Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Cafreal Masala

When one is abstaining, or even trying to cut down on meat, the residing carnivore inside always finds a way to rear it's ugly head.   Finding non-meat options that are fulfilling is a quest that finds its answer in the Portabello Mushroom.  This mushroom has a nice meaty consistency and can be marinated or used in curries as a nice meat alternative.  Once cooked the Mushroom can be used whole in a bun (as a burger replacement), or sliced and served as a replacement to steak. 

For this marinade I used a popular Goan spice mix called Cafreal masala.  The cafreal masala was used to marinade four large Portabello Mushrooms overnight, and baked on a high heat the next day.  I served it with a fresh salad and a chilly lime dressing that went well with the Cafreal "steaks".

This recipe is kind to your heart, and to your overall well being.  Do give the Portabello Mushroom a place in your kitchen, you will soon become fast friends.

Ingredients

4 large Portobello Mushrooms

For the cafreal masala
2 green chillies
2 teaspoons chopped ginger ( about an inch)
4 big cloves of garlic chopped ( about 3 heaped teaspoons minced)
about 1 1/2 cups coriander ( with stalks cut just below the leaves )
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 level teaspoon ground cumin or jeera
juice of 1 1/2 limes

Method

Make the cafreal masala

Put all the ingredients for the masala into a blender ( I used my Magic Bullet), with the lime juice and blend till smooth. Keep aside

Remove the stems of the mushrooms. Using a teaspoon gently scrape the gills on the underside of the mushrooms.  Discard.
Take a wet paper towel and wipe the underside gently to remove any debris left from the gills. 

Gently wipe and clean the outside of the mushrooms to remove any dirt.

Using a marinading brush apply the cafreal masala liberally to both the outside and underside of the mushrooms.

Place in a dish and cover.  Leave it to marinade overnight in the fridge.

 The next day preheat the oven to 425 F.  Cover a baking pan with parchment paper and gently spray with cooking oil.  Lay the Mushrooms right side up, lightly spray with cooking oil and bake for 10 minutes .

After 10 minutes, remove the tray and flip the mushrooms over.  Bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Remove and serve in burgers or slice and serve with rice or a salad of choice.

The approximate nutritional value of each Portabello Mushroom is about 40 cal/ total carbs 5.1 g ( 1.5 g fiber) / total fat less than 1 g/ protein 2.5 g