Relish some toxic yet exotic delicacies

Who doesn’t like the idea of relishing foraged food? While it sounds exotic, the fear of toxic varieties makes you skip the funny-looking ones.
Move over button mushroom; there are many more varieties on offer. Chef Kato Toshikazu from San-Qi at Four Seasons Hotel and Chef Ashish Shome from the Hyatt Regency talk about the characteristics and traits of a few other varieties and how they can be incorporated into the Indian kitchen.Make the most of the fungus-ridden season.
Pappardelle ai porcini e prosciutto
Ingredients:
160 gm pappardelle pasta
30 ml olive oil
100 gm porchini
30 gm garlic
10 gm marjoram
20 gm padano parmesan
5 fm basil
20 ml white wine
30 gm parma ham diced
30 gm butter
30 gm vegetable stock
5 gm red chillies
Method:
-In a frying pan roast garlic with olive oil and Parma ham.
-Add the mushrooms and cook for three minutes until they turn golden. Add the white wine, herbs, vegetable stock and finally the butter.
-Cook the pappardelle pasta in boiling water with salt, add to the sauce. Finally add the parmesan cheese. Serve hot.
(Recipe by Chef Enrico, Guest Chef at MezzoMezzo, JW Marriott Mumbai )
Khumb Kofta Anari
For kofta mixture:
25 gm ghee
300 gm Portobello mushroom
80 gm cottage cheese (grated)
50 gm potatoes
25 gm khoya (grated)
1 pinch white pepper powder
Bread crumbs for coating, ghee
For filling:
25 gm fresh coconut (grated)
10 gm mint leaves
20 gm raisins
5 gm ginger
5 gm green chillies
1 gm green cardamom powder
1 gm garam masala powder
Gravy:
80 gm ghee
A green cardamom
A black cardamom
A clove
10 gm ginger paste
10 gm garlic paste
150 gm boiled onion paste
1 tsp turmeric paste
30 gm tomato puree
100 gm cashewnut paste
100 gm brown onion paste
80 gm yogurt
4 gm chilli powder
1 gm green cardamom powder
1 pinch mace powder
½ cup fresh pomegranate juice
50 ml cream
1 gm garam masala
Method
Kofta: Heat ghee in a pan, sauté mushrooms and cool. Mix in the other ingredients, divide into six balls and keep aside.
Filling: Mix the ingredients, divide into six equal portions and keep aside. Flatten each kofta ball with your hands and place the filling in the middle of the flattened patty. Roll it into a ball. Coat it with bread crumbs and fry it in ghee over low to medium heat. Cook until brown.
Gravy: Heat ghee and add in the whole spices and ginger garlic paste. Add the boiled onion paste and fry for a few minutes. Add the tomato puree and turn off the heat. Add yogurt, chilli and coriander powder. Mixed evenly and place it over medium heat, adding the cashewnut and fried onion paste. Cook for a few minutes and strain the gravy. Add in the koftas and let it simmer. Pour the pomegranate juice and sprinkle garam masala, cream, cardamom and mace powder.
(Recipe by Chef Kato Toshikazu from San-Qi )