Butter Chicken of the woods

Serves: 4
Cooks in: 2 hours
Difficulty: 5/10
Gluten free

I found the most incredible rare mushrooms on the side of a dying oak tree. Chicken of the woods are so meaty they can be used just like chicken. So I made a classic Indian dish with them.

Ingredients

4 cups/400g Chicken of the woods, torn into chunks or mushrooms of your choice 

1 cup/230ml coconut yogurt

1 tbs lemon juice

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp ground turmeric 

1 tsp ground cumin 

1 tsp ground coriander 

2 tsp mild chilli powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbs minced garlic

1 tbs minced ginger

For the Sauce

3 tbs plant butter

1 large onion, chopped roughly 

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbs ginger, minced

2 green chilies, chopped fine 

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp mild chilli powder 

1 tsp ground fenugreek 

3 tbs tomato puree

2 cups/500ml water

1/2 cup/125ml oat cream 

1/2 cup/55g roasted cashew nuts 

Garnish 

Fresh coriander

Start by marinating the mushrooms. In a large mixing bowl, combine coconut yogurt, lemon juice, minced garlic, minced ginger, spices & sea salt. Add the mushroom chunks to the marinade and mix well. Cover the bowl and let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour

Preheat your oven to 200°C & drizzle a baking tray with olive oil then spread over the marinated mushrooms then roast in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until the mushrooms are slightly browned, Once done, remove them from the oven and set them aside.

While the mushrooms are roasting, prepare the sauce. In a large pan, melt plant butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook slowly for around 10 minutes then stir in minced garlic, minced ginger, and finely chopped green chilies, cooking until fragrant. Add the spices & let them toast for a couple of minutes before stirring in the tomato puree. Add the oat cream, water and roasted cashew nuts to the pan. Bring the sauce to a simmer then transfer the sauce to a blender or use a stick blender to blitz until smooth and creamy. Return the blended sauce to the skillet over low heat and stir in the roasted mushrooms. Add a knob of plant butter to finish the dish, stirring until melted and well incorporated. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and serve hot with rice, naan. 

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