Kadai Mushroom

After almost 4 weeks we found packets of button mushroom at the Wild Earth Food store at Saibaba Colony. every time I cook a mushroom dish at home, I am reminded of the wild mushroom dishes which my mother and mother-in-law talk about. During the monsoons in October or November when the sky darkens and rumbles with thunder is when these are get spotted. The people who worked in the gardens or farms back then would be so excited to bring these quickly to their employers before it perishes. The goodness and simplicity of hardworking folks who were loyal above all else have been the ones i have admired the most and continue to do so even today. Is there any price one can pay for such generosity of spirit…I think not. One can only try to repay in kind with warmth and affection. That’s something we hope to have passed on to our young.

Mushrooms have a short shelf life and best cooked when fresh. At home we are habituated to not keeping it overnight and do cook it on the same day it was bought. Like creatures of habit wild mushrooms apparently prefer to sprout up in one particular area repeatedly. No wonder truffles are always found in and around the same region. Seems like this family of fungi are rather picky at which bed of soil they want to lie in ! Because of the exposure to the taste of the wild mushroom , the ones cultivated in a more sterile atmosphere with little chance for any reveal of mushroomy personality get ostracised as being tasteless and bland.

We certainly cannot compare the ones grown in a dark room to their country cousins but come on !Tasteless and bland is taking it a bit too far. Many of us did not grow up eating only the wild mushroom. While we may have had the opportunity to enjoy it during our travels (so grateful for that now !) and from the fields , when each person’s share was a little more than a tablespoon (!) most of us do know what a mushroom tastes like because of the common button mushroom.

Just as how the morels are perfect in a kashmiri wazwan ,the button mushrooms are perfect for this home cooked meal in a kadai with our every day spices and ingredients. These have a sponge like quality which absorb the flavour and aroma of the ingredients around. It is a dish which feels a little more special from a less fancy mushroom poriyal. The use of fresh herbs and lemon adds to that almost mughlai flavour. Try it, it is cook work and if nothing else goes great on toast as well. If you do have access to nattu kaalan (Wild country mushroom grown in the South), I would love for you to try this dish and let me know.