Mushroom Mawa Matar
Creamy mushroom matar recipe with button mushrooms, green peas, and a mawa (khoya) finish for restaurant-style roti night gravy.
Equipment
- Wide pan or kadhai
- Blender
Ingredients
For the mushrooms and peas
- 300-350 g white button or cremini mushrooms wiped clean and sliced
- 1 cup green peas fresh or frozen
- 1 tablespoon oil for sautéing the mushrooms
- 1/4 teaspoon salt for the mushrooms
For the gravy
- 2 tablespoons oil or ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 medium onion roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste or 1 inch ginger + 4 garlic cloves
- 2 medium tomatoes roughly chopped
- 8-10 cashews soaked in warm water 15 minutes, optional for extra body
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder mild heat and color
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 3/4-1 cup water as needed
- 1 green chili slit, optional
To finish
- 1/4 cup grated mawa / khoya about 40 to 50 g, plus more if you like it richer
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi crushed
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro for garnish
- 1 teaspoon butter optional, restaurant-style finish
Instructions
Prep the gravy paste
- If using cashews, drain them. Blend onion, tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste, and cashews (if using) with 2 to 3 tbsp water into a smooth paste.
Sauté the mushrooms
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wide pan on medium-high. Add the sliced mushrooms and 1/4 tsp salt. Sauté 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until most of the released water evaporates and the edges look lightly browned. Transfer to a plate.
Cook the gravy
- In the same pan, heat 2 tbsp oil or ghee on medium. Add cumin seeds and let them crackle. Add the slit green chili if using.
- Pour in the blended paste. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the paste thickens, darkens slightly, and no longer smells raw. Splash a little water if it sticks.
- Add turmeric, Kashmiri chili powder, coriander powder, and salt. Cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add 3/4 cup water and bring to a gentle simmer. The gravy should look pourable but not watery.
Finish with peas and mawa
- Add the sautéed mushrooms and the green peas. Simmer on low 5 to 7 minutes so the peas cook through and the mushrooms pick up the gravy.
- Turn the heat to low. Stir in grated mawa until it melts into the gravy, 1 to 2 minutes. Do not boil hard after adding mawa. Add butter if using.
- Crush kasuri methi between your palms and stir in. Taste for salt. Finish with garam masala and cilantro. Loosen with a splash of hot water if the gravy got too thick.
Notes
Wipe mushrooms dry; do not soak them, or the gravy will thin out.
Grate cold mawa and stir it in on low heat so it melts cleanly without turning grainy.
Frozen peas work well; add them near the end so they stay bright green.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently with a splash of hot water.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!