BM Theme : A-Z Curries

Xacuti is a curry from Goa, India. It’s mainly used to prepare meat based dishes, but here I have made it with mushrooms. I had some eggplants I wanted to use up, so I added that as well to the curry.

There is a lot of spices involved in making the masala, each recipe online gives out a different set of spices. I have followed this YouTube video for most part but have made some minor changes. Instead of a two step roasting and grinding, I combined both step and did everything in one shot. You don’t have to use all the paste in the curry, the curry will still be flavorful if you keep aside a little bit for later use too.

Read on for the recipe. I prefer to serve this with rice than with rotis.

Ingredients:

For the masala part:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 dried red chilies
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 10 pepper corns
• 2 cloves
• 1” cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut

For the curry:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 3 cups chopped mushrooms
• 1 cup chopped eggplants, optional
• paste from above
• Salt as needed
• A Handful Coriander leaves, for garnish

Method:

1. Heat oil in a big pan. Add the onion and sauté until it’s pink. Now add the dried red chilies, cumin, fennel, coriander seeds, cloves, cinnamon, pepper corns and poppy seeds. Sauté until the spices turn aromatic and the coriander seeds change color to a slight golden hue. Now add the shredded coconut. Sauté until it turns light golden brown and is aromatic. Take off the heat and grind to a smooth paste once it’s cooked down. Add a little water, if needed, to help with grinding. Keep aside.
2. Heat oil in the same pan. Add the onions and garlic. Sauté until onion changes color and is slightly brown around the edges. Add the tomatoes and let it cook until it’s mushy.
3. Add the eggplants, turmeric powder and let it cook until it’s half done. Now add the mushrooms and cook until it releases water and is 3/4th done.
4. Add the ground masala paste and 1/2 cup water and mix well. Add more water if needed to bring to the consistency you prefer. Add salt to taste and let the curry cook for 7-10 minutes. Taste test in between and adjust the seasonings, if needed. Turn off the heat, sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top. Cover and keep aside until it’s time to serve.