Mushroom Fritters (Alambey Phodi)

Mom called and informed me that they made Mushroom Curry. During rainy season we get Mushrooms in abundance in Udupi. The harvest depends on rainfall, thunder and lightning. The higher the rainfall, better is the yield of mushrooms. In Udupi, India, the Mushrooms are like small pebbles which have a 2 mm shell around it. Once bought home, they require to be washed and boiled, de-shelled and cooked along with Cucumber. Some even cook them and deep freeze them in the fridge and use as per convenience.

In a similar fashion, in Goa, India the Mushrooms are tall and have a cap on top of it. We usually get it during August-September and they are very tasty. Mushrooms are known as Aalambey in Konkani or Alami in Marathi. Ironically, P had never tasted Mushroom Phodi before so thought this would be a good introduction to him as well. This recipe was introduced to my Mom by my Pacchi (konkani term for Aunty) from Goa. The end result is extremely delicious, so you would find many a people drooling over the Fritters. :)

Another thing which I realised is that Konkani cooking makes abundant use of seasonal vegetables. So you would see that cooking patterns vary according to the vegetables available for that season.

Serves: 2 individuals

Ingredients:

White Mushrooms - 1 packet

Rice Rava - 6-8 teaspoons

Red Chilli Powder - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon

Salt - as per taste

Oil - for frying

Method:

Wash Mushrooms thoroughly, slice them into two. This enables ease of chore while frying. Marinate it in salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder. Keep aside for 20 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan. Roll the mushrooms in rice flour mixed with 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder. Pay it out on the pan and pour oil in the exposed area of the pan. Turn around the Fritters after 5-8 minutes. Sprinkle little water on the pan and cover with a lid and cook on slow flame. Serve hot with Rice, Daal and Lime Pickle.

This post goes as an entry to FIC - Zodiac hosted by Ashwini's Spicy Cuisine and Sunshine Mom's Tongue Ticklers. My sign is LEO. My color is orange/gold. Here's my gold colored dish - Mushroom Fritters.