September is almost over and we are heading towards cold weather. The trees have started changing colors and the air has begun getting cooler.The days are shorter and the shadows are longer now. yes, today is the official beginning of fall.
I love everything about this weather as it remarks the beginning of the upcoming festive days and beautiful surroundings. There will be beautiful colors all around , with different celebrations coming up in an array.The divine days of Navratri coming first, followed by Dussehra, Diwali, Halloween, Thanksgiving and then Christmas.
Lots of fun, parties,cooking and of course eating is coming all along, which means weight gain.
Since I have a tendency to gain weight easily, I am trying to choose the right food for myself. I read that Mushrooms are a great choice for those who want to loose weight. If you are not allergic to mushroom, try to include this amazing vegetable once or twice in your diet. Another magic ingredient which you should include in your diet is makhana or Fox nuts.
Fox nuts are basically roasted and puffed lotus seeds which are extremely good for our health. If you are interested in knowing more about how Makhana are produced and processed click here to watch the video
Kaju Mushroom Makhana is a healthy, nutritious and delicious curry which you can make for your lunch or dinner. Serve with hot steaming rice or roti or naan and you will love it. Here is the recipe for this delicious curry
- 1.5 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 4 tbsp oil
- 1 medium onion paste
- 1 tsp Kalonji seeds or nigella seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 2.5 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 tomatoes Pureed
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt
- 500 gms mushrooms cut into thick slices
- 1/2 cup roasted cashew nuts
- 1 cup Makhana or fox nuts
- salt to taste
- chopped coriander/ cilantro to garnish
- In a small bowl, mix all the dry spices and some water to make a paste.
- Heat 1 tsp oil in a large, heavy based pan over medium heat, and saute the mushrooms for 5 minutes on medium flame till they turn brown and shrink a little.
- Take them out and add the remaining oil and add cumin seeds and nigella ( Kalonji)seeds. Let them crackle and then add a bay leaf.
- Add the onion paste and fry for about 5-7 minutes until golden brown in color.Add the ginger garlic paste and and stir fry for 2 minutes.
- Then add the spice paste along with some water. cook for 2-3 minutes and then add the tomato puree and cook till the mixtures starts to leave oil.
- Remove the pan from heat now and add the beaten yogurt. Make sure you stir in the yogurt continuously while adding it into the gravy.
- Add the salt now and add water 1-2 cups of water depending upon the amount of gravy you want.
- Now add roasted cashews, mushrooms and then Makhana and cook on medium flame for 15 minutes. Cover the pan with lid at this time.
- Remove from heat , adjust the salt and garnish with some cashews and coriander and serve hot with rice or chappatis and enjoy!
- Oil or Ghee both can be used to make this recipe. If you want to make this curry more rich you can add half cup of cream in the last .
- If you are allergic to nuts , you can add corn instead of cashews.
- Here are the health benefits of the ingredients of this recipe
- Mushrooms
- The health benefits of mushrooms include relief from high cholesterol levels, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and diabetes. It also helps in weight loss, and increases the strength of your immune system.
- Makhana or Fox Nuts
- fox nuts are traditionally used in oriental medicines to treat and cure various diseases, including chronic diarrhea, spleen disorders, and excessive leucorrhea, diabetes and kidney problems.
A true North Indian delight and a great recipe 🙂
Thanks Sonal !
Lovely recipe .. beautiful pics…
A healthy n delicious unique delight
Just made this – absolutely yummy! Thank you!