MUSHROOM WITH GREENS- TAPAS

A wee-bit late and all I could buy was a kilo of huge button mushrooms that my usual vegetable vendor, at the wholesale market where I pick up my fresh vegetables, enticed me with. There were 29 of these beautiful but huge button mushrooms. Well, I could not pass them by. I just had to buy them especially when they were only 1/3rd of the price at the local vegetable stores.

So I had to cook mushrooms, mushrooms and more mushrooms through the week, not that my family and I were complaining. I had no choice anyway with these beauties having a life of just 3 days before the gills opened up.
They looked so beautiful that for once I did not want to share my mushrooms with anybody.  I showed them off to my friends but never once offered to make a party of it, for I was absolutely at my greedy best.

So over the week I created three new recipes.

mushroom with greens

Mushrooms are  very nutritious and adding greens to them adds to their nutritive value and fiber content.
I have talked about mushrooms in my previous posts Grilled Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms In Capsicum Coulis and Chili Mushroom.

Fenugreek leaves add a little bitter taste and loads of flavour to the dish, while spinach balances the bitterness from the fenugreek leaves.

Spinach leaves, as discussed in my earlier posts Spinach Chutney and Spinached brocolli, okra and bell pepper, contain a good amount of niacin, dietary fiber, vitamin A, C , E, K, B6, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, calcium, iron, phosphorus, manganese, potassium, zinc, magnesium and copper. However, spinach has a high sodium content. It is very low in cholesterol and low in saturated fat.

Fenugreek leaves are bitter in taste but are packed with flavour and Iron, vitamin K and all the goodies that come with the greens and are known to be helpful in regulating the insulin levels in the blood. They are also known to help solve anaemia as they have a high Iron content. So a glass of juice of this fragrant leaf is what I like to have twice a week on an empty stomach, when in season, which is during winters.
Fenugreek seeds too have medicinal uses but I will talk about them in my later posts.


MUSHROOM WITH GREENS
serves 4

Ingredients:
.Large button mushrooms..............8 or 250 g.
.Fenugreek leaves.........................50g. or 1.5 cups, finely chopped
.Spinach leaves............................50g. or 1.5 cups, finely chopped

.Coriander leaves.........................2 Tbsp. finely chopped

.Olive oil.....................................1 Tbsp
.Ginger.........................................1 tsp

.cumin seeds................................1 tsp.

.Green chilies..............................1/2 tsp. finely chopped
.Coriander powder......................2 tsp.
.Red chili powder.......................1/2 tsp.
.Turmeric powder.......................1/2 tsp.
.Thick yogurt...............................4 tbsp.
.Salt.............................................to taste

Method:


mushroom with greens



.De-stem and peel the mushrooms. Gently wash them taking care that the gills don't get water logged.

.Place them gill-side down to drain all water from the gills.
.Meanwhile heat olive oil in a skillet.
.Place the mushrooms gill-side down and cook till well browned.
.Flip each mushroom and further cook till browned on the other side as well.
.Remove and set aside.
.In the same pan (in the remaining oil) add cumin seeds, ginger green chili and stir fry for 1 minute or
 till the cumin seeds are well toasted.
.Add the coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder and cook for 1 minute.
.Stir in well-beaten yogurt and cook further for 2 to 3 minutes.
.Add the finely chopped fenugreek leaves, spinach leaves and coriander leaves and mix well.
.Cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
.Add the prepared mushrooms and mix well.
.Cook further for 4 to 5 minutes.
.Serve hot.

Note:
.This preparation can be served as Tapas. Just fill in the prepared greens in the mushroom cavity and
 serve hot.
.Mushrooms will lose a lot of moisture before it starts getting brown. Keeping it gill-side down will
 ensure that any moisture filled in the gills while washing will be drained out.