Oh, Shiitake!

Cooking mushrooms is annoying. A huge bag of them cooks down to nothing. But I love, love, luuuuhhhooove this recipe! I was craving some familiar South Indian tastes, but wasn't in the mood for the same old stuff. I had some Shiitake mushrooms on hand, and some tiny, cute little new potatoes. Necessity is the mother of invention, especially when it comes to food! Let's get right to it.

What you'll need:

1/2 lb of mushrooms (any kind will do, but the Shiitake ones are my personal favorite)
1 lb potatoes (you can use the big ones and cut them down to cubes, or just peel and use the small new potatoes/red potatoes)
1 large onion
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon garlic/ginger paste
8 curry leaves

Spices:
2 teaspoons black pepper powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
2 teaspoons whole black mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Salt to taste

What to do:

Get your oil super super hot in a pan, and throw in the black mustard seeds and curry leaves. There's gonna be some MAJOR spluttering, so be careful! Throw in your chopped onions, and fry till golden brown, then add your tomato paste, and garlic and ginger paste. Cook for a minute, then add all your spices. Cook the mixture for another minute or two, and add the potatoes. Add some water (about 1 cup), cover and simmer till your potatoes are cooked. Uncover, and ideally, your water should have almost evaporated. Throw in the mushrooms and stir gently. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, add chopped cilantro and you're done!

This is really fast, but super tasty!