Last week, was a mad-house at our place. Our visitors were family from India and out of town. We were 10 people (and a big dog) in the house. What a bedlam of activity we had in the house! My “grand kids” – two adorable 6-year olds were running up and down the stairs and the pooch kept barking at an imaginary foe. Simultaneously, adults were trying to talk louder and louder to be heard. The topics ranged from family gossip to jobs to holiday (mis)adventures to politics to just plain banter. No one wanted to go sight-seeing since we are all meeting after many years. We miss out on so much excitement and hubbub, from not having family living near us.

Life Revolves Around the Kitchen!

Except for one dinner which we catered from a wonderful restaurant nearby, we made the rest of the meals at home. When an Indian home has guests, food is not restricted to 3 meals a day. Let me describe a typical day to you…

Day starts with the inevitable early morning coffee that’s brewed fresh as each person wakes up. Not everyone is walking up at the same time. Some want their coffee black, some with milk and no sugar, some with milk and lots of sugar (definitely not a healthy choice, but I bite my tongue).

It is time for an elaborate breakfast to suit different palates. For the hearty eaters, it is dosa stuffed with potato curry served with generous quantities of coconut chutney. The kids found the curry too spicy, so they ate home-made chutney power mixed with warm cold-pressed coconut oil. Meanwhile, the health conscious preferred a homemade almond smoothie (easy-to-make-from-scratch using real almonds!).

Then came the 2nd round of freshly ground organic coffee to wash everything down.

Hub-bub at Midday

I keep lunch relatively simpler with a salad, followed by a soup served with freshly (albeit store-bought) baked and warmed up bread. It is no fun if the bread is not doused in earthy green and pungent olive oil, right? Everyone is exhausted from the eating and talking, so a short siesta (kids are forced to lie down and ‘be quiet’) follows.

The siesta is pretty short-lived, only to be followed by more kitchen activity: The Evening Chai. Not just some tea, not just any tea. This is Masala Chai.

How to Make Masala Chai

Here’s how to make it: Mix equal quantities of milk and water and bring it to a light boil. Add freshly grated ginger and cardamom. When it comes to another rolling boil, add tea leaves. Sugar is optional. Filter the concoction, and compost the tea leaves and spices. Then, slurp the chai loudly with the accompaniment of the loud crackling sounds of chakli, kodubale, tengolalu (rice based deep fried delicacies). Loud talking and laughing are a constant. We must make up for lost time during siesta, you see?!

Very soon dinner time rolls along and there’s more food. Appetizers, wines, single malt precede an elaborate array of food – pulao and raita, stuffed paratha (flatbread) a subzi (curry) or two and dal. Of course, no family dinner of this size is complete without payasa for dessert! More laughter, more entertaining stories, thanks to the alcohol.

Ciao! Adios!

Finally, it is time to say goodbye. Back to an empty house, with tons of linen and towels to wash. The house is eerily silent suddenly, and we miss the hubbub, the commotion and the camaraderie of bonding time.

On the flip side, I want to take it a little easy – I don’t want to spend time to go grocery shopping, I have very little patience to cook. This is where this easy-peasy dish comes in.

Mushroom & Colored Peppers Stir Fry with Dosa

Stir-Fry Mushrooms

It is time for me to get into the act. I quickly pull out mushrooms, bell peppers left over from the home-made pizza night. I summon the leftover dosa batter to the table. End Result: I’ve produced a lip-smacking meal that’s been easily put together with whatever is in the refrigerator. Now, I need to pay attention to that open bottle of organic red wine; it needs to be finished as well, before it goes stale…

Thanks to my childhood buddy Jyothi Shankar (check out her page for travel-food ideas) for persuading us to start eating mushrooms on a regular basis.

Mushroom Stir-Fry Ingredients

Do you love easy-to-make dishes for the not-in-the-mood-to-slave-in-the-kitchen days? Check out some of my favorites:

• Raw Banana Potato Sauté
• Forbidden Rice Stir Fry
• No Ferment Cabbage Dosa
• Rainbow Swiss Chard Lentil Stew
• Egg Curry
• Sautéed Sprouts & Vegetables
• Summery Quinoa Salad
• Vegan Creamy Mushroom Soup

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Stir-Fry Mushrooms And Bell Peppers

This colorful, yummy and easy-to-make dish comes in handy when you've had a busy day and have no time for grocery shopping or don't want to spend too much time in front of the stove.

Course Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine International

Keyword Bell pepper, colored bell pepper, Cumin, Garlic, mushrooms, nigella, stir fry

Special Diet Gluten Free, Grain Free, No Added Sugar, Nut Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 People

Calories 59kcal

Equipment

• Cutting Board
• Kitchen Knife
• Lodge Enamel Cast Iron Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 Teaspoon Garlic - Chopped
• 1/2 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 1/2 Teaspoon Nigella Seeds
• 1 Green Chili Pepper - Or to taste
• 1/2 Cup Onion - Chopped
• 1/2 Cup Mushrooms - Baby Bella or White Button variety quartered
• 1/2 Cup Yellow Bell Peppers - Thinly sliced long
• 1/2 Cup Red Bell Peppers - Thinly sliced long
• 1/4 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt - Or to taste
• 1/4 Teaspoon Cumin Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Coriander Powder

Instructions

• Heat oil in a wok or a thick bottomed pan. On medium heat, splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, nigella seeds, and chili pepper. Add garlic and sauté until the garlic turns light brown.
  
• Add onions and fry until they are soft and translucent. Add salt.
  
• Add mushrooms, turn the heat to high and stir fry, stirring every 20-30 seconds, until mushrooms are almost cooked. Add bell peppers and stir fry on high heat for 2-3 minutes until veggies have crisply cooked. Add cumin powder and coriander powder and stir some more until there is no more liquid left in the wok.
  
• Serve with dosa (crepes), use as a stuffing in your tacos or even add it to your cooked pasta!
  

Notes

Serve with dosa (crepes), roti, use as a stuffing in your tacos or even add it to your cooked pasta!

As an accompaniment to mushrooms, you can use any vegetable that can cook, yet stay crispy. Bell peppers (all colors, although I used only yellow and orange), zucchini, yellow squash - all of them will play well with mushrooms.

*Use organic ingredients wherever possible

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Stir-Fry Mushrooms And Bell Peppers

Amount per Serving

Calories

59

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

4

g

6

%

Cholesterol

 

0

mg

0

%

Sodium

 

150

mg

7

%

Potassium

 

172

mg

5

%

Carbohydrates

 

6

g

2

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

2

g

2

%

Protein

 

1

g

2

%

Vitamin A

 

200

IU

4

%

Vitamin C

 

57.8

mg

70

%

Calcium

 

20

mg

2

%

Iron

 

0.7

mg

4

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.