Tandoori Mushrooms

Everyone I know loves Tandoori Chicken – but not many have heard of Tandoori Mushrooms.  I certainly would not have given it a second thought if I had not actually tasted it.  I happened to be at Cinnamon Club – a local Indian restaurant for a party.  The vegetarian entrée was served first and since I was famished after the long drive, I decided to give the Tandoori Mushrooms a go.

I got the most pleasant surprise and all my taste buds tingled and danced as I chewed my way through the mushroom.  Oh, I have got to try making this, I thought to myself and recreated the magic for the family.

This is a very simple recipe and the beauty is that your preparation time is under 5 minutes and marination is another 30 minutes.  Cooking takes another 5 minutes maximum and you have a tasty entrée or side – however you wish to serve it.

Ingredients:

400 grams cup mushrooms (2 punnets)

Clean mushrooms with a cloth and halve them.

For the marinade:

3 table spoons plain Greek yogurt

½  a lime,  juiced

2 teaspoons chilli powder

½ teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon pepper powder

½ teaspoon black salt ( just use ordinary salt if you do not have black salt)

1 table spoon ginger garlic paste

1 teaspoon olive oil

½ teaspoon cumin powder

Mix well.

Mix the mushrooms in with the marinade and set aside for at least 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, grease a cast iron grill and set it on the stove top.  When it gets hot add the mushrooms and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on either side, allowing for some black char marks to give the authentic tandoor flavor.  Brush with oil if needed.

Serve on a bed of salad leaves with a squeeze of lime juice.

Note:  Black salt is naturally occurring rock salt that has compounds of Sulphur in it along with minute quantities of other minerals.  Black salt is salt with a pungent flavor that really tantalizes your taste buds and is a must for tandoori based dishes.