X is always one tricky alphabet when it comes to an A to Z series. If you are wondering what I posted on my previous challenges, here, they are,
Xanthan Gum Vegan Mango Ice-cream Xiaodianxin | Eggless Chinese Butter Cookies This year it is the Xacuti, precisely Mushroom Xacuti.
It was not hard to find this recipe at all. I resorted to Lord Google and asked for recipes starting with X. And I landed upon Xacuti prepared with chicken. I didn’t even realize it is a Goan curry then. When I further read, I realized it’s our Indian curry, and all my blogging marathon friends have already tried the vegetarian version of it. I was skeptical if I should try this xacuti or skip this and go for other options. Vaandu loves coconut and mushroom. So I decided to make it. I took the base masala recipe from Pavani’s blog but went with half the measure and included both sesame and poppy seeds. Once you have the masala ready, you can prepare the curry/gravy quickly. I would definitely recommend preparing the masala well ahead. :-) This Xacuti curry is more like vegetable vindaloo but with its unique taste. I liked the Xacuti masala. The masala is very versatile, and I used the leftover extra masala for other dry curries, and they all came out great. The pronunciation of Xacuti is like Shakuti, and I read that it is derived from the Portuguese recipe Chacuti. Now let’s get straight into the Goan Vegetarian Mushroom Xacuti Recipe,
Xacuti | Goan Mushroom Xacuti | Vegetarian Shakuti
The vegetarian version of the famous Goan curry – Xacuti prepared with the roasted aromatic Indian spices and coconut. Ingredients: For the Xacuti Masala:
Poppy Seeds – 1.5 tbsp White Sesame Seeds – 1.5 tbsp Peanuts – 1 tbsp Unsweetened Dry Coconut – ¼ cup Coriander Seeds – 1 tbsp Red Chili – 6 Cloves – 6 Cardamom – 6 Cinnamon – 3-inch stick Black Stone Flower | Dagad Phool – 2 Mace Flower – 2 Fennel Seeds – 1 tsp Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp Fenugreek Seeds – ¼ tsp
For the Xacuti Gravy:
Coconut Oil – 2 tsp Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp Chopped Onion – ½ cup Chopped Tomato – 1 cup Ginger Garlic Paste – ½ tsp Xacuti Masala – 2 tbsp Brown Bella Mushrooms – 6 oz pack Sugar – ½ tbsp Tamarind Paste – 1 tsp Water – ½ cup Chopped Cilantro – 2 tbsps Salt – 1.5 tsps heaped
Prep – Work:
Preparing the Xacuti Masala:
Dry roast all the ingredients given under “For the Xacuti Masala” until the sesame seeds pop. (Four to Five minutes) Ensure you dry roast over low heat.
Allow it to cool and grind it coarsely. Peanuts add the required moisture, so do not add any additional water. Store this masala in an air-tight container refrigerate it. We only need 2 tbsp of the masala for this recipe.
Prep – Work for the Gravy:
Chop all the veggies including onion, tomato, and cilantro. Dilute the tamarind paste in ½ cup of water and set aside. Clean the mushrooms and cut them into halves.
Gravy Preparation:
Heat a pan and add the coconut oil. When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds.
As they start to splutter, add the onions and ginger-garlic paste and cook until they turn translucent.
Then add the chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, and salt. Cook until the mushrooms are soft and tender.
Now add the sugar, xacuti masala, and tamarind water. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Finally, add the chopped cilantro and mix.
That’s it. Xacuti is ready. I packed it with roti. You can serve this with pav buns, rice or roti.
Notes:
Kashmiri red chilies are used for this recipe. But as I had only the byadgi variety, I went with that. Sugar is optional. Instead of tamarind, you can use kokum for the tanginess. Adjust the salt and spice as per your preference. If required, add a little bit of chili powder. Also, adjust the water (more or less) as per your consistency preference. You can replace mushrooms with paneer, tofu, or mixed vegetables.
📖 Recipe
