Lababdar is a Mughlai dish. This is very rich and creamy, as is any Mughlai dish. As I see it, Lababdar is a richer version of Makhni. This particular recipe is not very authentic as I have made a few changes to the basic recipe. I like to use capsicum (bell pepper/green peppers) and have also used almonds instead of the usual cashews in my version. I like the flavors of capsicum and mushrooms together along with the richness of cream, butter and spices. I used to make this recipe a lot during both my pregnancies and since I am a diabetic, I found that using almonds instead of cashews made a better impact on my blood sugars. For the mushrooms I have used the baby bella variety, as I find them to have a much more richer, earthier flavor than the regular white button variety, but you can use any. I slice them thick as I like the chunky texture they have, once they cook down.

Ingredients:

• Mushrooms(sliced thick)- 500 gms
• Capsicum (chopped into small cubes)- 2 medium sized
• Green Cardamom- 4
• Cloves- 4
• Cinnamon stick- 1 inch
• Bay leaf- 1 large
• Onions – 2 medium
• Tomato – 1 medium
• Garlic- 4/6 pods
• Ginger- 1 inch
• Tomato paste- 1 Tbsp(optional)
• Kashmiri red chilli powder- 2 Tsp
• Turmeric Powder- 1 Tsp
• Garam masala powder- 1/2 Tsp
• Sliced almonds- 2 Tbsp
• Cream- one splash (about 3 Tbsp)
• Kasuri methi- 1 Tbsp
• Cilantro (coriander leaves) – to garnish
• Salt to taste
• Butter- about 2 Tbsp + a dab for garnishing

Method:

1. In a large saucepan / kadai heat about 2 Tbsp oil and add a bay leaf, cinnamon sticks, cloves and the whole green cardamom slightly opened(otherwise they tend to pop in hot oil). These spices will be removed before blending so if you find it difficult to fish them out you can tie them in a muslin cloth and fry that.
2. Once the whole spices start to fry add chopped onions and saute’ a little till they turn translucent. You can add a little bit of salt here to help with the frying.
3. Add chopped ginger and garlic. Fry till it no longer smells raw.
4. Add turmeric and kashmiri chilli powder fry a little, then add the tomato paste. if not adding the tomato paste please increase the quantity of tomatoes by 1. Fry the tomato paste a bit before adding tomatoes.
5. Once the tomatoes are done and have mixed into the masala add a little bit of water and cook till the onions and tomatoes have blended well. Now add the sliced almonds and fry a bit. Turn off the heat , pick out as many whole spices as you can (mainly the bay leaves, cinnamon sticks and as many cardamom pods as you can) and let this mixture cool down.
6. Blend this mixture with very little water to a smooth paste.
7. In the same kadai, heat about 1 Tbsp of butter and fry the chopped capsicum till it is fried well and slightly browned on the edges. Take out and keep aside.
8. Heat another Tbsp of butter and add the thickly sliced mushrooms and cook till the mushrooms are done and the water it lets out, has decreased a bit in volume.
9. Add the ground masala, wash out the blender jar with a little water and add this to the kadai. Cook a bit adjusting the thickness by adding water little by little. It should’nt be too thin or be too thick to burn at the bottom. Adjust the salt.
10. Once the masala starts to boil add the browned capsicum, sprinkle garam masala powder and mix well.
11. Add a splash of cream (I use half and half that I always have in the fridge for my coffee)
12. Crush a few Kasuri methi leaves in between the palms and sprinkle over the curry.
13. Add chopped cilantro leaves and a dab of butter at the very end.
14. Enjoy with Naan, Chapati or even White rice.

Variation:

I tried out this recipe by substituting the mushroom and capsicum with paneer and green peas, it turned out pretty awesome. You can also make it a mixed veg dish by adding some carrots, beans, cauliflower and baby corn for a fun little variation.