Quitting meat after spending years of relishing non-vegetarian food, is not always easy, especially during the initial few days, maybe months, or even years of the cruelty-free journey. However, as you start discovering and creating tasty vegetarian or vegan recipes, you start enjoying the peace on your plate. The recipe which I am sharing today is a South Indian-style mushroom recipe known as black pepper mushroom fry. I developed this recipe one day when I was craving one of my favorite chicken recipes from my non-vegetarian days- Kerala-style pepper chicken. After eating this dish, I never missed that chicken version again. Kerala is a beautiful state of Southern India and is also known as “the land of spices”. The climate of Kerala is considered to be perfect for cultivating rich quality spices. The state holds a very prominent place in spice trading across the globe since ancient times. That’s the reason why Kerala’s food is so flavorful and aromatic. If you like the punch of black pepper or are a mushroom lover, you have to try this recipe.
What goes in mushroom pepper fry?
To make Kereala style mushroom pepper fry, you will need the ingredients shown in the image below:
Ingredient notes
Mushrooms: White button mushrooms are the best for this recipe but you can also use cremini.Curry leaves: Curry leaves are used to flavor a lot of South Indian dishes. If you can’t find fresh, dried or frozen curry leaves can also be used.Garam masala: It’s an Indian blend of spices which has a very strong flavor and aroma so add carefully.Cooking oil: The main cooking medium in Kerala is coconut oil but you can also make this dish in vegetable oil or canola oil.
How to make (step by step instructions)?
Step 1: Heat oil in a pot and add fennel seeds. Saute until they become fragrant. Step 2: Add sliced onion, green chilies, and curry leaves. Step 3: Cook until the onion becomes translucent. Step 4: Add ginger garlic paste and cook for about a minute or until the raw smell of garlic goes away. Step 5 and 6: Add chopped mushrooms, turmeric powder, coriander powder, roughly crushed black peppercorns, and salt. Mix everything. Step 7: Cook until all the liquid released from mushrooms gets dry and the mushrooms are nicely cooked. Switch off the stove. Ste 8: Add lime juice. Your South Indian style black pepper mushroom fry is ready. Enjoy!
Serving suggestions
Serve it with roti, paratha or any other Indian bread of choice.You can also enjoy it as a side dish with rice and dal.Leftover pepper mushroom can be used as a stuffing in sandwiches and wraps.
Storing suggestions
To store the leftovers, put the mushroom pepper fry in an air-tight container and refrigerate for 2-3 days.
Recipe tips and tricks
Don’t make very small pieces of mushrooms as they will reduce further in size after getting cooked. Cut them in a size slightly bigger than bite-size so that you get bite size pieces of cooked mushrooms.Spices get burned very quickly so before adding fennel seeds to the oil, keep the onion, chilies, and curry leaves ready. Also, make sure that the oil is at a manageable temperature.Don’t make very fine powder of black peppercorns, grind them coarsely. Freshly ground pepper tastes the best.If you don’t like very spicy food, reduce the quantity of black pepper.
Frequently asked questions
More easy mushroom recipes
Looking for more ideas to cook mushrooms? Don’t miss checking the following easy mushroom recipes from around the world:
More vegetarian/ vegan South Indian recipes
If you also love South Indian food like me and want to try some easy vegan or vegetarian South Indian recipes at home then don’t miss checking the following links: If you liked this recipe, please leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in the recipe card below. You can also follow me on Instagram, Youtube, and Pinterest.
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