I have borrowed techniques from both India and Indonesia to make this dish. In Indonesia its redness comes from hot red peppers. I use a combination of the sweet red pepper, paprika and a hint of cayenne instead.
500 gms mushrooms chopped
1 big whole fresh sweet red pepper or 2 small
1 onion peeled and coarsely chopped
10 whole macadamia nuts, or 10 raw cashew nuts
Vegetable oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika or according to taste
Put the red pepper, onion and nuts into the container of a food processor. Blend thoroughly, stopping to push down ingredients with a rubber spatula whenever necessary. Take out the paste and keep in a bowl.
Heat oil in a wok or non-stick frying pan over a medium high flame. When hot, put in the mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, put in the garlic. Stir once and put in the mushrooms. Sprinkle about 1/4 tsp salt over the mushrooms. Stir and fry till mushrooms turn soft. Remove them leaving the oil behind. Keep them aside and reserve any liquid with it. Add oil to the wok and put in the red pepper paste. Stir and fry for 4-5 minutes or until the sauce looks quite dry. Add the cayenne and paprika. Stir once and put in the mushrooms. Lower heat and stir gently for 1 minute. You should have a very thick sauce. Check if there is enough salt and add more if required and cayenne pepper if you would like it more spicy.
