In indian spiced mushroom rice , mushrooms get simmered with Indian spices, brown basmati rice and garnished with aromatic herbs and fried tofu, served and enjoyed with loved ones.

I have spoken a lot about blogging in my last post and thank you who has taken time to comment.

This post is going to be purely photographical and food related.

When I was growing up, I never loved mushrooms. My maternal uncle and granny used to send us 5 pounds of fresh and wild mushroom every year around August. After that, mom would only cook mushrooms for a few days and it was quite hard for me to eat lunches and dinners around that time.

As the mushrooms were beautiful, I went a bit overboard and overshot mushrooms. All these photos are for sale at Picture Pantry. 
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[clickToTweet tweet=”#indian #spiced #mushroom #rice: #weeknight #dinner #solution” quote=”A super simple aromatic mushroom recipe, which can be prepared in jiffy.” theme=”style3″]

It’s hard to believe, but true that I did not eat mushroom until I was in my 20s. I started eating slowly when I was in my undergrad and when I came here in 2010, I started buying and eating mushroom every week pretty much.

American mushrooms are much different than my granny’s wild mushrooms, but we love it. My husband can eat mushroom probably any and every day. As there are only few vegetables we agree to eat together, I often look for mushroom recipes. I don’t have much mushroom recipes compared to the amount of mushroom I cook, but this is a simple one.

No matter how much I love preparing long and complex dishes over the weekend, due to time crunch I cherish short and simple recipes in weekdays.

[ezcol_1half] [/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end] [/ezcol_1half_end]After working 8 long grueling hours at work, I am left with negative energy most of the days. But frozen packed food or restaurant food doesn’t do any good to my god-gifted body, so I push my lazy ass and cook something simple during weekdays. You can find more simple weekdays recipes here.

This mushroom rice is for lazy bums like me. You won’t need hours to prepare this. With a very few ingredients, you can prepare this within a very short span of time. It’s quite satisfying with any salad or yogurt based sauce.

Recipe for Indian Spiced Mushroom Rice

2 cups brown basmati rice

1 oyster mushroom, cut into florets and trimmed at bottom

4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

4 shallots, minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

15 button mushrooms, washed thoroughly and quartered

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon red chile powder

2 teaspoons ground coriander

3 teaspoons ground dried fenugreek (kasoori methi)

salt to taste

5 cups water

1 package (14 oz) tofu, drained, pressed and cut into 1-inch cube pieces (You can use paneer instead)

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro (for garnish)

1. Wash and drain the basmati rice. Add more water and keep it aside until you prepare the rest.
2. It’s advised to blanch the oyster mushroom before using in food. I boiled water and blanched the mushroom for 10 seconds. Take it aside.
3. In a non-stick skillet, over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add shallot pieces and cook it for 3 to 4 minutes or until they are opaque. Add garlic pieces and cook it for a minute or two, or until they release their aroma.
4. Add button mushrooms and oyster mushooms. Cook it for 8 to 10 minutes or until all water is gone. Add turmeric, chile powder,  ground coriander dried fenugreek and salt. Stir to mix it well.
5. Drain the rice and add the rice and 4 cups water. Adjust the salt and cover it. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook it for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through. {*Check the rice, if it’s not done add 1/4 cup water or less. Cover and cook again or until rice is cooked through}
6. Meanwhile, in a non-stick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add tofu pieces and salt. Cook it for 3 to 5 minutes or until it’s browned. Turn it over and cook the other side. Continue to cook or until the tofu is golden brown from all sides. Take it aside and in a paper towel lined plate.
7. When the rice is done, garnish with fried tofu and fresh cilantro. Serve warm with salad.