Mushroom-Do-Pyaja/Pyaaza (Indian Savory Of Mushroom)

Mushroom-Do-Pyaja

Mushroom-do-pyaja is a preparation of Mushroom with double the amount of onions. I got a request from one of reader Saagi to blog how to prepare Mushroom-do-pyaja, Due to my preoccupation with domestic responsibilities I could prepare and post it now. Saagi I hope you will find the recipe easy to make and satisfactory. To begin with I want to tell that Mushrooms do not impart much flavor to the gravy but get over whelmed with the flavor of spices and herbs if added in excess thus do not think in the same line as making mutton-do-pyaja, spices added to the gravy enhance the taste of mutton. Secondly mushrooms are never cooked for a long time as they lose the juiciness and become chewy. Mushroom-do-pyaja can be had with roti/chapati/parantha/nan. I love it best with Lachcha parantha. http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.in/2013/10/lachcha-parantha-pan-fried-indian-bread.html

Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes

Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes

Servings: 4 Large Servings

Ingredients For Making Mushroom-Do-Pyaja:

• 200 gm. Mushrooms

• 400 gm Onions

• 1 Medium size Tomato/3 Teaspoon tomato puree

• 1 Teaspoon Ginger Paste

• 1 Teaspoon Garlic paste

• 1/2Teaspoon Red chili Powder
• 1/4Teaspoon Turmeric powder

• 2 Teaspoon Fresh cream/canned cream

• 3-4 Teaspoon Milk.

• Salt to taste

• 10 ml. Olive oil/any cooking oil.

Directions For Making Mushroom-Do-Pyaja:

• Wash mushrooms in flowing water and dry with a cloth.

Cleaned and dried Mushrooms

• Cut the washed dried mushrooms to big pieces.

Mushroom cut to pieces

• Make paste of tomato if you are not using puree.

• Cut 200 gm (half of the onions) to thin long pieces.

• Cut the remaining 200 gm. onions to small pieces.

• Take 5 ml. of oil in a thick bottom wok and heat on high flame. When the oil is hot add 200 gm of onion cut to small pieces.

Onion being cooked on low flame

• Cook on low flame till it becomes brown in color. It may take 10-15 min.

• Take it out on a plate and allow to cool.

Onion cooked to brown color

• Make paste of them using as little water as possible.

Paste of brown-cooked Onion

• In the same wok add 2-3 ml. of oil and heat. When the oil is hot add 200 gm of slices of onions and cook on low flame till light brown in color. Do not let the slices of onion to become dark as pieces of onion were done.

Sliced onions being sauteed

• When the slices of onions become light brown add ginger and garlic paste and cook on low flame with constant stirring. The ginger, garlic paste will stick to the bottom do not worry try scraping it slowly. 

Ginger-garlic paste added to cooked sliced onion

Slices Onion and Ginger-garlic Masala ready for cooked onion paste

• After 1-2 minutes of cooking the ginger and garlic paste will be cooked, add the paste of cooked onion pieces. Mix nicely.

• The moisture of the paste will loosen the ginger, garlic paste from the wok bottom.

• Cook the mixture for 4-5 minutes.

• Add

• Salt

• Red chili powder

• Turmeric

Salt and spices added to Onion-garlic-ginger paste

• Mix nicely and cook for 2-3 minutes on low flame with constant stirring.

Onion Masala ready for Mushrooms

• Add mushroom pieces and mix nicely so that mushroom pieces get coated with the masala nicely.

Mushrooms Cooked in Onion Masala

•  Add tomato puree and mix.

Tomato Puree added

• Cook with turning the mixture occasionally for 5 minutes on medium heat / flame.

• Add cream and milk and mix.

Cream/Milk added after Tomato Puree gets cooked

• Cover and cook on low flame for just one minutes. Mushroom-do-pyaja is ready.

Mushroom-Do-Pyaja ready to be served

• Remove from wok the cooked Mushroom-do-pyaja in a serving bowl.

• Garnish as per your taste and likings.

• Serve hot with roti/chapati/paranthas.

Mushroom-Do-Pyaja

Tips:

• While purchasing mushrooms make sure they are firm, white and fresh. Limp, old mushrooms will spoil the dish.

• Do not cut thin and small pieces of mushrooms. If the mushroom is large then cut it to six pieces else four. Small ones to two pieces only.

• Never cook mushrooms for a very long time they will become chewy.

• This dish tastes best when cooked either in olive oil.

• Never add too may herbs and spices to mushroom preparations they have very delicate flavor.

• If mushroom preparation is not being served immediately and will be heated before serving then cook it for 2 minutes less than given in the recipe so that when heated the mushrooms retain their firmness and juiciness.
• Every gas stove/cooking range have different flow of gas at low/medium/high so do change the timing accordingly .

Suggested Variations:

• Cream can be replaced with whole cream milk.

• After switching off the heat little amount of Kasoori methi can be added.

• If you like red color in this dish then add 1/2teaspoon of Kashmiri mirch powder which imparts color but not spiciness. Do not use artificial colors they are not good for health.

• Change the amount of red chili powder as per your taste and the spiciness of your red chili powder.

• Red chili powder can be replaced with 1:1 ratio of red chili powder and garam masala.

• If you are wanting more gravy then change the amount of onions cut to pieces and browned and made to paste to 300 gm. and slice to thin pieces only 100 gm.

• Instead of making paste of half the amount of onion, all onion can be cut to 1 inch piece and sauteed to transparent state then spices and mushrooms can be added and cooked. This will give the non-gravy, dryish version of Mushroom-do-pyaja.