Kalan Varuval | Coimbatore Road side Mushroom Fry

Mushroom fry or Kalan varuval is a very popular street food in Coimbatore. I am not a big fan of Mushroom, but my hubby loves it a lot and this was in my to-do list for a long time. Being a Coimbatorian, I have tasted this dish long time ago.  I tried multiple times with different ingredients, different ingredient ratio and methods to match the taste we get in Coimbatore. At last succeeded in my last attempt. Even If you are not a mushroom lover, it is worth trying this recipe. so here goes the recipe of famous Coimbatore road side food Kalan fry with step wise instructions and pictures.
Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Yields: 2 Servings

Ingredients:
Table 1: To Marinate

Oil	For deep frying
Mushrooms medium size	4
Ginger and garlic paste	1/2 tsp
All purpose flour	2 tbsp
Corn flour	1 tbsp
Turmeric powder	1/4 tsp
Coriander powder	1 tsp
Chilli powder	1 tsp
Salt	As needed
Food colour(Optional)	Pinch

Table 2: To Dry roast and Grind

Ginger and garlic chopped	1 tbsp
Coriander seeds | Dhaniya	1 tsp
Cumin seeds | Seeragam	1 tsp
Fennel seeds | Sombu	1 tsp
Black Pepper | Milagu	1/2 tsp
Anistar	1/2 piece
Cloves | Krambu	2
Cinnamon stick | Pattai	1/2inch

Table 3:

Oil	2 tsp
Onions chopped	1/4 cup
Green chillies finely chopped	2

Table 4: To Garnish

Onions finely chopped	For Garnishing
Coriander leaves finely chopped	For Garnishing

Instructions: 

• Wash and dry mushrooms in a paper towel to remove moisture. Cut into small pieces. 

• Dry roast the ingredients in table 2 and grind it to a coarse paste by adding enough water. Keep it ready.

• Mix ginger garlic paste, all purpose flour, corn flour, turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilli powder, salt and food colour by adding enough water into a smooth batter. 

• Marinate cut mushroom pieces in the batter. Deep fry mushroom pieces to golden colour. 

• Remove excess oil by placing the mushroom pieces in paper towel. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan.Add chopped onions and green chillies.

•  Fry till onions turn translucent. Add the fried mushrooms and ground mixture and allow it to cook till raw smell goes off and mushrooms are cooked. 

• Before serving garnish with finely chopped onions and coriander leaves.

Kalan Varuval | Mushroom Fry | Coimbatore Street Food

Tips: 

• Chilli powder, green chillies and black pepper are added at various stages. So carefully adjust it to your taste. 
• Drying the mushrooms in paper towel is a must before marinating and deep frying. Mushrooms leave water while deep frying, so remove the mushrooms as soon as the outer layer turns golden colour. 
• Garnish onions just before serving otherwise onions will make the recipe soggy.