My love for Mushrooms is legendary and My SO’s hate for them was legendary. Then I created this Hot minty mushrooms recipe, inspired by Pizza Hut, India. They made some delicious mushrooms with herbs and garlic and I knew if I added in some heat, it will be just the perfect appetizer. Now the guy who used to hate any mushroom dish “requests” for these hot minty mushrooms every now and then. That is quite a legendary turnaround! isn’t it?
This is aromatic, because of the mint and It is oh so hot, because of the green chillies and its crunchy because of the stir fried mushrooms. It is devoured by the weight watching friends as well because these are really light on calories.
For those of you who can not handle the heat well, reduce the quantities of the chillies as per your taste. Ensure you allow the mushrooms to sautee first before adding the mix ins. The texture of the mushrooms is really what makes this dish stand out. This however is a last minute dish, because mushrooms for this dish need to be crunchy. I know it’s not for those party nights when you want to cook in advance and then sit and enjoy with guests, but it is awesome to make for foodie friends who come and hang out with you in the kitchen. Fresh off the wok, they get everyone hooked at first bite.
The husband has been known to scoop up the leftover herb mixture and spread it on bread or pita triangles.
Hot Minty Mushrooms
Ingredients
- Ingredients:
- One pack of Mushrooms
- 3-5 Green chillies Chopped[ Use more or less based on how much heat you can handle]
- 2-3 Dried Red Chillies crushed . or use 1-2 tsp of chilli flakes. [ or suit the heat to your taste]
- 3-4 cloves of garlic. Finely chopped [ add more if u like the Garlicky taste and if you are using the small pod garlic.. use about 12 cloves]
- 1/4 cup tightly packed chopped cilantro
- 1/4 th cup chopped mint
- 2 tsp vinegar
- 1 Tbs oil
- Koshur Salt
Instructions
- Method:
- Wash the mushrooms and pat them dry.
- Cut the mushrooms in halves.
- Heat up a wok on high heat. Add oil. Make sure it doesn't smoke but is hot enough. Add in the mushrooms,some salt [as per taste] ; stir fry till the water almost dries. We are adding the salt at an early stage to make the mushrooms ooze out any water and since the heat is high, we make sure they don't turn soggy. This method keeps them crisp.
- At this stage you may want to leave the kitchen windows open or the stove top chimney running at high or use any other device to send the smoky hot fumes of air outside your kitchen.
- Add the chopped garlic. keep stirring on high heat for about 30 seconds. Do not let it burn.
- Now turn down the heat to a low, add the green chillies , red chilli flakes, the mint leaves and cilantro. Add the vinegar too.
- Stir it in for a few seconds, until the mushrooms are coated with the spices.
- Turn off the heat.
- Plate it and Serve.
- This goes well with red wines and Beer or even orange juice.
- PS:
- You can try to vary the taste by adding oregano and reducing cilantro. If you do not use vinegar, you can substitute it with some lemon juice.