Indian Style Mushroom Rice 🇮🇳

Though my husband and I rarely dine out, I am often interested in what restaurants are serving up and the latest culinary trends.  Reading a copy of menu from a local Indian eatery, I noticed Mushroom Rice and thought it would be delicious.  After a little research, I came up with this recipe using a combination of field mushrooms and button mushrooms.  Sauté them with onions and Indian spices until soften and fragrant, then stir in a few cups of cooked basmati rice.  Easy,  but you'd be surprised how lovely a dish it is.  If you use precooked rice available in packages from the supermarket, your meal is ready in a flash.  Have it as a vegetarian meal on its own, or with my Red Lentil Dahl.  Perfect also to accompany meat dishes such as my Chicken Saagwala, Spicy Indian Lamb Curry  or Beef Madras.  Add a Kachumber Salad  and you have an Indian feast to feed a crowd.

Serves 4

INGREDIENT

• 1 cup uncooked basmati rice, or 3 cups cold, cooked basmati rice
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
• 325g / 11½oz mixed button and field mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ½ cup frozen peas, thawed
• ½ - 1 teaspoon sea salt, to taste
• ¼ cup finely chopped spring onions

METHOD

1. In a medium saucepan place rice and 1½ cup of cold water.  Cook rice under medium heat, uncovered, until the water boils.  Let it bubble away for a few minutes.  When most of the water has evaporated leaving little craters on the surface of the rice, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 2-3 minutes.  Uncover and check the rice, which should be fully cooked and just a little wet at this stage.  Turn the heat off and let the rice rest, covered, in the pan for 5 minutes.  Transfer the cooked rice to a large bowl and let it cool completely.
2. Slice the button mushrooms thickly and roughly chop the field mushrooms. 
3. Heat oil in a shallow casserole dish or a heavy-based saucepan under medium.  When hot, add the cumin seeds and fry for 30 seconds.  Add the onions and sauté for a minute.  Add the mushrooms, peas, turmeric and garam masala.  Sauté until the mushrooms are softened and fragrant.
4. Stir in the cold rice to combine with the mushroom mixture.  Break up the rice gently with a spatula and move it around to coat with all the other ingredients.  The dish is ready when the rice has heated through.  
5. Sprinkle on salt, to taste.  Stir in chopped spring onions.  Serve hot.