Mushroom Fry

Mushroom fry is a delicious Indian side dish of stir fried mushrooms, made under 30 minutes. Sliced mushrooms with caramelized onions and a few spices makes this dish super delicious with tons of flavors. Serve this simple mushroom fry with plain rice, roti or any flatbreads. It also goes well as a filling in your sandwiches and rolls.

Mushroom Fry

This recipe can be used as a base for any stir fry with vegetables. Though a lot of Indian stir fry dishes are made sans onions and tomatoes, this mushroom fry recipe uses onions to impart a caramelized flavor. Tomatoes are added for that slight tang.

The basic fresh spices like ginger, garlic and green chilies add a refreshing spicy zing to the mushroom fry. Though curry leaves are optional I recommend them for a South Indian touch.

A handful of cashews make a great addition to the dish. Apart from adding some protein, cashews also provide some crunchy texture and taste to this mushroom stir fry. You can replace cashews with green peas, paneer, tofu or boiled eggs.

Though the ingredients used in this stir fry recipe is somewhat similar to a curry recipe, it is the stir frying that makes this dish completely taste different.
Stir frying brings out the earthy flavor of the mushrooms. While we stir fry the mushrooms, the onions get caramelized and impart their unique caramelized flavors.

This is one of the many ways to stir fry mushrooms. For variation, you may also check out these stir fry dishes –
Garlic Mushroom
Chinese Chilli Mushrooms
Mushroom Pepper Fry.

Pro Tips

• A lot of food experts suggest not to rinse the mushrooms as they can soak up moisture and affect the texture. It is up to you but I personally prefer to give them a quick rinse whether organic or not.
• Avoid rinsing or soaking up mushrooms too long in water. They absorb water and let out all of the moisture while cooking and eventually turn out soggy.
• Rinse them directly under running water & chop while you saute/stir fry the onions and tomatoes. Doing this early will most likely discolor the mushrooms.
• The recipe can be made with garam masala but store bought meat masala makes the dish just fabulous. If possible use it.
• You can also add bell peppers, peas, paneer, tofu or boiled eggs for variation.

More Mushroom recipes,
Mushroom masala
Matar mushroom
Kadai mushroom

How to Make Mushroom Fry (Stepwise photos)

If you want to use cashews, soak ¼ cup split cashews in water for 15 mins. Chop 1 onion finely and puree 1 tomato.

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan. Add half teaspoon cumin seeds.

2. When they crackle, add 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste and saute for about a minute until aromatic.

3. Add 1 fine chopped onion (about ¾ to 1 cup). Stir fry the onions. You want you can add 1 slit green chili here.

4. Stir often and fry until they turn golden but not burnt.

5. Add 1 chopped & deseeded tomato or half cup tomato puree. I pureed 1 tomato in a grinder.

6. Stir fry until the raw smell goes away from the mixture. Continue to stir fry until the masala turns aromatic and deep in color (check the next picture).

7. Add 1 sprig curry leaves, 1 teaspoon garam masala, ¾ teaspoon red chili powder and ⅛ teaspoon turmeric.

8. Saute for 1 to 2 mins on a low flame until the curry leaves begin to smell good.

Make Mushroom Fry

9. Add 1½ cups sliced mushrooms and ¼ cup soaked and drained cashews or peas. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt evenly. Don’t worry about the salt at this stage, your mushrooms won’t turn soggy because the onions and tomatoes will soak up all of the moisture.

10. Stir fry for 2 to 3 mins on a high heat. If the mushrooms let out moisture continue to stir fry on the high heat. If the mushrooms are dry then reduce the heat and stir fry until they turn tender, cooked but not soggy.

Some kind of mushrooms are better cooked covered. The mushrooms I buy are directly from the farm, not refrigerated so they don’t let out moisture at all what ever. So I have to cover and cook on a low flame until the mushrooms are cooked.

11. Make sure you don’t overcook the mushrooms. When the mushrooms are done, you should also smell the caramelized onions. Taste test and adjust salt if needed and add 1 tsp of lemon juice. This is optional.

Serve Mushroom fry with rice, roti, bread or chapathi.

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Mushroom Fry recipe first published in February 2013. Updated and republished in May 2022.