Why did the mushroom go to the party?
Because he was a fungi-One Direction
Been a while since I blogged. I have been vacationing in India for the past month and boy!! It was hectic. But hectic in a good sort of way. Spending time with family, meeting friends and relatives, indulging in seasonal fruits like mangoes and jackfruit, binging on Indian delicacies, wearing crisp line-dried clothes, enjoying the occasional rains, wandering through the crowded Bangalore streets and relaxing in a resort like atmosphere in Kerala - now that I would call happy hectic days 🙂 .
Now that I am back, I am looking forward to spending fun times here, basking in the glorious sunshine, soaking it all up.
From the time I returned, I have been dishing up some simple dishes. These days, I am preparing dishes that can be whipped up in a few minutes. Sauteed mushrooms with fennel seeds is one such flavorful dish which uses fennel seeds in its preparation and is bursting with flavors.
Fennel seeds have a special aroma and flavor that enhances the taste of these sauteed mushrooms well. Did you know that in India, sweetened Fennel seeds are served after a meal and is used as mouth freshener?
These mushrooms are a perfect accompaniment to steamed rice and since this dish can be prepared in a few minutes time, it is perfect for those busy days. If you find really small button mushrooms, there is no hassle of chopping either. Just wash them in running water, drain and the mushrooms are ready to use in the dish.
In the recipe for sauteed mushrooms with fennel seeds, I have mentioned pearl onions. You can definitely use chopped onions as well as small pearl onions. I always have a pack of frozen pearl onions in my freezer. I love the frozen pearl onions because of the ease at which I can use them in dishes like ulli theeyal, without the hassle of peeling them. If you do not like the mild sweetness of caramelized pearl onions, you can always used thinly sliced onions.
The spices used in the sauteed mushrooms recipe are pantry staples and you will find them in almost all grocery stores. The curry leaves definitely add a unique taste and aroma to the sauteed mushrooms. You can find these easily in your nearby Indian store. If you cannot get your hands on a few curry leaves, don't let that stop you from trying this dish. Go ahead and make some today.
The idea for this dish came to me on a lazy day when I was in no mood to cook. My friend Priya had shared a potato fry recipe in a food group and the lazy me got this wonderful idea of adapting the recipe to use mushrooms instead of potatoes. Potatoes taste good too and you can find that recipe at Sushma Mallya's Blog.
Sauteed mushrooms with fennel seeds, not only tastes good with steamed rice, it also goes well on top of a buttered slice of bread. See... I told you... this is a perfect dish for busy days or for when you don't fancy elaborate cooking at all.
You don't need fancy ingredients to make meals interesting. Cook with fresh ingredients and add a heap of love - I promise you will relish the meals more.
Enjoy!
Sauteed Mushrooms With Fennel Seeds
Flavor packed sauteed mushrooms with onions, fennel seeds, and black pepper. Ready in minutes, seriously Delicious!
Ingredients
- 24 oz (680 gms) Small Button Mushrooms (See Recipe Notes)
- 125-150 grams(about 1 cup heaped) Small Pearl Onions (See Recipe Notes)
- Juice of ½ Lemon (small)
- 1 teaspoon Soy Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Tomato Ketchup
- 2 teaspoon Coconut Oil
- 1 teaspoon Saunf/Fennel Seeds
- 1 inch Ginger
- 2-3 Big Garlic Cloves
- 2 teaspoon Pepper Powder/ Ground Black pepper
- a pinch Haldi/Turmeric Powder/Ground Turmeric (optional)
- 10-12 Curry Leaves
- Salt to taste
Garnish
- Roasted Lemon slices (optional)
Equipment Required
- A big saute pan
- Spatula
- Measuring cups/spoons (optional if you can eyeball the measurements)
- Mortar & Pestle
- Small Bowl
To serve
- Steamed rice
Instructions
Preparation
- Wash and drain the mushrooms. If you want, you can quarter the mushrooms.
- Peel pearl onions. Or, if you are using onions, peel and slice them thin.
- Wash and peel ginger and garlic and crush using a mortar & pestle.
- In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, tomato ketchup, turmeric powder and lemon juice.
Cooking
- Heat oil in the saute pan over heat.
- Add fennel seeds. When they crackle, add the pearl onions and saute till they turn translucent. At this stage, add the crushed ginger and garlic and saute well.
- When the pearl onions start to caramelize, add the soy sauce mix (that was made in the preparation step) and pepper powder and combine it well with the pearl onions.
- Add the mushrooms and mix well to coat. Saute for a minute or two.
- The mushrooms will start to release water and will acquire a shine. Saute for another 5-7 minutes till the mushrooms are cooked to desired level.
- Add the curry leaves and saute for another minute.
- Serve hot with steamed rice.
Notes
1. If I find small button mushrooms, I use them as a whole. If the mushrooms are big, then you can quarter them before using in the recipe.
