Potato Mushroom Masala

This recipe comes from Veg Recipes of India. 

Potato Mushroom Masala

Ingredients

200 grams white button mushrooms, sliced
2 medium potatoes, chopped in small cubes
2 medium sized tomatoes, quartered
1 medium sized onion, halved or quartered
18 cashews
1 tbsp chopped coriander/cilantro leaves
2 cups water for blanching
2 tbsp oil
½ tsp caraway seeds or ½ tsp cumin seeds
6 cloves
2 green cardamoms
1 cinnamon stick
1 single mace strand
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste or ½ inch ginger, grated
5 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste in a mortar-pestle
1.25 cups water
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp red chili powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp dry fenugreek leaves, crushed
salt as required


Method 

Put tomatoes, onion and cashews in a heat proof bowl and pour over the 2 cups of hot water.
Cover and blanch these ingredients for about 25 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, rinse or wipe dry the mushrooms. slice or chop them. rinse, peel and chop the potatoes in small cubes. keep aside.
After cashews are blanched, drain and chop the tomatoes roughly.
Add the tomatoes along with their juices, blanched onions, cashews in a grinder or blender jar with 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves.
Without adding any water, grind to a smooth fine paste. Keep aside.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. add the whole spices and saute till the spices crackle and become fragrant.
Then add the sliced or chopped mushrooms, stir very well and begin to saute.
Continue to saute on a medium flame till all the water from mushrooms dries up.
Then with the spoon, bring the mushrooms towards one side of the pan and add ginger-garlic paste.
Stir in the same place, and saute the ginger-garlic paste till the raw aroma of ginger and garlic goes away.
Now add the potato cubes. stir and saute for 2 minutes.
Then add turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder and mix the spice powders with the rest of the ingredients.
Add the ground paste. stir and mix well.
Saute for 5 to 6 minutes on a low to medium flame or till you see some oil releasing from the sides and add salt as per taste.
Add 1.25 cups water, depending on the gravy consistency you want, you can add less or more water and stir very well.
Cover and simmer the gravy on a low to medium flame till the potatoes are cooked through which takes about 12 to 15 minutes. d
Do check at intervals and if the gravy becomes too thick, then add some water.
Add 1 tsp of dry fenugreek leaves and stir.
If you do not have dry fenugreek leaves, then skip it or as a substitute you can also add a light pinch of fenugreek seeds powder.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and with your favorite Indian bread, rice and poppadoms.