Make the most out of mushrooms with this baked starter that is savoury, garlicky and cheesy.

Chef Rajendra Singh Rana's impressive vegetarian appetiser Mushroom Tikka gets its big flavour from cheese, cream, spices, hung curdand green leafy veggies like palak, green dhaniya and microgreens.

Mushroom Tikka

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• 200 gm button mushrooms, choose large ones for stuffing ease
• 40 gm Amul cheese, grated
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 5 gm green chilly paste
• 90 gm hung curd
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp white pepper powder
• 1 tsp chopped fresh green dhania or coriander or cilantro, optional
• Microgreens, to garnish
• Pinch green elaichi or cardamom powder
• 80 gm palak or spinach, finely chopped
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 30 gm fresh cream
• Salt to taste, around 1 tsp
• Water to cook the mushrooms
• Chaat masala, to garnish
• Butter or ghee or extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle + to grease the tray
• Red, yellow and green peppers, cut into small squares, for serving (please see the pic above)
• Mint chutney

Method

• Preheat an oven to 180°C. 
• Grease a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
• Remove the stems of the mushrooms and keep aside.
• Bring water to boil in a small saucepan, over medium heat, and drop the stems in and let them cook until tender.
  Once done, drain and cool.
  Finely chop and keep aside.
• In a bowl, for the mushroom filling, add the grated cheese, garlic paste, chopped mushroom stems, spinach and the green chilly paste.
  Sprinkle salt.
  Mix well and stuff each mushroom with the filling.
• In a bowl, add the hung curd, white pepper powder, green cardamom powder, garam masala and a little more salt.
  Mix till a smooth mixture.
  Keep aside.
• Place the stuffed mushrooms on the baking tray.
  Drizzle some butter or ghee or oil on each stuffed mushroom and bake in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes or till the mushrooms are browned. 
  Take the tray out of the oven and cool slightly.
• On a plate, place the red, yellow and green capsicum squares.
  Place the mushrooms over the squares and smother a little hung curd-cheese sauce on each mushroom.
  Drizzle a little lemon juice and sprinkle a little chaat masala.
  Add a dot of fresh cream on each mushroom.
  Garnish with the chopped coriander leaves and/or microgreens.
  Serve the mushroom tikka with mint chutney.

Editor's Note: Make your own mint chutney. Use Lahu Kapduskar's recipe for Green Mint Chutney.

Chef Rajendra Singh Rana is the executive chef at Levels Pub & Kitchen, Bengaluru, a gastro-pub.

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