Shamu Datshi

Ingredients

• 15¾ ozMushroomsbutton, oyster or mixed, sliced
• 7 ozCheesemild fresh cheese in the style of yak cheese, or feta/mild cheddar; crumbled or cubed
• 2Onionthinly sliced or diced
• 4Green chilislit lengthwise or sliced, amount to taste
• 3 clovesGarlicminced or pressed
• 3 tbspButterfor frying
• 1 cupWaterfor the sauce, vegetable broth as alternative
• 2Tomatodiced, cooked down into the sauce (optional)
• ½ tspTurmericfor colour (optional)
• Cilantrochopped, to garnish (optional)
• Saltto taste, sparingly because of the salty cheese

Method

1. Clean the mushrooms and cut them into slices. Slice or dice the onions, mince the garlic, and slit the green chilies lengthwise or cut them into rings.
2. Heat the butter or oil in a wide pan or a pot and cook the onions until soft and translucent.
3. Add the garlic and chilies and fry them only briefly, until they smell fragrant.
4. Stir in the mushrooms and fry for 4 to 7 minutes, until they release their liquid.
5. If you like, add the diced tomatoes now and let them break down as you stir; a little turmeric can go in here for colour.
6. Pour in the water or vegetable broth, bring it to a boil, cover and let it simmer gently for a few minutes.
7. Turn the heat down and stir in the crumbled or cubed cheese a little at a time, until it has melted into a creamy sauce.
8. Salt sparingly — the cheese already brings plenty — and let the sauce thicken for another 2 to 5 minutes.
9. Serve hot, scattered with chopped cilantro if you like.

Tips and variations

If you want deeper roasted flavour, fry the mushrooms hard on their own first, lift them out, and return them to the sauce at the very end. Leave out the tomato and the sauce stays pale and purely cheesy; for a thicker sauce, bind it with a little cornmeal instead of relying on the cheese alone. It also works very plainly, with just butter and salt, no onion and no chili — or with egg: pour beaten eggs over the mushrooms, scatter the cheese on top and let it set in the covered pan, seasoned with curry and nutmeg. Bring Shamu Datshi straight from the pan to the table with Bhutanese red rice, white rice or flatbread.