Mushroom Cooked in Tangy Mustard Paste a.k.a Chatu Besara

 The  Odia food is quite simple as its people. It’s not very spicy, it’s like home-cooked food — delicate and tasty. Odia food is sublime yet tasty. The use of mustard and Panch Phutan(perfect mixture of cumin, mustard, fennel, fenugreek and kalonji – used in tempering vegetables and dals)  is quite common in most of the dishes. Besara is an authentic Odia dish prepared with mustard paste. Cooking mushroom in mustard garvy is a very common dish prepared in many odia households.

Chatu Besara is a yummy nutritious vegetable dish mostly popular in the state of Odisha . The primary ingredients required to prepare this dish mainly comprises of mushroom,mustard paste, turmeric powder, tomato, etc. Chatu Besara is very healthy as the main ingredient mushroom is enriched with vitamins and minerals. It fights cancer, lowers blood glucose, reduces the risk of gout, and keeps the heart healthy. Mushroom also plays a key role in building immune system. Owning to mushroom's various nutritional values; this dish is also relished in other parts of India. Chatu Besara is easy to make and can be prepared even at home. 

Ingredients

• 500 gms – Locally grown Mushrooms(preferably Pala chatu i.e oyster mushroom but of course buttom mushroom can be used as they are available all through out the year)

• 1 – Large potato cut into small cubes
• 2 tbsps – Mustard Oil
• 1 -  Large Toamtoes finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp – Turmeric powder
• ½ tsp- red chilli powder
• 1/4tsp – Panch Phutan
• Salt -  To taste
•  Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

For mustard Paste:

• 2 tbsps - Black mustard seed
• 4 to 5 - Green chilies
• 4-5 pods - Garlic

Let’s Learn How to make Chatu Besara

• Clean the mushrooms and shred them  into small pieces. Keep aside. Peel the potato and cut into small pieces.

•  Soak he black mustard seeds along with the garlic and green chilies for 30 minutes.  Grind this in to a fine thick paste by adding little water.

•  In a pan add 2 tbsp oil and fry  the cut potatoes till almost done and light brown in colour. Keep aside. Sauté the mushrooms till half done and keep aside.

•  In the same pan add Panch Phutan and once they started to crackle add chopped tomatoes and 1 to 2 slit green chillies. Saute for a minute. Then add mushrooms. Saute on high heat for 1 to 2  minutes.

• Add fried potatoes, turmeric powder , red chilli powder and fry for 2 more minutes. Lower the heat and  add the mustard paste. Saute for 2 more minutes. Add salt and required amount of water. Let it come to a boil. Cook for 5 more minutes.

•  Transfer to a plate and garnish with coriander leaves and Serve with pain white rice. 
•  Note: This curry is a bit spicy and tangy. So you could adjust the amount of chilli and tomato as per your preference.