At home, I make a lot of Mushroom Recipes, very often. Among these, a perennial favorite is Tawa Mushroom, a delectable mushroom dish in which button mushrooms are cooked in a spiced onion, tomato and capsicum gravy. With just your regular spices and ingredients, you can easily make this dish that can be paired with roti, naan, paratha, bread or even with dal-rice.
About Tawa Mushroom
‘Tawa’ in Hindi refers to a concave-shaped flat pan. Food cooked on a tawa has a distinct flavor compared to food cooked in a kadai (wok) or handi (pot).
The vegetables caramelize and cook faster on a tawa, imparting a unique caramelized taste to the dish. The same goes with this recipe of Tawa Mushroom.
North Indian cuisine is renowned for its rich and aromatic flavors, and Tawa Mushroom is a perfect example of this culinary tradition.
Cooked on a flat griddle or tawa, this dish showcases the earthiness of mushrooms enhanced by a blend of robust spices and a tangy onion-tomato base. The result is a savory, mouthwatering dish that’s delightful to eat.
The key to a great Tawa Mushroom lies in the quality of the ingredients. Fresh button mushrooms are the star of this dish, chosen for their firm texture and ability to absorb flavors.
These mushrooms are complemented by a medley of onions, tomatoes, and capsicum (green bell pepper), which add sweetness, tanginess, and a slight crunch. The spices are essential in creating the deep, layered flavors characteristic of North Indian cuisine.
The recipe I follow for this Tawa Mushroom is the same as that of my recipe of Tawa Paneer. Beyond chopping mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes, there is no additional preparation required for this recipe.
Make sure to use a medium or large tawa, so that the food does not spill from the sides while cooking.
It is quick and easy to make, serving as an excellent side dish with Roti, bread, or dal and rice. It is also convenient to pack in a tiffin box.
What to do if you don’t have a tawa
If you do not have a tawa, then the next best option is to use a shallow frying pan to make this Tawa Mushroom.
How to make Tawa Mushroom
Sauté Aromatics
1. Place a heavy medium or large tawa on the stovetop. First, heat it on medium flame. When the tawa gets hot, reduce the heat to low.
2. Add 2 tablespoons salted butter.
You can also use oil instead of butter.
3. Add ¼ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain) and ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds. Sauté for a few seconds.
Ajwain gives a good aroma in the dish. If you do not have carom seeds, then skip them.
4. Next, add ⅓ heaped cup chopped onions.
5. Stir and begin to sauté on low to medium heat.
6. Sauté until the onions soften and turn translucent.
7. Next, add ½ teaspoon ginger-garlic paste.
8. Sauté until the raw aroma of ginger-garlic fades away.
Sauté Tomatoes
9. Now, add 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes and 1 to 2 chopped green chilies.
10. Mix well and lower the heat.
11. Cover the onion-tomato mixture with a lid and cook on low heat for 4 to 5 minutes.
Check once or twice, just to make sure that the mixture is not sticking on the tawa.
12. After 4 to 5 minutes, the tomatoes will soften.
13. Using a potato masher, mash the tomatoes once they have softened.
14. You don’t need to make a smooth mush of the tomatoes. Just roughly mash the tomatoes.
Sauté Further
15. Next, add ½ cup finely chopped capsicum.
16. Mix very well.
17. Sauté the capsicum on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
18. Then, add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon coriander powder, ½ to 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder and 1 teaspoon pav bhaji masala.
If you do not have pav bhaji masala, add ½ teaspoon garam masala powder and ¼ teaspoon dried mango powder (amchur powder) instead.
19. Mix the spice powders very well.
Make Tawa Mushroom
20. Now, add 2 cups sliced or chopped white button mushrooms.
You can also use cremini or portobello mushrooms.
21. Stir, mix the mushrooms with the onion, capsicum, tomato mixture and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
22. Then, season with salt as per taste.
23. Mix again very well.
24. Add ½ cup water.
25. Mix well.
26. Cover with a lid, and on low heat, simmer till the mushrooms are tender and cooked well. It will take about 10 to 12 minutes for the mushrooms to cook.
27. Check a couple of times and if the water looks dried up, add some more water.
In the picture below, the mushrooms are cooked and the gravy is almost reduced. If there is too much of water in the dish, then cook till all of the water evaporates.
This Tawa Mushroom is dry to semi-dry with no gravy.
