Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffed Mushrooms

I am enjoying my second childhood. No I am not having juvenile episodes nor am I throwing childish tantrums. 

As a child we have only one task and that is to study. That seems to be the hardest thing to do. We look at our parents and elders and imagine they have it so much easier. Each and every child cant wait to grow up because that would mean an end to endless studies and then like grownups we will have a cool and easy life. HAAH!! This is life’s greatest irony. 

We look back at those childish desire and give a wry smile. Now we wish to go back to that carefree, responsibility-free life of luxury where the only thing we had to do was study. Now juggling work, house and kids, surviving maid problems, rude neighbors, traffic, pollution, population, crime, we wonder why we ever grew up!

Coming back to my second childhood. I sit with my son when he studies and I am enjoying the textbooks like I never did when I was his age. Teaching him, explaining things, making him inquire and explore I realise I am enjoying every moment of it. 

When I am teaching him about the structure of leaves and flowers we spend an hour in the garden and kitchen garden exploring the varieties of flora and fauna. We sit under the night sky and try to identify stars and constellations. And all the while I keep wishing that I could be a child again and learn these things again and this time take more pleasure in the whole process.

This post is becoming more like a Dear Diary entry. 

Today’s chapter was about Microorganisms. We came to the topic of Fungi and he was mighty curious to know how we can eat a fungus. Explaining the concept of good fungus and bad fungus was not enough. So off we went to the market and bought a packet of pearly white button mushrooms. 

So this post is dedicated to studies and mushroom.

Ingredients

1 packet button mushrooms

1 small onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

½ cup cheese, grated ( I have used 2 slices chicken salami)

For sealing the mushrooms

4 tbsp maida

2 tbsp cornflour

For the batter

¾ cup maida

½ cup cornflour

1 tsp tomato ketchup

½ tsp soya sauce

Salt to taste

Wash the mushrooms well. Now cut out their stems and with the help of a knife gently scoop out the center. Be gentle or the mushroom may break. 

When you have taken out the centers from all the mushrooms then chop those mushrooms bits. Keep the whole mushrooms aside.

Heat some oil. Add the chopped garlic and onion. Saute for some time and then add the chopped mushroom. Fry and add grated paneer or chopped salami, whichever you are using. Season according to taste.

 Now stuff the filling in the mushrooms. Keep it level and don’t overfill otherwise while frying the filling will seep out.

Make a thick paste of 4 tbsp maida and 2 tbsp cornflour. Starting from the sides slowly cover the fillings so that they remain sealed inside the mushroom. 

Make a batter of maida, cornflour, tomato ketchup, soya sauce and salt. Dip the mushrooms in the batter and deep fry. 

P.S I bought two packets of mushrooms, one for myself and one for my son. This snack is from “his” pack.  Now I have to think of something to make from “my” pack.