum OR 1 medium to large capsicum or 1 cup thinly sliced capsicum (green bell pepper)
  • ¾ to 1 cup water or add as required
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
  • 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves)
  • ½ inch ginger – julienne
  • 2 tablespoon cream (optional)
  • salt as required

INSTRUCTIONS:

Making kadai masala:

  1. Heat a pan or kadai. Take all the whole spices mentioned under the “whole spices for kadai masala’ list in the pan.
  2. Dry roast all the whole spices on a low flame till they become aromatic. Stir them often while roasting.
  3. Once the spices cool down, add them to a grinder jar or a spice or coffee grinder. Grind to a fine powder.
  4. Remove in a plate and keep the kadai masala aside.

Preparing onion and tomato paste:

  1. in the same grinder jar, add 1 cup heaped roughly chopped onions. grind to a smooth paste. Remove and keep the onion paste in a bowl.
  2. to the same jar, now add 1.5 cup chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp chopped ginger and 1 tsp chopped garlic.
  3. grind to a smooth paste. keep aside.

Making kadai mushroom gravy:

  1. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a kadai or wok. add 1 tej patta and saute for two to three seconds.
  2. Add the ground onion paste. saute stirring at intervals, till the onion paste becomes golden. For a quick cooking of the onion paste, add a pinch of salt.
  3. Once the onion paste turns golden, then add the tomato paste.
  4. Saute the tomato paste till you see oil specks on top or leaving the sides of the paste.
  5. The masala will also thicken and leave the sides of the pan.
  6. Then add ½ tsp turmeric powder and ½ tsp red chili powder or deghi mirch or kashmiri red chili powder. mix very well.
  7. Add sliced or chopped mushrooms.
  8. Mix the mushrooms very well with the masala and saute for 2 to 3 minutes on a medium flame.
  9. Add the ground kadai masala along with salt.
  10. Add ¾ to 1 cup water. mix again very well.
  11. Cover the kadai or pan with a lid and simmer on a low to medium flame for 6 to 7 minutes.
  12. Then add 1 cup thinly sliced capsicum.
  13. Simmer without a lid, till the capsicum is half cooked and still have their crunch. cook for about 6 to 7 minutes. you can also cook for some more time if you want.
  14. Then add 1/2 to 1 tsp crushed kasuri methi. At this step you can also add 2 to 3 tbsp cream, if you prefer.
  15. Lastly add 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves and ½ tsp ginger julienne.
  16. Stir and then serve kadai mushroom gravy hot with chapatis, tandoori rotis, naan or bread. You can also serve with steamed rice or cumin rice or peas pulao.


This kadai mushroom recipe is from the archives (September 2012) and has been republished and updated on 14th June 2020.

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234 Comments

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    1. thanks garima for this amazing feedback. i don’t know what to write. a big thanks from my side. such comments really mean a lot to me.

  2. Hello Dasanna,
    I love to cook and tried the mushroom kadai today. The taste seems good and the curry is not with lots of gravy. There is thickening like onion or cashew paste.Neither it does have a corn flour thickener .However all said and done the kadai is authentic and is not run of the mill taste profile. It has its own character. As we are using all fresh spices ,the pungency of the spices are excellent. Use of fresh cream in the end will definitely enhance the taste profile and it takes the recipe to a different level as used by Twara, an another member in this group.
    It goes well with pulkas and rotis. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

    1. hi raveen, its a semi dry sabzi and so no thickener is added. this recipe has its own taste and flavor. addition of cream towards the end will enhance the taste. thanks for the feedback.

  3. Hi, today i tried this recipe and it came out so well. My family loved it so much. I have just made little change, in last i added 3-4 tbsp fresh cream. It was yummmy.

    Thank you so much for this recipe
    I always love to try your different recipe, it never went wrong.5 stars

  4. Tried the recipe today for lunch. Followed it to the ‘t’ yet found the taste was a bit “pheeka’ or dull….though overall nice

    1. the dullness at times is due to less salt. salt brings out the flavors of the spices more. again here, the kind of red chilies used also make a difference. finally everything comes to an individual’s taste and preferences. for some folks, i know, especially some of my american colleagues, even the food which is not spicy for me, is spicy for them. so when i would cook for them, the food would taste bland for me, but for them it was perfect and not spicy. so if you feel the spice or heat is less, you can always pep up the recipe extra red chili powder or garam masala.

      1. Agree on taste preferences, so just for my understanding would most of the dishes here be lower on the spice quotient?

        1. whenever i post any spicy or hot recipe, i do mention its spicy. if its a recipe which is authentically made spicy or hot eg like kolhapuri misal, then i will mention it is spicy and hot. i have had the fiery kolhapuri misal, so i know the spice and heat factor in this regional recipe.

          basically in most recipes, i try to keep a balance of everything like tang, spice, heat without any one factor becoming overpowering. again since most indian recipes use chilli powder, the kind and quality of chilli powder varies a lot. some give good color with less heat and vice versa. so depending on the taste preferences and the kind of chilli powder or even green chilies, one can easily go upto 1/2 tsp red chilli powder or 2 to 3 green chilies, in a recipe serving of 3 to 4. there are regional variations too. eg andhra or kolhapuri food is typically hot and spicy. again here, its the kind of chilies that are added in the recipes. also when it comes to garam masala, homemade ones add more punch than the ready made ones. so basically everything depends on the kind of spices or spices powders added, whether homemade or ready made. generally a recipe like kadai mushroom or paneer is not spicy nor hot. most punjabi recipes are not spicy or hot. they have a balance. many of them use deghi mirch or kashmiri red chili powder, which give good color, but low in heat.

  5. fantastic recipe!! i’ve become a gud cook bcoz of your recipes.. i’ve tried all mushroom recipes its all very nice..thanx a lot!!5 stars

    1. you have not mentioned what went wrong. you could have been specific regarding the taste. also did you follow everything correctly.