Mushroom Keema with Peas & Pitta

This is a fantastically easy and versatile recipe that uses fresh and tasty ingredients.

It’s delicious served straight onto a bed of steaming rice, but it’s also one of those dishes that gets better with time, and a good meal to be made a day in advance.

Ingredients for 4.  Cooking time about 50 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 600g White and/or Chestnut mushrooms - finely chopped

• 1 large onion - finely chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic minced

• Thumb sized piece of ginger - pealed and finely chopped

• 3 tbsp oil

• 2 large tbsp curry spice paste (a masala or mild paste; follow your preferred taste – a madras paste will give you much more heat)

• 400g chopped tomatoes or 5 large fresh tomatoes roughly chopped

• 2 tbsp natural yogurt

• 200g frozen peas

• A handful of chopped coriander

• Salt & pepper to season

To cook: 

• Finely chop your mushrooms, onions, garlic and ginger.

• For a quicker prep time and fine texture we chop the mushrooms, onions, garlic and ginger individually, in a food processor - using the pulse setting so to finely chop and not to liquidise your ingredients.  The mushrooms will need to be processed in batches for an even texture.

• Heat a large pan over a medium heat; add the oil and sauté the onion. Once your onion is soft and transparent add the garlic and ginger and cook till fragrant – about a minute.  

• Now add your chopped mushrooms - the mushrooms will release their juices and reduce as they begin to soften.

• Cook till the moisture has evaporated and ingredients begin to brown slightly, around 8 - 10 minutes.

• Add the spice paste and cook for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes and continue to heat over a medium heat for 5 minutes.  Stir in the yogurt, season to taste and cover and simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes.  Now’s a good time to get your rice cooking.

• 5 minutes before the end of cooking add the peas and stir in the coriander to your Mushroom Keema.  Keep a little of the coriander back to garnish.

To serve: On a bed of long grain or basmati rice, with a warm naan and a good helping of cool raita.  

Brunching ideas: If by change you make a little extra, any left overs will sit in the fridge for a couple of days and will reheat nicely.  We highly recommend stuffing your leftovers into a pitta or two and pairing it with a cool riata or cream cheese.  Or using as a filler for a toasted sandwich with a good mango chutney as a dipping sauce side.

Let us know in the comments below if you've tried this recipe - or if you have any other ideas as to how to get the most out of your mushrooms.