I’m sharing how to make Punjabi Style Mushroom Matar recipe in the Instant Pot and in a regular pot on the stovetop. Mushroom matar masala is not something I grew up eating in a Maharashtrian home. I learned it after my marriage since it’s a very staple curry in North India and Punjabi cuisine.
Now that my kids love mushrooms, I tend to make this mutter mushroom curry in my Instant Pot as a quick 30 mins weeknight meal and serve it with rice or chapati.
It’s vegan, gluten-free, and turns out delicious with basic fridge and pantry staple ingredients.
If you like mushrooms too, be sure to check out my Mushroom Fried Rice and Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna Recipe too.
What Is Mushroom Matar?
Mushroom Matar Masala is a delicious North Indian curry dish where “Matar” or “Mutter” is the Hindi name for green peas. So Mushroom Matar literally translates to mushroom green peas, the star ingredients of this recipe.
Matar Mushroom is a mushroom and peas curry cooked in a spicy and tangy onion tomato masala flavored with Indian spices.
It’s a typical everyday curry that is vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free plus it is easy and quick to make in under 30 mins making it perfect for weeknight meals.
You can make this matar mushroom recipe as a curry or semi-dry curry (Sabji) by adjusting the water consistency and both ways it’s delicious!
This flavorful mushroom peas curry pairs well with rice, paratha, and roti. We love it with jeera rice and a side of kachumber (salad) for that perfect comfort food.
You can easily make this curry on the stovetop, traditional stovetop pressure cooker, or in the Instant Pot (my preferred way now), and either way, it turns out delicious!
Recipe Ingredients
Mushrooms: Use fresh mushrooms for this curry be it button or cremini mushrooms.
Green peas: You can use fresh or frozen peas in this recipe. I usually have frozen peas stocked up in my freezer and prefer using those.
Onions: I use a yellow onion for curries, but you can also use red onion.
Tomatoes: Use fresh ripe tomatoes along with some tomato paste. The tomato paste adds more flavor and color but can be skipped too. You can also use ½ to ¾ cups of canned tomato puree instead of fresh, and skip the tomato paste.
Ginger Garlic Green chili - Use freshly grated or minced ginger garlic for this recipe. Don’t skip these as they add tons of flavor to the recipe. You can use green chili (Thai or Serrano peppers) for a spicy kick or skip it to keep the curry mild.
Spices - you need just the basic ones used regularly in Indian cooking like cumin seeds, turmeric, Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and salt
Herbs - You will need dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri methi) often used in Punjabi recipes for their unique flavor and taste, and last but not least cilantro for garnish.
Lemon juice - It helps balance all flavors and bring the dish together. You can use amchur powder instead or skip it if you don’t like it tangy.
Please refer to the recipe card for exact measurements of ingredients.
How To Clean Mushrooms
Add mushrooms to a colander and spray them with water until the dirt washes away.
Alternatively, you can soak them in a bowl of water and wash them for a minute or so until the dirt mostly settles to the bottom. Recommend doing it just for 1-2 minutes and not longer.
Mushrooms have a tendency to absorb water and become waterlogged so best to limit the soaking.
Next, immediately wipe them off with a damp paper towel until clean. If your mushrooms are not that dirty, just clean them with a damp paper towel and avoid the water-soaking/spraying as I did for this recipe.
Slice each mushroom into 4-5 slices or you can even cut them into 4 quarters.
How To Make Matar Mushroom on Stovetop (Stepwise photos)
1 - Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds.
2 - Once the cumin seeds sizzle and splutter, add the onions and saute until lightly golden.
3 - Now add the ginger garlic and green chili. Saute till the raw garlic smell goes away.
4 - Stir in the tomatoes (I have used chopped you can also use puree), salt, and turmeric.
5 - Mix well, cover, and cook for 5 mins or until the tomatoes are nice and soft.
6 and 7 - Add the Kashmiri red chili powder, and coriander powder, garam masala followed by tomato paste. Mix well and cook this onion tomato masala till the oil separates from this mixture.
8 & 9 - Add the green peas and mushroom.
10 - Saute for 4-5 minutes.
11 - Add about 1 cup of water. (if you want to keep it dry (sabji), skip water or add less). Cover and cook till mushrooms and peas are done to your liking. I cooked for about 10-12 mins.
Note: mushrooms tend to let out moisture and shrink in size.
12 - Finally add the lemon juice, crushed Kasuri methi, and cilantro leaves. Mix well. Taste test for salt and adjust if needed. Turn off the heat.
Matar Mushroom masala is ready to serve.
Instant Pot Mushroom Matar Masala (Stepwise Photos)
1 - Start the Instant Pot on saute mode and add oil to it. Once the oil is hot add the cumin seeds.
2 - Once the cumin seeds sizzle and splutter, add the onions and saute until lightly golden.
3 - Now add the ginger garlic and green chili. Saute till the raw garlic smell goes away.
4 & 5 - Stir in the tomato puree and cook until it thickens.
6 - Add the spices - Turmeric, Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala followed by tomato paste. Mix well and cook for a minute.
7 - Add water and deglaze the bottom. Make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan.
8 - Stir in the sliced mushrooms and green peas. Mix well.
9 - Close the lid, move the vent to the sealing position, and press the manual (pressure cook) high for 3 minutes.
10 - Once the pressure cooking is complete, wait for 10 minutes and then release the steam manually (quick release).
11 - Start Instant Pot back on saute mode. Bring it to a simmer. Add lemon juice, crushed Kasuri methi, and cilantro leaves. Mix well. Press cancel.
12 - Taste test for salt and adjust if needed. You can also adjust the water consistency as required. Optional - At this point, you can also add in cream (or cashew cream or coconut milk). Mushroom Matar is ready to serve!
Serving Suggestions
You can serve matar mushroom with Indian flat bread like roti (Chapati), paratha, or naan or with rice (plain or jeera rice).
I love to add a side of kachumber (salad) or cucumber raita for that complete meal.
Storage Instructions
Allow the curry to cool completely and then store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Before serving, reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until heated through.
Recipe Tips
You can make this recipe as a curry (gravy consistency) as shared in this recipe or a dry version (sabji) while adjusting the water.
Mushrooms have a tendency to shrink and leave moisture (water) once cooked so if you are making this as dry mushroom matar sabji then cook until the water dries off to your liking.
I’ve used frozen peas but you can use fresh peas too. I recommend boiling the fresh peas (especially if they are not tender) prior to using them.
I usually make it as an everyday curry, so I skip cream but if you are making it for a special occasion, add a few tablespoons of cream (or cashew cream or coconut milk) for a rich and creamy mushroom matar curry.
Variation - You can also add peeled and chopped aloo (potatoes) or chopped palak (spinach) to this gravy to boost the nutritional value and some soft paneer cubes to add some protein.
More Punjabi Curry Recipes
I hope you enjoy this Mushroom Matar Recipe !! If you try this recipe, please rate it by clicking stars ⭐️ on the recipe card. Thank you ❤️! You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram to see what’s cooking in my kitchen!!
Recipe Card
Update Notes: This post was originally published on Nov 25, 2013, but was republished with, step-by-step instructions, new photos, tips, and a video in Mar of 2023.
