A gorgeous mushroom masala starts with a generous pile of mushrooms and a little patience at the stove. Onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, and aromatic spices build the flavor, then the mushrooms cook down into a rich, beautifully coated curry.
I like this as a main dish for a gathering, but it is just as lovely for a comforting dinner at home. It is completely vegan, with no cream needed. The richness comes from cooking the ingredients properly, letting excess moisture evaporate, and finishing with a little tomato paste for sweetness, tang, and depth.
The important thing is not to rush the water out of the way. First, cook down the tomato masala until it sizzles. Then give the mushrooms enough heat to release their moisture and concentrate their flavor. That is what makes the finished dish so delicious.
What You’ll Learn
- Cook most of the moisture out of the tomato masala before adding the mushrooms.
- Add mushrooms in two stages and use fairly high heat to evaporate their liquid.
- Freshly ground coriander, crushed fenugreek leaves, and tomato paste build the final layers of flavor.
Ingredients for Mushroom Masala
This is a relaxed, cook-by-eye dish. Some ingredients have measured amounts; the onion, fresh tomatoes, ginger, chilies, and a few whole spices are added more freely.
Vegetables and aromatics
- About 2 pounds mushrooms, wiped clean and roughly chopped
- Onion, roughly chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
- Fresh ginger, finely diced
- Green chilies, finely chopped, optional
- Fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
- Fresh coriander leaves, also called cilantro, or parsley, for serving
Oil, spices, and finishing ingredients
- About 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Cumin seeds
- Dried chili peppers, to your preference
- A little fenugreek seed
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- About 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds, freshly ground
- 1 teaspoon paprika, primarily for color
- Salt to taste, approximately 2 teaspoons in this batch
- About 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
- About 1 tablespoon tomato paste
You will also need a wok or roomy pan, plus a mortar and pestle for grinding the coriander seeds.
1. Prepare the Aromatics and Mushrooms
Roughly chop the onion. There is no need to make the pieces terribly small; they should soften into the masala while keeping a little texture.
Chop the garlic finely. Three hefty cloves give this batch a lovely, deep garlic flavor.
Take a little more care with the ginger. Slice it thinly, then chop it into small pieces. A big chunk of ginger can be quite sharp when you bite into it, and not everyone enjoys that. A fine dice spreads the flavor through the dish much more nicely.
Finely chop the green chilies if you are using them. I like them for their flavor as well as their heat. For a milder curry, remove the seeds and inner membrane, choose a mild chili, or leave them out. Some jalapeños are quite mild and can give you that fresh chili flavor without much heat.
I prefer to wipe the mushrooms clean rather than wash them for this recipe. Remove any debris, trim the stem ends where needed, and give the mushrooms a rough chop. We are not looking for perfectly matching pieces.
Two pounds may look like an enormous amount at this stage. Do not be alarmed. Mushrooms cook down dramatically, and that generous pile will become a much smaller panful.
2. Build the Spiced Onion Base
Heat the wok, then add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the cumin seeds, dried chili peppers, and a little fenugreek seed, followed by the onions and the prepared garlic, ginger, and optional green chilies. Stir everything together so the aromatics mingle with the spiced oil.
Lower the heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of turmeric. I add it early because I do not want that raw turmeric taste in the finished curry. Give it time to cook with the onions.
Let the onions soften, stirring as needed. You can finish chopping the mushrooms while this happens, keeping an eye on the pan.
Look for softened, slightly translucent onions that still have some shape. They will be yellow from the turmeric, with a little browning. We want them beginning to break down, not cooked into nothing.
3. Add the Tomatoes and Cook Away Their Moisture
Roughly chop the fresh tomatoes and add them to the softened onions. This is a lovely use for ripe tomatoes that have become too soft for slicing, provided they are still sound.
Stir the tomatoes through the onion mixture and let them cook down. They will soften and release their juices, bringing the masala together.
Do not add the mushrooms straight into a watery base. Let most of the tomato moisture evaporate first. You want the mixture sizzling rather than sitting in a puddle of liquid when the mushrooms go in.
This is one of the most useful cues in the whole recipe. Rather than relying on a fixed number of minutes, pay attention to what is happening in the pan.
4. Cook the Mushrooms in Two Additions
Add about half the chopped mushrooms to the hot masala. Stir and turn them through the onion and tomato mixture until they begin to soften and shrink.
Once there is a little more room, add the remaining mushrooms. Fold everything together carefully so the fresh pieces pick up the spices and tomato.
Keep the heat fairly high during this stage, stirring and turning the mushrooms so they cook evenly without catching. They will release moisture as they soften. Keep cooking until most of that liquid has evaporated and the masala clings to the mushrooms.
The goal is a concentrated mushroom curry, not mushrooms floating in thin liquid. That large starting pile really does reduce to a surprisingly modest amount.
5. Grind the Coriander Fresh
While the mushrooms are cooking down, grind about 1 tablespoon of whole coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle. You are standing at the stove anyway, so it is a good moment to do something useful.
I particularly like freshly ground coriander here for its bright, citrusy aroma. Ground coriander loses its fragrant character as it sits, so crushing the seeds just before adding them makes a lovely difference.
If the names are confusing, the seeds and fresh leafy garnish come from the same coriander plant. They play different roles here: the ground seeds season the curry, while the fresh leaves finish it.
When most of the mushroom liquid has cooked away, add the freshly ground coriander and stir it through. The aroma at this point is wonderful.
6. Finish with Paprika, Fenugreek, and Tomato Paste
Once the mushrooms have released most of their moisture, add 1 teaspoon of paprika and salt to taste. I use the paprika mainly for its color. For this batch, the salt is approximately 2 teaspoons, but season to your preference rather than adding it all automatically.
Take about 1 teaspoon of dried fenugreek leaves, crush them between your palms, and scatter them into the pan. Stir them through the mushrooms.
Finally, add about 1 tablespoon of tomato paste. This is a finishing adjustment I like when the curry needs a little more depth. It brings several things at once:
- A deeper savory, umami flavor
- A richer red color
- A little sweetness
- A little tang
Stir the paste thoroughly through the mushrooms and continue cooking until it is evenly incorporated. The finished masala should look glossy and richly coated, with tender mushroom pieces and softened onions still visible.
Serve with Plenty of Fresh Herbs
Finish with a generous handful of fresh coriander leaves. If coriander is not your thing, parsley is absolutely fine.
Serve the mushroom masala with basmati rice or warm naan. For a fully vegan meal, choose naan made without dairy.
That is the beauty of this dish: simple vegetables, fragrant spices, and enough time for everything to cook down properly. A little freshness on top, a rich tomato coating underneath, and gorgeous mushrooms all the way through.