Tamil Nadu

Chettinad kalan masala

Name: Chettinad kalan masala
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Chettinad
Ingredients: 5 dried red chilli; 1 tbsp coriander seeds; 1 1/4 tsp black pepper; 2 tsp divided fennel seeds; 3/4 tsp cumin seeds; 1 small cinnamon stick 3 cloves whole spices; 1 star anise; 1/3 cup fresh grated coconut; 3 tbsp sesame oil; 2 sprigs curry leaves; 2 medium finely chopped onion; 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste; 2 medium chopped tomato; 1/4 tsp turmeric (ground turmeric); Salt, to taste; 2 packets quartered button mushroom; 3/4 cup for grinding and gravy water; a handful coriander leaves (cilantro)

Mushrooms in a roasted coconut and pepper masala. Chettinad spice, zero apologies.

40 minTime

5 gProtein each

hotSpice

Kalan, the Tamil mushroom3 chapters · 2 min read

Make it your way

Grandma's wayThe original. Handle with reverence.

The original

200kcal

5 gprotein

6 gfibre

40minutes

Per serving, worked out from the ingredient table. Grandma's way is the starting point the other versions are compared with.

Ingredients

Dried red chilli5

Coriander seeds1 tbsp

Black pepper1¼ tsp

Fennel seeds2 tsp, divided

Cumin seeds¾ tsp

Whole spices1 small cinnamon stick, 3 cloves

Star anise1

Fresh grated coconut⅓ cup

Sesame oil3 tbsp

Curry leaves2 sprigs

Onion2 medium, finely chopped

Ginger garlic paste1 tbsp

Tomato2 medium, chopped

Turmeric (ground turmeric)¼ tsp

Saltto taste

Button mushroom2 packets, quartered

Water¾ cup, for grinding and gravy

Coriander leaves (cilantro)a handful

Method

6 steps

1Dry roast the red chillies, coriander seeds, pepper, half the fennel, cumin, whole spices and star anise on low until fragrant. Add the coconut and roast until golden. Cool and grind to a fine paste with a little water.
2Heat the oil, add the rest of the fennel and curry leaves, then the onion. Fry until golden.
3Add the ginger garlic paste for a minute, then the tomatoes, turmeric and salt. Cook until mushy.
4Add the mushrooms and cook on high, stirring, until they release their water and it mostly evaporates.
5Add the ground masala and the remaining water. Cover and cook until thick and the oil separates.
6Finish with coriander leaves. Serve with chapati, parotta or rice.

Serve it like this

Serve in a bowl with coriander on top, chapatis or parotta stacked alongside.

Bloom picks tonight's dinner for your diet and allergies, then cooks it with you step by step.

Chettinad kalan masala

Make it your way

Ingredients

Method

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