Mushroom Lobia Malai

This dish is inspired by the traditional Methi Matar Malai north indian curry for rotis. Mushroom has always been one of my favorite vegetables and lobia [ black eyed peas] is the new addition in that list. I wanted to make something different combining muhsroom and lobia and ended up making this creamy and delicious curry. Though no tomatoes are used in the traditional malai based savory dish, I have added a spoon of tomato paste in this dish for the tangy flavor. Enjoy this creamy mushroom lobia gravy with rotis or your favorite pulao.

Ingredients

Serves - 4
Prep Time - 30 min
Cook time - 30 min
Spice Level - Moderate

Onion - 1 small sized, chopped finely
Mushroom - 200 gm, chopped into thin pieces
Lobia [Black eyed pea] - 1/2 cup
Tomato paste - 1.5 Tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1 Tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander Leaves - 1/4 cup, finely chopped
Milk - 3/4 cup
Water - 1/2 cup or more as needed
salt - as per need
Cumin seeds - 1 Tsp
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Lemon Juice - 1 Tbsp

To fry and grind to a paste

Onion - 1 Large, sliced into thin pieces
Ginger-Garlic paste - 2 Tsp
Cloves - 2
Green chilli - 5
Cumin seeds - 1 Tsp
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Cashews - 6

How do you do it

1. First soak lobia overnight and pressure cook it for 1-2 whistles. Drain and keep aside the cooked lobia

2. Heat oil in a kadai. Add the cloves, cumin and let it roast. Add the sliced onions, ginger garlic paste and green chilli. Saute till the onion turns a  light brown shade. Switch off flame, cool and grind into a smooth paste along with the cashews. Keep aside.

3. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a kadai. Add cumin seeds to roast. Add the chopped onion and saute till its cooked. Add the mushrooms and saute for 3-4 minutes. Once they turn shiny, add the ground paste and saute well for 5-7 minutes.

4. Add the tomato paste and saute for another couple of minutes. Add the red chilli powder, turmeric powder and give it a good stir.

5. Add the milk and water and mix well. Add required salt and in low flame simmer the gravy for 5-10 minutes until it reaches desired consistency. Add more water if you desire a loose curry.

6. Switch off flame, garnish with coriander leaves. Squeeze in the lemon juice just before serving.

Serve this yummy curry with any kind of Indian flat bread or pulao.