Mushroom Fried Rice

Fried rice is one of my favorites and I never seem to get my appetite filled with these. I am not sure if its becasue of the lightness of the dish or because it tastes so good..I can keep eating bowls of fried rice before I realize I am full...I often overeat and go "What is things made of?"..Sadly, I do the same thing when I make it!! Can't relate to this?? hmmn...Maybe its just me? 
So, I do try to make a lot of different varieties of fried rice each week..and mushrooms are sooo good for this because of the earthiness, the asian flavor, and the beautiful natural color it gives to the rice.. This version of mushroom fried rice combines mushrooms and celery without overpowering the dish with other veggies..
And thank god this is one of the rare lunch boxes my kids dont bring back home.. :) I am sure there are many moms here who can relate to this!! Come on!! Pls dont tell me your kids finish their lunch boxes! I'll be heart broken :P :)

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 1/2 cups
Water - 2 1/4 cups
Red Onion - 1 large, thinly diced
Mushrooms, brown/white - 25-30, thinly sliced
Celery - 2 stalks, thinly sliced
Chilli-Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Olive Oil - 1-2 Tbsps
Pepper - 1 tsp (or to taste)
Salt, to taste

Instructions:

1. Cook the rice in a rice cooker with the mentioned amount of water and a tsp of oil and salt. Let it cool and separate the cooked rice gently with a fork.
2. Heat oil in a wok or kadai in a high flame and add onions and saute until golden. 
3. Add mushrooms, celery and salt and let the veggies cook and soften.
4. Now add pepper, chilli-garlic paste and toss together until mixed.
5. Add the cooked rice and gently mix. Adjust salt, pepper to taste. 

Tips:
Adding salt to the veggies makes it cook faster and remember to do this whole thing in high flame so that the veggies dont lose their color and end up looking pale.
I use Kikkoman chilli garlic paste and that's my go to sauce for several dishes. You can try any brand that is your favorite. This paste is optional if you are primarily making the dish for kids as it could make the fried rice a little spicier. 

Mushroom Chicken Curry

This is a different chicken curry with mushrooms. The combination of mushroom and chicken is more common in italian foods and I've always liked it but never tried making indian curries with this combo..Here's my first trial

 

Ingredients:
Chicken thighs - 2 lbs
Mushrooms, sliced - 1 box
Onions, chopped - 1 large
Tomatoes, chopped - 1 large
Ginger garlic paste - 1 Tbsp
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Curry powder - 2 tsp
Coconut, shredded - 2 Tbsp (optional)
Chicken masala - 2 tsp (optional)
Chicken broth/Water - 1 cup
Cilantro, chopped - handful
Salt, to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add onions and saute until it turns golden brown.Add ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell goes away.
2. Add the tomatoes and cook until mushy. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, curry powder, masalas and salt and saute for a few minutes.
3. Add the chicken and water/chicken broth and cover and cook until chicken is all cooked.
4. Now add the mushrooms and cook in medium flame until the gravy thickens up. If using, grind the shredded coconut to a paste and add to the gravy along with pepper and cook for a few more minutes.
5. Finish with chopped cilantro.

Note that I did not use coconut paste when I made this curry since I did not have the time, which you can pretty much tell from the picture, but adding it will thicken your gravy as well as make it tastier :)