Chettinad Mushroom Masala Recipe – Kannamma Cooks (2024)

Recipe for Chettinad style mushroom masala made with home ground spice paste. Spicy Chettinad mushroom masala recipe with step by step pictures and video.

This is a very rich and creamy mushroom masala. The addition of the coconut and cashew paste makes this dish very unctuous. Perfect accompaniment for South Indian breads.

Here are other recipes from the site that uses mushroom as the main ingredient
Mushroom Recipes

Here is the video of how to make Chettinadu style Mushroom Masala / Kaalan Masala Recipe

Heat oil in a pan (be generous with the oil so the spices cook well) and add in the fennel seeds, onions and curry leaves. Add in the salt at this stage so the onions sweat and cook fast. Saute for 3-4 minutes till the onions are soft.

Now we will grind a masala paste. Take a small mixie jar and add in the garlic and ginger. Add in the cinnamon, clove, cardamom, kalpasi (stone flower) and star anise. Go easy with the spices. We are going to grind the spices. We don’t want the spices to be over powering. Remember that a little goes a long way when it comes to spices. Grind everything with half a cup of water to a very fine paste. Take time to grind to a really smooth paste.

I like to use a heavy duty mixie for Indian cooking and here is what I use and recommend.

Add in the ground paste to the pan. Saute for 3-4 minutes.

Add in the chopped tomatoes.

Saute till the tomatoes are cooked and juiced down. It will take about 3-4 minutes on a medium flame. Add in the red chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder. Saute for a couple of minutes.

Add in the black pepper powder and the chopped mushroom. Mix well to combine.

Keep the flame on low and cover the pan with a lid and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Let the mushroom absorb all the flavour from the masala.

In the mean time, grind the coconut and cashews with a cup of water to a very smooth paste. Add it to the pan. The cashews add a very rich creamy texture to the masala. So do not skip the cashews.

Wash the mixie with half a cup of water and add back to the pan. When grinding thick masalas, always wash the mixie and add back to the pan so we are not wasting the precious home ground masalas.

Cover the pan and let the flame be low. Let the curry simmer on a low flame for 15 minutes. Remember to stir once every couple of minutes so the masalas dont scorch at the bottom. The flavour develops and the curry becomes unctuous during this slow simmer.

The chettinad mushroom masala is ready when a film of fat / oil starts to appear on top.

Mix well and add in the coriander leaves.

Chettinad mushroom masala is ready. Serve with parotta, dosa or chapati. It goes very well with vegetable rice too!

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