2. Time Saving Tip: You can quarter the mushrooms while the onions are being sauteed.
3. The pearl onions, add a slight sweetness to the dish. If you do not like the taste of caramelized pearl onions, use thinly sliced onions.
4. If the pearl onions are big, they might take longer to caramelize than the time indicated in the recipe.
Seena Koshy says
Hi Sreelatha, good looking plate with my fav mashrooms.. Want to try out this one day.. 🙂
Framed Recipes says
Thank you Seena.
Sneha says
Hello sreelatha
Tried it with asparagus .?
This is great
Thanks and keep going
Framed Recipes says
Thank you Sneha for the feedback. Yeah, this is very versatile recipe, readers have made it with potatoes as well cauliflower.
J Trogstad says
Oh my goodness! My hubby LOVES mushrooms and is currently looking over my shoulder at the computer screen and drooling! I guess I will be making these! 🙂
Framed Recipes says
Oh, for sure. Would love to know how you liked them. We love mushrooms too.
Suchithra says
Lovely recipe,tried it with potato,it came out great,we all loved it..
Framed Recipes says
Thanks for trying this suchu. Glad you liked it.
Jyothi Rajesh says
Wow I simply love the way you sauteed the mushrooms. Fabulous clicks too Sreelatha!
Framed Recipes says
Thanks Jyothi <3. - Sreelatha
taketwotapas says
I am not a huge mushroom fan but all my vegetarian friends are. So is my hubby! I know that I can make this for them for dinner and they will feel like royalty! I'm with Christine, I think I'll use regular onions too because I already have those! Thanks for linking up to #SaucySaturdays and I hope you will party with us again next week!
Framed Recipes says
Thanks taketwotapas. I loved this week's #saucysaturdays.
Christine Siracusa says
I have everything I need for this except pearl onions! Maybe I'll use regular...cuz this sounds too good to wait. Thanks for linking up to #SaucySaturdays.
Framed Recipes says
Christine, Go ahead and use regular onions. :). I am glad you liked the recipe. And SaucySturdays does sound fun! Happy to be part of it.
Anne Murphy says
Love mushrooms and onions - but never used this seasoning. I have curry leaves in the freezer - must try this!
Framed Recipes says
Thanks for stopping be Anne. Do give it try. Would love to hear what you think about it.
My Kitchen Stories says
What a simple inspiring dish. I love mushrooms and often have them just pan fried but this has taken it to new heights.
Framed Recipes says
Thanks Taniya.
Sushma Iyer says
Ahhh.. been missing you Sreelatha.. Even I am in India so I can understand how hectic life here is.. 😉
Now you are back I am on my toes waiting for your gorgeous clicks..
Framed Recipes says
Thanks Sushma. Enjoy your stay.
Byron Thomas says
Wow! Your photos are stunningly gorgeous! This recipe looks absolutely divine!
Framed Recipes says
Thank you so much Byron. Appreciate it.
Nataliya Louise says
If I could eat the photos, I would. And such a short prep time, which is great in this heat, I don't want to be adding heat to the house for any longer than I have to.
Framed Recipes says
Thanks Nataliya. I am also a big fan of simple, easy recipes.
Donna Mansour says
These look and sound amazing! We are huge mushroom fans, so I will be trying this out for sure. Your photos are fantastic as well - I can't imagine it would be easy to make mushrooms look that appealing 🙂
Framed Recipes says
Thanks Donna. I am sure you are going to love the flavors. Adjust the spice to suit your taste (goes without saying). 🙂
Rachel says
What a great recipe; delicious and quick! I love fennel! I used to live in Nepal where they would also serve fennel seeds after dinner. I actually think they work better than breath mints!
Framed Recipes says
Thanks Rachel. We love sweetened fennel seeds after dinner. You might find them in an Indian store near you.
Howie Fox says
No way! just 20 minutes for this dish to prepare? That's definitely my kind of recipe. Absolutely beautiful blog, Sreelatha, incredible photos!
Framed Recipes says
Thanks Howie.
Richa Gupta Dsouza says
Hey Sreelatha! Just came across your blog through one of the facebook groups and it's beautiful. I love your stories, your recipes and your pictures. What a simple recipe too!
Framed Recipes says
Thank you so much for stopping by Richa. I am glad we connected through FB. Happy blogging dear.
Deepti says
Simple but rich looking recipe. Will definitely try 🙂
Framed Recipes says
Thanks Deepti. I am sure you will love it. I know Anand likes spicy food, so, if you can also add green peppers/chillies to spice it more. Enjoy.
Teena Pappachan says
I recently got back from a long vacation too (Destination-Same as yours:))..Your post brought back the good memories....btw...stunning pics 🙂
Framed Recipes says
Thank you so much for stopping by teena. I hope you had a great time in India. I had sent you a FB message (must be in the Others folder). Would you be interested? Do let me know.