What's for dinner tonight? Guess.

Years ago, a Sri Lankan friend of mine had a baby and her mother came to stay for several months after the birth. She made a delightful mushroom curry that has become a staple in my rotation of meals. My fondest memory of this dish was making it for my bar buddies in grad school - it's a great dish to make at 3am because it cooks quickly and is very satisfying.

I recommend using baby bella mushrooms. Also, this dish is VERY spicy if Indian grade curry powder is used. X is South Indian and even he breaks a sweat if I make it according to recipe - I make it with 1/2 tsp chili. Try it the first time without the chili, then take it from there the next time.

Sri Lankan Mushroom Curry

1/2 cup onions
2 cloves of garlic, 2 slices of ginger
1/2 lb mushroom caps, chopped in quarters
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper, ground
2 whole cardamom pods, crushed
1 inch cinnamon stick
1/4 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 tbs oil
salt
1 cup water

-fry onion in oil until edges begin to brown
-add garlic, ginger and stir fry for a minute or so
-add the rest of the ingredients and stir fry for a minute or so
-add water and bring to a boil, let cook for 10 minutes, then reduce and let gravy thicken