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Mushroom Xacuti – A vegan spin on a Goan xacuti – Flavorful, spiced, meaty western Indian sauce that uses mushrooms instead of chicken! Serve with pav(dinner rolls), naan, roti, rice, or cauliflower rice for low carb. Naturally gluten-free. Nutfree Soyfree
Xacuti (pronounced shakuti) is a popular dish from Goan cuisine. Traditionally, this is a dish that is made with chicken or fish, but I love to use mushrooms here. There are a variety of spices in this recipe. There is also freshly grated coconut, which you can find in frozen section in Indian stores or use dried shredded coconut. Together all these flavors make a delicious, meaty dish that you can serve the traditional way with dinner rolls or add to tacos and wraps.
The spicy sauce is super flavorful and uses a combination of whole and ground spices and roasted coconut to make a deliciously complex flavored sauce.
This Goan mushroom xacuti recipe does use a bunch of spices, but they are worth it. Once you make it you will be inclined to make a larger batch to freeze and serve it with vegan chicken, chickpeas or tofu! Each bite brings you a burst of flavors and textures. Get ready to expand your Indian spice cabinet as I explore a lot more regional Indian cuisine this year.
The recipe also tastes great when using wild or forest mushrooms but you might have to cook them a bit longer than cremini or portabella. Then gather all the spice blend ingredients, grind them together with coconut and water to make a fragrant thick Goan gravy. Then stir fry garlic, chopped onion, and mushrooms and add some tamerind paste and then add the sauce. Simmer and adjust salt and garnish with coriander leaves! Done!
Serve with pav(Indian dinner rolls) rice or flatbread
More comfort food dinners
- Baked Madras curry Tofu
- Baked vegetable Curry Casserole
- Baked Balti Veggies
- Butter Tofu
- Tofu in Spinach Curry
- Vegetable Jalfrezi
- Masoor Dal tadka
Mushroom Xacuti Vegan
Ingredients
For the xacuti spice blend:
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 8 black peppercorns
- 1 whole clove spice , or use 1/8 tsp ground and add with cinnamon
- 1 star anise, optional
- 2 dried red chilis, Use Kashmiri chilies or any mild chilies such as california red
- 1.5 teaspoons poppy seeds
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup dried shredded unsweetened coconut or fresh coconut, thawed if frozen
- 1 cup water
For the mushroom:
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup finely chopped red onion
- 18-20 small portabella mushrooms or white or cremini mushrooms , quartered
- 1 tablespoon fresh tamarind pulp or use 1 tablespoon tamarind chutney, see notes for substitute
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- To make the spice mix: Add the fennel seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cloves, star anise if using, red chili and poppy seeds to a skillet over medium heat and toast until the spices are fragrant and the fennel seeds and coriander seeds change color.
- Then add in the coconut, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well and continue to roast until the coconut is golden evenly. Then take off heat.
- Add to a blender. Add the 1 cup of water and blend until the coconut has mostly broken down. I usually blend 30 seconds then move the mixture, let it sit for 2-3 mins to soak, and blend again for 30 seconds to a minute to break the coconut and poppy seeds into a sauce. Depending on your blender and texture preference, repeat for another 1-2 times.
- Make the mushroom: Add oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and mix in for a few seconds.
- Then add in the onion and a good pinch of salt and cook until the onion is golden.
- Add in the mushrooms, another good pinch of salt, a tablespoon of water and mix in and continue to cook for 5 minutes or until mushrooms are golden on some edges. Then add the blended paste and salt and tamarind pulp and mix well.
- Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Stir once in between. Check if the mushrooms are done. If the sauce is drying up too much, add a bit more water.
- Taste and adjust salt and flavor. You can cook uncovered for a few minutes if there is a lot of liquid in the sauce or depends on the consistency you prefer. If you want it saucy, then you can add in more water or some non-dairy milk and simmer for a few minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro. A squeeze of lime and or some thinly sliced raw red onion also are great garnishes. Serve with pav(Indian dinner rolls) , flatbread (regular or Glutenfree), or rice. As with all well spiced recipes, the sauce continues to get flavorful as it sits. So definitely make ahead and refrigerate to serve after a couple of hours or the next day, for full flavor impact
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients:
- mushrooms – cremini, portabella or wild mushrooms
- the mushrooms are stir-fried with some garlic and onions
- for our homemade xacuti spice blend we toast fennel seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cloves, star anise, red chili and poppy seeds. White poppy seeds are used in Indian recipes, but black poppy seeds work too.
- Tamarind adds the correct amount of tanginess needed in this delicious mushroom recipe.
- we blend the toasted spices with coconut, cinnamon, and nutmeg and water
Tips:
- If you’re not into mushrooms, you can also use soy curls or other chicken substitutes. Or add a can of chickpeas
- If you cannot find Tamarind, add some lemon juice mixed with a small amount of date paste
- There is a lot of flavor in this spice mix so even if you don’t have all the spices, this will work out just fine.
- The poppy seeds (khus khus ) used generally in the sauce are white but black poppy seeds work fine as well.
How to make Mushroom Xacuti:
To make the spice mix: Add the fennel seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cloves, star anise if using, red chili and poppy seeds to a skillet over medium heat and toast until the spices are fragrant and the fennel seeds and coriander seeds change color.
Then add in the coconut, cinnamon, and nutmeg, mix well and continue to roast until the coconut is golden evenly. Then take off the heat.
Add to a blender. Add the 1 cup of water and blend until the coconut has mostly broken down.
Make the mushroom: Add oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and mix in for a few seconds.
Then add in the onion and a good pinch of salt and cook until the onion is golden .
Add in the mushrooms, another good pinch of salt, a tablespoon of water and mix in and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Then add the blended paste and salt and tamarind pulp and mix well.
Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Stir once in between. Check if the mushrooms are done. If the sauce is drying up too much, add a bit more water.
Taste and adjust salt and flavor. You can cook uncovered for a few minutes if there is a lot of liquid in the sauce or depends on the consistency you want. If you want it saucy, then you can add in more water or some non-dairy milk and simmer for a few minutes.
Garnish with cilantro and serve with pav(Indian dinner rolls), flatbread, or rice.
What can I use instead of mushrooms?
As another vegan chicken substitute, you could use 2 oz rehydrated soycurls. Drain and roast with the onion and continue. Or use chicken subs of choice. Cook only 1-2 minutes and then add sauce
I’ve been cooking one recipe of yours everyday for a week now and I can’t stop!
Now for the Mushroom Xacuti, do you use and blend the whole star anise or just the pods in there? I’m not sure if my blender is able to grind the whole one.
Thanks!
You can add it later to sauce and remove it before serving