Coimbatore Street Style Kaalan/Mushroom Chaat

Coimbatore Street Style Kaalan/Mushroom Chaat

Ingredients

1. Ingredients For Marinating & Frying The Mushrooms 

A. Mushrooms 1 pack (1 lb)

B. Corn starch 1/4 cup

C. All Purpose Flour 1/2 cup

D. Water as needed 

E. Salt 

F. Red Chilli Powder 3/4 tsp

G. Pepper powder 1/2 tsp

H. Ginger Garlic Paste 1/2 tbsp 

I. Oil 1 tbsp(for marinating the mushrooms) plus 1 cup(for deep frying)

J. Paprika 1/2 tsp

2. Ingredients For the Masala Powder

A. Cloves 1 

B. Cardamom 1 

C. Cinnamon 1" stick 

D. Nutmeg 1/4 

E. Fennel seeds 1 tsp 

F. Coriander seeds 1/2 tbsp 

G. Black peppercorns 1/4 tsp 

H. Cumin seeds 1/4 tsp 

I. Powdered mace a pinch 

3. Ingredients For The Base 

A. Chicken or vegetable stock or water 4 cups

B. Onions 1

C. Ginger garlic green chilli paste 1 tbsp 

D. Ground masala(with the ingredients given above in 2)

E. Salt 

4. Ingredients For The Final Preparation

A. Chilli powder 1 tsp

B. Meat masala or garam masala 1 tsp

C. Base gravy 2 cups

D. Oil 

4. Ingredients For Garnish

A. Onions 1/2

B. Chopped coriander leaves a handful

C. Lemon wedges 3

Method Of Preparation 

1. Method Of Preparation Of The Masala Powder

A. Grind everything together to make a fine powder.

2. Method Of Preparation Of Mushroom Fry

A. Slice the mushrooms & wash them well & pat dry.

B. Put them in a bowl. Do not add wet mushrooms into the bowl.

C. Add salt, pepper, ginger garlic paste & set it aside for 30 minutes.

D. In the meantime, make the batter. In a bowl add all purpose flour, corn starch, salt, red chilli powder, paprika, 1 tbsp oil. Add a little cold water to make a batter. Add the mushrooms to the mixture & the masala needs to be coated well on the mushrooms. 

E. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying. On a medium heat, drop the mushrooms into the pan & fry till they turn golden brown in color. Remove them onto a paper towel.

3. Method Of Preparation Of The Base

A. In a heave bottomed skillet, add oil. When the oil gets hot, add onions & sauté it till it becomes translucent. Now add the ginger garlic paste & sauté it for a minute.

B. Now add the ground powder, sauté it for a few seconds and then add the vegetable/chicken stock or just plain water & cover & cook for 10-12 minutes.

C. Let it boil nicely & then after 10-12 minutes of cooking or after the gravy has reduced to two cups, turn off the stove. If the gravy hasn't reduced to half, then after 10-12 minutes you can boil it on a little high flame without the lid so that the water gets reduced to half. Turn off the stove.

4. Final Preparation Of The Chaat

A. In another skillet, add 1 tbsp oil. When the oil gets hot, add the fried mushrooms and sauté for around two minutes.

B. Now add one cup of gravy(the base that was prepared earlier) & cover the skillet & let it cook for 5 minutes.

C. Open the lid & sauté it well & let the mushrooms absorb all the water.

D. Once all the water has been absorbed, add the remaining one cup of water, give it a stir & immediately add the chilli powder & meat masala/garam masala & let it cook for a few minutes till it becomes a mushy consistency. It shouldn't become all dry, at the same time, not watery. It should be a thick mushy consistency. Once u see the desired consistency, turn off the gas.

5. Garnish

A. Remove the chaat onto a plate. Garnish it with finely chopped onions, coriander leaves & lemon wedges. Serve hot.

Notes: 

1. The batter in which the mushrooms are coated shouldn't be too thick or too thin. 

2. You can skip the addition of chilli powder to the batter if u wish to.

3. Make sure the fried mushrooms do not stick to the bottom of the skillet during the last few steps. In order to prevent this, use a heavy bottomed skillet.

4. You can adjust the quantity of salt as per your spice level tolerance.

5. Adding vegetable/chicken stock instead of water will definitely enhance the taste of this dish.

6. Nutmeg is a very important ingredient here so please do not skip it.

7. If at all you have no time to prepare the powder, just add garam masala & nutmeg & fennel seeds.

8. I forgot to add fennel seeds in my ground powder, so I added it later but please do not do that. Please make sure u add everything before you grind the powder. 

9. The mushrooms need to be dry before you marinate them.

10. In the final step where u add the chilli powder & meat masala/garam masala, make sure to add it as soon as you add the second cup of water. Do not let the dish reach the mushy consistency to add the powders. If you add the powders at last, then you may need to stir it again for a minute & by then the dish becomes dry. So, please add it as soon as u add the second cup of stock.

11. Please see the picture (4D 3rd picture) above for the desired consistency of this dish so turn off the gas at the right time.