Dry roast all the ingredients given under "For the Xacuti Masala" until the sesame seeds pop. (Four to Five minutes) Ensure you dry roast over low heat.
Allow it cool and grind it coarsely. Peanuts add the required moisture, so do not add any additional water.
Store this masala in an air-tight container refrigerate it. We only need 2 tbsp of the masala for this recipe.
Prep - Work for the Gravy:
Chop all the veggies including onion, tomato, and cilantro.
Dilute the tamarind paste in ½ cup of water and set aside.
Clean the mushrooms and cut them into halves.
Gravy Preparation:
Heat a pan and add the coconut oil.
When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds.
As they start to splutter, add the onions and ginger garlic paste and cook until they turn translucent.
Then add the chopped tomatoes, mushrooms and salt. Cook until the mushrooms are soft and tender.
Now add the sugar, xacuti masala and tamarind water.
Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Finally, add the chopped cilantro and mix.
That's it. Xacuti is ready. I packed it with roti. You can serve this with pav buns, rice or roti.
Notes
Kashmiri red chilies are used for this recipe. But as I had only the byadgi variety, I went with that.
Sugar is optional.
Instead of tamarind, you can use kokum for the tanginess. Adjust the salt and spice as per your preference. If required, add a little bit of chili powder.
Also, adjust the water (more or less) as per your consistency preference.
You can replace mushroom with paneer, tofu or with mixed vegetables.