explore

Passport & Plate - "Mushrooming" Tibetan dish in India

India | Saturday, March 1, 2014 | 5 photos

Ingredients
Its a Tibetan dish called -"mushrooms with vegetables"

Tibetans use "Tse Sesha" mushrooms. They are only available in Tibet used as replacement for meat. Else where the mushrooms that come close to Sesha mushrooms are Shiitake mushrooms that can be dry or fresh. Avoid button mushrooms. Beauty of the dish is it can be had by people of all age groups and you can replace mushrooms with chicken or cheese.

Shiitake mushrooms (5-6/ 200 grams)
Carrots (1-2)
Bell peppers and capsicum (2)
Broccoli, cut into florets (1)
1 Red Chilli
garlic cloves (5-6)
black pepper (1tsp)
lettuce (few leaves with any other salad leaves)
sesame seeds (optional)
salt to taste
oil

 

How to prepare this recipe
"Shiitake" mushrooms with vegetables and Tibetan butter tea

It's a Tibetan dish you can make quickly anywhere and anyone can have it. Beauty of the dish is it can be had by people of all age groups and you can replace mushrooms with chicken or cheese. It is healthy too.

Tibetans use "Tse Sesha" mushrooms. They are only available in Tibet used as replacement for meat. Else where the mushrooms that come close to Sesha mushrooms are Shiitake mushrooms that can be dry or fresh. Avoid button mushrooms.

In case you buy dry mushrooms, boil them before you start cooking. If you buy fresh mushrooms, just wash them gently.

Cut carrots, bell peppers, capsicum, lettuce, broccoli, 1 big red chili. Put them in warm water to soften them.

Take two spoons of olive oil and put 2 cloves of crushed garlic and 1 tsp crushed black pepper in hot oil. Do not let the garlic turn brown. Just after few seconds put mushrooms. Now stir on medium flame till mushrooms turn brown.

In another pan put olive oil and when the oil is hot put crushed 2 garlic cloves along with cut pieces of red chili. After few seconds put the vegetables with salt to taste, stir fry and cover with lid. After 5 minutes put mushrooms, put powdered red chili, stir and cover with lid.

In case you want to put water, do put half a cup water to soften vegetables.Serve with rice.

After this you can have Tibetan milk tea, if you want. Just boil few tea laves in hot water then put milk and sugar and churn till you get white color.

 

The story behind this recipe
In 2008, we went to Dharamsala in hills of North India which is the seat of Tibetan government in exile. We were making film on Tibetan music and movie industry. In the breaks, we rested at Tibetan restaurants and hence were introduced to Tibetan food. We tasted a lot- Tibetan eggplant chips, potato dimsums (momos) and the one that I really liked was this dish -mushrooms with vegetables.

That day, it was time for sunset. We were tired after film's shooting. So we rested at this small restaurant. The name was written in Tibetan, room was full of prayer flags and it was run by an old Tibetan couple. He apparently loved having us over. He gladly talked to us. He told us that Tibet is cold region where meat is loved,vegetables are scarce and meat is high in proteins. You can replace it with mushrooms.Tibetans use "Tse Sesha" mushrooms. They are largely available in Tibet. Infact the food is usually stir fried and roasted as its difficult to boil water there as the temperature is low. He told us how food has lots of garlic and black pepper and I could agree no more with him as I munched that dish. He even made us help him prepare Tibetan tea. Soon it was time to say good bi. But it was a lovely evening.

I came home in Delhi.I researched on net about Tse Sesha mushrooms. The mushrooms that come close to it are Shiitake. I'm sure Tse Sesha mushrooms might be available else where in world but I was not able to find it here. I also found this strange Indian connection. I searched for meaning of Sesha and there is a strange Indian connection. In India "Adi Sesha" means king of nagas, snake like demi gods that is loyal guardian of Lord Vishnu, preserver deity of Hindu Trinity. This mushroom when sliced looks like snake with its fangs.

I tried making it and it was easy to make. Every time I make it I go back into time. We have also gone to that same restaurant twice and relived the memories. .