Step 1

Dry roast cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black pepper, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, dried red chillies – Guntur Variety and dried red chillies – Byadagi Variety. The Guntur chillies will give the heat while the Byadagi gives the smoky flavour and the characteristic red colour. Dry roast the spices on a low flame until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Step 2

Take a bowl and add in the dry roasted spices. Add in the cashews, poppy seeds, garlic, ginger, tamarind, salt and the jaggery. The little jaggery will give a nice balance to the masala. Add in the plain yogurt and the hot water. Let the masalas and cashew mixture soak in hot water for 15-20 minutes. Grind to a smooth paste. set aside.

Step 3

Halve the mushrooms and marinate the mushrooms in salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder for a few minutes. Heat ghee in a pan. Be liberal with the use of ghee. Its called as ghee roast for a reason :). Add in the mushrooms and sauté the mushrooms till they are golden. Do not crowd the pan. Cook in batches if necessary. Once the mushrooms are golden, remove from pan and set aside on a plate.

Step 4

In the same pan, add in some more ghee. Add in the finely chopped onions and curry leaves. Sauté the onions till the onions are light golden in colour. Once the onions are light golden, add in the spice paste. Add a few teaspoons of ghee while cooking the paste. Cook till the paste is completely dry and the ghee is separated. Add back the mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes so the masalas combine well.

Step 5

Finally finish off with a generous sprinkling of curry leaves and fresh lime juice. Kundapur inspired Mushroom ghee roast is ready. Serve with rice, dosai, rotis, spread it in sandwiches …the possibilities are endless.