Meatless Mushroom Gravy for Buckwheat

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   For this meatless gravy you'll need equal amounts of onion, carrot, and mushrooms, plus vegetable oil for frying, flour to thicken, sour cream for a rich flavor, and spices for aroma. Peel and wash the onion and carrot, and clean and rinse the mushrooms. I'd suggest using more mature mushrooms—they're drier and release far less liquid when frying than young ones do.

2. Step 2:

   

   Cut the mushrooms into small cubes.

3. Step 3:

   

   Dice the onion as well.

4. Step 4:

   

   Grate the carrot on the coarse side of a box grater.

5. Step 5:

   

   Add the chopped mushrooms to the heated vegetable oil in the skillet first.

6. Step 6:

   

   Fry the mushrooms over high heat, stirring, for two minutes.

7. Step 7:

   

   Then add the diced onion to the mushrooms and stir—keep the heat high.

8. Step 8:

   

   A minute after the onion, add the grated carrot to the skillet.

9. Step 9:

   

   Stir the mushrooms together with the vegetables and add the salt and spices. Lower the heat a bit and fry for another 5 minutes, stirring.

10. Step 10:

    

    After 5 minutes, sprinkle the flour over the contents of the skillet, scattering it evenly while stirring. Fry for another two minutes, stirring constantly.

11. Step 11:

    

    Then stir the sour cream into the skillet.

12. Step 12:

    

    Cook the vegetable-and-mushroom mixture with the sour cream and flour over low heat so it doesn't scorch, stirring thoroughly for another two minutes; the mixture will be thick and sticky.

13. Step 13:

    

    And finally, pour the water into the skillet a little at a time.

14. Step 14:

    

    Stir the mixture so it gradually dissolves into the water and turns into gravy.

15. Step 15:

    

    Once the mixture goes from thick to pourable, cover the skillet and simmer the gravy over low heat for another 8 minutes so it turns rich and thick.

16. Step 16:

    

    Serve the meatless gravy hot, ladled over portions of buckwheat.