Malai Waale Dhingri Mutter (Creamy Mushrooms and Peas)

This was one of two emergency back-up curries we ended up making for dinner tonight. My original plan had been a somewhat similar curry involving peas, yogurt, and khoya, but the khoya had gone off, so I fell back to this mushroom curry instead. We served it with a simple pulao, potato koftas, papads, and a dal and it made for a really satisfying dinner. Although I do feel like it would've been nice with even more mushrooms. Or possibly a wider variety of mushrooms. I think combination of oyster and cremini mushrooms would work very well.

Walai Waale Dhingri Mutter

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. raw cashew nuts
• 6-7 cloves garlic
• 2-6 fresh green Thai chilies
• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 250g cremini mushrooms, halved or quartered if large
• 125g oyster mushrooms, coarsely chopped (optional)
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 c. chopped fresh or frozen fenugreek leaves
• 1 c. frozen green peas
• 1/2 c. half-and-half (10% cream)
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Combine cashews, garlic, and chilies and chop very fine. (A food processor or a blender with a "food chop" setting works well for this.)
2. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
3. Add the onion and the minced cashew blend and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the mushrooms and cook for another minute or two.
5. Add the water and stir to deglaze the pan.
6. Add the penugreek, peas, half-and-half, and salt and cook for another 8-10 minutes.
7. Serve with rice and additional curries.