Mushroom & Chick peas in spicy cumin-coconut gravy

First things first, Usha of Veg Inspirations bestowed upon me two awards, which is sitting pretty smugly on my sidebar (like she says) :) Thanks Usha for thinking about me and my blog.

Now getting back to the post. This dish was born purely out of desperation. I had a huge mound of baby-bella mushrooms sitting in my fridge for a few days - thanks to Costco for the not so small portions of veggies they sell.
Baby-bella or cremini as they are popularly called are baby portobellas, and have a satisfying chunky bite to it, and is my favorite kind of mushroom, and works well with Indian curries and gravies.
And for the spice, I just cant seem to get enough of the smoky cumin flavor these days. They find their way into all of my dishes. For this dish, it is the dominant spice. So if you haven't tried cumin, this is a good place to start.

Mushroom & Chick peas in spicy cumin-coconut gravy (That is a mouthful)

Ingredients:

Baby-bellas/Creminis - 5-6 cups sliced
Chick peas/Garbanzo/Channa - 2-3 cups
Red onion - 1 cup chopped
Tomato paste - 2 tbsp
Coconut milk - 1 cup (I used the "Lite" coconut milk that comes in a can)
Cumin powder - 3 tbsp
Chilly powder - 2 tsp
Black pepper - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garlic - 3 cloves chopped
Ginger - An inch grated
Cloves - 2
Bay leaf - 2
Salt - To taste
Extra virgin olive oil - 3 tbsp
Chopped green onions - To garnish
Cilantro - To garnish



Method:

In a pan over medium-high heat, add the oil and throw in the bay leaf, garlic, ginger, & cloves. Let it fry for a minute or so.

Add the onions and saute till translucent, and add the mushrooms. When the mushrooms are half cooked, add the tomato paste and cook for another two minutes.

Now add the cumin powder, pepper, coriander, salt & chilly powder and saute for another two minutes.

Add the chick peas/channa. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes. Do not add water. The mushrooms will take care of that eventually.

When the gravy comes together, add the coconut milk and simmer for a minute or so.
Turn off heat immediately, garnish with green onions/cilanto, and serve hot.
It is a good side-dish for rice, dosai, rotis & naan. Remember, it is not a very thin gravy dish, so pair accordingly.



I am sending this recipe to Srivalli's Curry mela event, she has been a dear to accommodate my entry a wee bit late.
Also sending this to Sunita's Think Spice event and since it is my original recipe, I though why not send it to the Original recipe event by Lore. I just knew about Lore's event, and amazingly this is a month-round event, so anyone could submit recipes anytime. This is right up my alley.