I’ve been inventing and adapting recipes for quite some time now, but I never really got around to posting them online.  My Fool’s Chilli Mushroom seemed to be a good way to resurrect my blog and venture into food blogging.

Fool's Chilli Mushroom Asian food can often be a little too spicy for many people. Chilli-pepper fanatics might scoff, but there are those of us who would like to taste other flavours more than the over encompassing fire. Chilli this and chilli that are traditional names for a wide range of pan-asian recipes and their main ingredient is always the fiery red chilli or the eye-watering green.  Since, I happen to be one of those non-chilli-eating-asians I decided to work my way around this chilli ridden path.

My Fool’s Chilli Mushroom has three kinds of peppers: bell pepper, black pepper and white pepper.

Ingredients:

  • 250 gms closed cup white mushrooms (any other mushroom should also do but chestnut mushrooms might add a nutty flavour).
  • 1 large bell pepper (a colour of your choice, I used yellow).
  • 1 small  red onion (white or spring onions should be fine too).
  • 1 tablespoon of ginger and garlic paste
  • 1 tablespoon tomato puree
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil
  • black pepper (ground)
  • white pepper (ground)

Preparation: Time taken 20-25 mins

Chop the mushrooms, onion and bell pepper into equal sized pieces. You don’t need to be obsessive about the equal sizes, just ensure that they look uniform. Next, heat some oil in a pan, preferably a shallow one.  When the oil is hot enough (test with a bit of onion, if it sizzles it’s hot) add the onions. When the onions start to lose their pinkness add the bell peppers. Stir the whole thing around for a few minutes and then, add the mushrooms. Stir again with a spatula just enough to cover the mushrooms with the oil and juices in the pan. Move the vegetables around and create a small hollow in the middle of the pan and add the ginger, garlic and tomato puree. Mix it well and stir to cover everything uniformly. By now everything in the pan will start looking orange-ish in colour. It is very important to add seasoning at the end because this recipe is essentially a stir-fry. Add the two ground peppers and salt to taste and cover the pan for five minutes before turning off the hob. Let it rest and cook in its own steam. At the end of all this it should have a thick reddish gravy.

For people who can’t resist chilli pepper, you have two options:

  • Slice green chillies in thin strips and add with the bell pepper
  • Add dried chilli flakes along with the black pepper or add chilli flakes only

Serving suggestions:

Eat with steamed rice, fried rice, noodles or flat bread.

Written by Amrita Dasgupta - Visit my blog for more food and travel stories
I love to travel, discover new things, experience new cultures and then I get back home and experiment with the new food and recipes I discovered on my travels. My blog is about all those life experiences. If you’ve enjoyed this post, keep in touch with Drifting Traveller on Twitter and Facebook or by adding my blog to your RSS feed. Follow my blog with Bloglovin or Networked Blogs! If you really like reading the Drifting Traveller why not share it with people you know who'd like to read it too.