Mushroom Chicken Kheema / Scrambled Mushroom + Chicken

Are you all enjoying the weather or still idling in the pod ?

Well here , spring has finally given me a chance to get out of my sleep and admire natures beauty everyday  taking walks with some sweet souls. Two birds with one shot ...Enjoy the freshness and burn some calories ;)

I tell you a walk in the morning in this mellow weather do a lot of good to you , and you feel so energized for the rest of the day . Don't you think so ? Any one doing that yet ?

We do a lot of hiking in Poconos, which is so close to where we live and we look forward to these awesome times every year. The recipe of the day is one of our favorite "on the mountain" ones , that we usually take with us to have a bite when we reach the high point . A wrap , a soda and amazing views ...mm..thats one yummy entertaining part of the hiking ....

The mushrooms are usually viewed as a substitute for meat ,but  they two go along so well, once you get a taste of it you would very well know how beautiful they complement each other .

This kheema is a very easy one to make and i use the regular masala from my spice rack. In my recipe here , cardamoms dominate a lil , but you can easily mix and match and your favorite curry powders or masala and customize it to how you love it . See notes @ the end of the post for some tips 

Recipe for Mushroom and Chicken Kheema (Wrap)

Ingredients:-

Ground Chicken - 250 gm ( or use boneless chicken pieces, mince it before or after cooking with some salt and pepper)

Garlic chopped - 2 cloves

Ginger chopped - a small piece ( optional)

Cinnamon stick - 1 small or 1/4 tea spoon of ground cinnamon

Soya sauce - 1 tea spoon 

Salt to taste

Hot water or chicken stock - 3/4 cup

Mushroom - 250 gm

Garlic chopped - 1 clove

Onion finely chopped - 1 small

Cardamom - 3-4

Cloves - 4

Star anise - 1

Black pepper - 4-5 or 1/8th tea spoon of ground back pepper

Red chili powder - 1/2 to 1 tea spoon( per your heat level)

Coriander powder - 1/2 tea spoon

Juice of lemon - 1 tea spoon( optional)

Chopped Parsley or any other herb of your choice - a handful .

Directions:-

Heat 1 spoon oil in a pan and add ground meat , saute well , breaking the lumps with back of spoon . Add salt to taste and saute till its no longer pink. Add chopped ginger , garlic , cinnamon and soy sauce and saute for another couple of minutes. Add water or chicken stock and cook it covered for 20-25 minutes , or until it is cooked( add more water if needed) . Uncover the pan and simmer for a couple of minutes until it is dry. Set aside.

Heat one spoon of oil in another pan and add chopped finely onions and saute for 6-7 minutes and add chopped garlic. Saute till it starts to brown. Meanwhile lightly crush cardamom , cloves , star anise , and black pepper in a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder and add to the pan . Toss it well.

Add red chili powder , coriander powder and juice of lemon(if using) and fry for a minute or so . Add chopped mushrooms saute for a couple of  minutes and add prepared meat mixture, parsley and simmering saute for some time , till it is mixed with all the masala , mushrooms are cooked and it is done and dry . Takes like 7-8 minutes .

On the go :-

Take a  Chapatis or a Tortilla in a foil , keep a small portion of the kheema and wrap it  . You can add a dollop of sour cream , cheese and some vegetables of your choice to make an  Indian burrito too ;)...

Notes :-

• If you are taking it for a trip , do not add onions and coriander powder ...
• I have used parsley in the recipe , since i love the smell of parsley , you can use any herb of your choice.
• Try to make chapati with butter or if you are using tortilla smear some butter on warm tortilla , to get that awesome aroma when you open the wrap :)

Cheers

Sarah