Ciulama de ciuperci is a traditional and rustic creamy mushroom stew made in Romania. It has a beautiful flavor balance from deep earthy mushrooms, black pepper, garlic, sweet onions, a creamy sauce and lots of fresh herbs like dill or parsley.
The nice thing about the Romanian take on creamy mushroom stew is that it is highly adaptable.
- Can easily be made plant-based - since Romanians abstain from animal products for so much of the year it's common to see a fully plant-based version made with flour and oil-based roux thickened with water - no extra cream necessary.
- The creamy base can be made with a variety of dairy creams (traditionally smântână but can also be made with easier-to-source options like high-fat smetana or crème fraîche) or simplest of all plain milk or plant milk.
- Swap in chicken for a heartier stew.
Quick Summary
- Traditional Romanian mushroom stew made with a light roux and cream like smântână, high-fat smetana or crème fraîche.
- Features browned mushrooms, soft slow cooked onions, and fresh herbs - usually dill or parsley
- Naturally vegetarian and rich in umami flavor
- Easily make it fully plant-based
- Serve over mămăligă with cheese or a fried egg
- Great as a main or as a side for roasted meats
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Ingredient Details
Mushrooms: Mushrooms are the main component.
Oil: For sautéing the vegetables. You can also use more butter instead.
Fresh Dill: This recipe is made with a lot of fresh dill to bring a bright and sweet note to the earthy umami mushrooms.
Onion and garlic: Slow cooked yellow onion and lots of garlic make up the aromatic base and give the stew complexity. You can also use shallots or other sweet onion varieties in place of yellow onion.
Butter: Butter is the base of the roux. Can also be replaced with oil to make the dish plant-based.
Flour: Plain all purpose flour forms the base of the creamy sauce along with the butter and liquid.
Liquid: The stew is thickened with a butter flour roux and a liquid - it can be plain water or alternatively vegetable/mushroom stock, dry white wine, or milk (dairy or plant).
Cream: Traditionally a big dollop of smântână (Romanian sour cream) is stirred in at the end for extra creaminess. Since this is hard to find outside Romania it can be replaced with smetana or crème fraîche.
Seasoning: Salt, black pepper and summer savory (cimbru).
Equipment
A skillet or sauté pan with moderate non-stick properties.
How to make Romanian mushroom stew
Prepare the ingredients
- Slice the mushrooms evenly, either into thin slices, strips or wedges depending on preference.
- Finely dice the onions.
- Mince or mash the garlic.
- Chop the fresh dill, or measure out dried dill or your chosen alternative herb.
Cook the onions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or wide sauté pan over medium-low heat.
- Add the diced onions and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for 6–8 minutes.
- The goal is to soften the onions until they’re sweet and fragrant, without browning. This forms the sweet and earthy flavor foundation for the stew.
Add the mushrooms and seasonings
- Increase the heat to medium-high.
- Add the mushrooms along with the minced garlic, salt, black pepper, and cimbru (summer savory).
- Stir well to combine.
- Cover the pan and cook for about 5 minutes to allow the mushrooms to release their moisture.
Uncover and brown the mushrooms
- Remove the lid and continue cooking, uncovered, for another 5–6 minutes.
- Stir occasionally, allowing the liquid to fully evaporate.
- Once dry, the mushrooms will begin to brown—add a little more oil if needed to help with caramelization.
- Cook until the mushrooms are golden and aromatic.
Thicken the stew
- Sprinkle the flour evenly over the mushrooms and stir to coat.
- Add the butter and continue stirring until fully melted.
- Pour in about ½ cup of water, stock, or dry white wine, and stir well to combine.
- Simmer for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens to a light, creamy consistency.
Alternatively, you can stir in a beurre manié at this stage (equal parts flour and softened butter, kneaded together). This reduces any chance of the flour clumping so you can a perfectly thick sauce every time.
Finish the sauce
- Remove the pan from the heat.
- Stir in your chosen cream until smooth and fully incorporated.
- Add the chopped dill (or your chosen fresh or dry herbs).
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, or herbs until it tastes perfect.
Serving Suggestion
- Garnish with additional dill, crumbled feta, or grated aged cheese such as brânză de burduf or pecorino.
- Spoon the ciulama over warm mămăligă (Romanian polenta) for a traditional presentation.
