On the Button

I have an abiding love for the fungi kingdom and adore a crispy tempura oyster mushroom or shiitake mushroom broth on a good day, but like most of you, white button mushrooms are the ones I’m most likely to have on hand. Here are two different ways to use them – as a light and moreish antipasto ingredient atop a savoury pastry tart, or as a key ingredient in a deeply savoury and warming vegan korma.

Mushroom Korma

A little secret to making more authentic homemade curries is to blitz your onion, garlic and ginger first, then cook slowly to form the base of your sauce before doing anything else. Don’t be put off by the long list of spices this recipe calls for – my hot tip is to measure them out onto a saucer before you start, so when it’s time you can just throw them in the pan in one go – easy. This spice blend results in a full flavoured korma of low to medium heat (my seven year old is happy to eat it). If you prefer a very mild curry, cut the chilli flakes down to ¼ tsp, and if you like it hot, boost the quantity to 1 tsp.

DRY SPICES

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric

½ tsp chilli flakes

½ tsp ground black pepper

¼ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp ground cardamom

CURRY BASE

2 onions, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

½ cup water

2 tbsp coconut oil (or lightly flavoured cooking oil)

350g button mushrooms, whole if small or quartered if larger

1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 x 400ml can coconut cream

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp ground almonds

1 tsp salt

TO SERVE

Chopped coriander and flaked almonds to garnish (optional) Cooked basmati rice

Naan bread

Amber Bremner

Quite Good Food | www.quitegoodfood.co.nz

Start by measuring out the dry spices onto a saucer.

Blitz onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor with ½ cup of water, until it is a thick, rough slurry. Heat a large pot over low-medium heat and add coconut oil. Once hot, scrape in the onion mixture. Cook, stirring often, for 15–20 minutes or until liquid has evaporated and the onion mixture is golden brown. Turn down the heat if it is browning too quickly.

Once the onion mixture is golden, add the dry spices, stir and cook for another 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Add the mushrooms, turn the heat up a bit and cook for another 1–2 minutes to coat the mushrooms in the spice mixture. Season with 1 tsp salt.

Add the chickpeas, coconut cream, tomato paste and ground almonds. Stir to combine, lower the heat and simmer for 10–15 minutes until chickpeas are well heated through and the sauce has thickened a bit and is smelling amazing.

Garnish with chopped coriander and flaked almonds. Serve with basmati rice and naan bread.

Amber Bremner is the author of popular plant based food blog Quite Good Food. A champion for cooking and eating food that makes you feel good, she believes small changes in the way we approach food have the power to make a difference.