Mushroom Gravy for the Tired Soul

Its getting hot in here, and no, I am not quoting Nelly. It is HOT in Kolkata, and the occasional drizzle promises just one thing – the heat will be back with a vengeance. And today, I cooked this for lunch because I was unable to hold down anything that was too meaty, namely, meat.

So, this is the recipe. It is simple, straightforward, and picturesque. I hope you like it.
Take 8 dried cloud ear fungus or dried shiitake mushrooms, and rehydrate them by cooking them on high in a microwave for 5 minutes with 1 cup of water and then resting them for 30 minutes, or by simply soaking them in the said amount of water for 2 hours. I chose the former path. 
Slice the said mushrooms into bitty pieces, along with 200 gm. of button mushrooms. Reserve the mushroom liquor that has gathered in the bowl. Now, marinate the button mushroom in 2 tsp. rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp. fish sauce, 1 tsp. soy sauce and the mushroom liquor for 1 hour. 
Heat pan, add sesame oil and refined oil (about 1 tbsp. in all). Add 1 finely chopped onion, and a single dried red chilli, cut in pieces. Fry over high heat.
Add 1 tsp. grated ginger and the cloud ear fungus. Mix and stir fry. 
Add the button mushrooms and 1/2 tsp. sugar. Fry. 
Add the reserved mushroom marinade, pepper powder, and cover the pan. Cook for about 15 minutes, or till the water has been mostly absorbed. Add 1 cup of water mixed with 1 tbsp. cornflour. Cook till the gravy is thick. 
Serve over hot rice.
I know, I know, this recipe is just that. A recipe. But it is tasty. Give it a chance, and you will see how it soothes your soul. 

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0 Responses

  1. Hey Puck. Cloud Ear Fungus is something you get here in Chinatown, Kolkata (go teritti bajaar). If you dont get it wherever you are (generally you get it in any Chinese grocery shop) then you dont put it in, or use dried shiitake or oyster mushrooms instead, no mind. Fish sauce and rice wine, similarly is available in most Chinese grocery shops and most supermarkets (in the Chinese, Thai or exotic foods area, go Spencer's or Food Bazaar), but you can always substitute with light soy sauce and normal white vinegar.

    Also you can check out this link

  2. I LOVE YOUR BLOG! Ana I *love* this recipe.

    The other day I got some milk mushrooms from Spencer's, put them in a pasta was delish!

    I'm gonna get some more and make this 😀 😀

    p.s: Where did you get the cloud ear fungus? And where could I source some rice wine vinegar and fish sauce??

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About Me

Hi, I’m Panushwari

Welcome to my blog which is mostly about Food, Travel, Lifestyle and Beauty. I generally review restaurants and hotels in Kolkata and my work as a Restaurant Consultant and Food Critic in Kolkata allows me to maintain this blog as a showcase of my work. I am also a published author and have been a panelist at many events.

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