28. Lastly, add ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves and ¼ teaspoon crushed dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi).
Skip kasuri methi, if you do not have it.
29. Mix very well and sauté for a minute. Turn off the heat.
30. Serve Tawa Mushroom with chapati or Tandoori Roti or Naan or pudina paratha or bread or as a side dish with dal-rice.
More Mushroom Recipes To Try!
Mushroom Recipes
Peas Recipes
Mushroom Recipes
Goan Recipes
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Tawa Mushroom
Ingredients
- 200 grams white button mushrooms or 2 cups chopped or sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup tomatoes – finely chopped, or 2 medium to large tomatoes, 175 grams
- ⅓ cup onions – heaped & finely chopped or 1 medium onion, 60 grams
- ½ cup capsicum – finely chopped, (green bell pepper) or 1 medium capsicum, 80 grams
- 1 green chilli chopped, you can also add 2 green chilies
- ½ teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- 2 tablespoons butter – salted; or swap with oil or unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder
- ½ to 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon Pav Bhaji Masala or add as required
- ½ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
- ¼ cup coriander leaves
- salt as required
Instructions
- Place a heavy medium or large tawa or griddle on the stovetop. First heat it on a medium flame. When the tawa gets hot, reduce the heat to a low.
- Add 2 tablespoons butter. You can also use oil instead of butter.
- Add ajwain (carom seeds) and cumin seeds. Sauté for a few seconds. Ajwain gives a good aroma in the dish.
- Next add the finely chopped onions.
- Stir and begin sauté on a low to medium heat, till the onions are softened and turn translucent.
- Then add ginger-garlic paste. Sauté until the raw aroma of ginger-garlic dissipates.
- Now add the finely chopped tomatoes and chopped green chillies. Mix well and then lower the heat.
- Cover the onion-tomato mixture with a lid and cook on a low heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Do check once or twice when the tomatoes are cooking, just to make sure that the mixture is not sticking on the tawa.
- After 4 to 5 minutes, the tomatoes would have softened.
- Using a veggie or potato masher, mash the tomatoes once they have softened.
- You don’t need to make a smooth mush of the tomatoes. Just roughly mash the tomatoes.
- Next add the finely chopped capsicum. Mix very well.
- Sauté the capsicum for 2 to 3 minutes on a low heat.
- Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, kashmiri red chilli powder and pav bhaji masala. If you do not have pav bhaji masala, then add ½ teaspoon garam masala and ¼ teaspoon dry mango powder.
- Mix the spice powders very well with the onion, tomato and capsicum mixture.
- Next add the sliced or chopped white button mushrooms.
- Stir and mix the mushrooms. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Season with salt as per taste. Mix again very well.
- Add ½ cup water and mix again.
- Cover the mushroom mixture with a lid. On a low heat simmer until the mushrooms are tender and cooked well.
- It will take about 10 to 12 minutes for the mushrooms to cook. Do check a couple of times and if the water looks dried up, you can add some more water.
- If there is too much of gravy or water in the dish, then cook until all of the water evaporates. This tawa mushroom masala is dry to semi-dry dish with no gravy.
- Next step is to add coriander leaves and kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves).
- Mix very well and saute for a minute. Turn off the heat.
- Serve with roti or bread or as a side dish with dal-rice.
Notes
- You can add the ground spice powders less or more according to your preferences.
- Skip carom seeds and kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), if you do not have them.
- Substitute pav bhaji masala with ½ teaspoon garam masala and ¼ teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder).
- Instead of tawa, you can also cook the dish in a shallow frying pan or a kadai (wok).
- You can also use cremini or portobello mushrooms instead of button mushrooms.
- Instead of butter, use oil in the recipe.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Tawa Mushroom recipe from the blog archives was first published on October 2016. It has been updated and republished on May 2024.
Great recipe! Thanks a lot 🙂
Thank you for the feedback as well as the for the rating.
I make mushrooms quite often as i am very fond of it.Tried this recipe today.Made it in a shallow pan …Still turned out good .Loved with phulkas.
thanks winnie. tawa mushroom can be made easily in a shallow pan or a kadai. there will be some minor changes in the taste, but overall the final taste of the dish will be good.
While cutting mushrooms stems should be cut or discarded .plz tell.
the stem part which has mud on it needs to be sliced off. the rest of the stem which is clean can be kept.