- Optionally, top with a fried egg.
- This stew also pairs well with buttery potatoes topped with more fresh herbs (cartofi natur) or can be served as a sauce alongside grilled or roasted meats.
Recipe
Creamy Romanian Mushroom Stew (Ciulama de Ciuperci)
Ingredients
- 700 grams mushrooms about 1.5 lbs
- 2 small yellow onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 bunch fresh dill ¼ cup fresh chopped or 3-4 tablespoons dried
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup liquid 250ml water, white wine, stock or milk
- ½ cup crème fraîche
- 1.5 teaspoons salt or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper or more to taste
- 2 teaspoons dried summer savory cimbru - or substitute dried thyme
Equipment
- Large skillet or sauté pan
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients: Slice the mushrooms. Finely dice the onions. Mince or mash the garlic. Chop the fresh dill or measure out the dried herbs.
- Cook the onions: Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium-low. Add the onions and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant but not browned.
- Add mushrooms and seasonings: Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the mushrooms, garlic, salt, pepper, and cimbru. Stir well, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Uncover and brown the mushrooms: Remove the lid and cook uncovered for another 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are browned and the liquid has evaporated. Add more oil if needed to help them brown.
- Thicken the stew: Sprinkle in the flour and stir to coat the mushrooms. Add the butter and stir until melted. Pour in the liquid and cook for 2–3 minutes or more, stirring often, until the sauce is thickened to your liking. If not thick enough, continue cooking over medium-high heat until reduced.For a gluten-free version, skip the flour and butter and stir in a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water instead.
- Serve: Serve warm garnished with more fresh dill, crumbled feta, or grated aged cheese.
Nutrition
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FAQs
Typically button or cremini are used but any variety of mixed mushrooms is great for depth of flavor. The photos for this recipe show a mix of cremini, oyster, shiitake and beech mushrooms.
If you don't have fresh dill you can use fresh parsley instead or even thinly sliced fresh onion. If you don't have fresh herbs then you can use 3-4 tablespoons dried dill.
This dish is traditionally made with smântână a Romanian cultured cream which is fermented and has a high fat content of 20-35% which prevents it from curdling in heat. Smetana is its Slavic counterpart which has similar properties. If those aren’t available, crème fraîche is the closest substitute as it is a cultured dairy cream with high fat content of 30-45%.
Sour cream only has a fat content of 12-20% and will most often curdle when heated. If this is your only option then add once the stew is cooled and only reheat very gently and gradually.
Other option:
Mascarpone high fat but not fermented so it's still fragile - only add off heat.
Cream cheese high fat but not fermented so it's still fragile - only add off heat.
Whipping cream or heavy cream high fat but not fermented so it's still fragile and it's thin so it doesn't add any thickening unless heated which can cause it to split - only add off heat and in small quantities (a few tablespoons)
To make a dairy-free or plant-based creamy mushroom stew, simply skip the cream component or use a plant cooking cream. I've had success with Oatly oat-based cooking cream. You can also use an unsweetened plant milk as your liquid.
To make a gluten-free creamy mushroom stew you can replace the flour with cornstarch. Mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water to make a slurry and add it to the pan when the thickener normally goes in. Add the rest of the liquid minus 2 tablespoons.
For a non-vegetarian version, chicken works well. Use boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs either whole or cut into bite-sized pieces.
Bite-sized pieces: Start by browning in oil in the same skillet for 4-5 minutes over medium-high heat, turning to sear all sides. Remove from the pan, proceed with the recipe, and return it to the pan after adding the liquid. Simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through (internal temp of 165°F / 74°C), about 5–8 minutes for bite-sized pieces.
Whole pieces: Sear for 5–6 minutes per side until golden. Remove from the pan, proceed with the recipe, and return it to the pan after adding the liquid. Simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through (internal temp of 165°F / 74°C), about 10-12 minutes for whole pieces.
Ciulama is a category of Romanian dishes characterized by a stew with a thick creamy sauce.
The word ciulama reflects the deep Turkish influence in Romanian cuisine as it comes directly from the Turkish word çullama, which during the Ottoman-era referred to a category of dishes made up of meat or poultry covered in thick (usually flour thickened) sauce.
Çullama doesn't survive as a category of dishes in Turkish cuisine but there are a few versions in Romanian cuisine like ciulama de pui (creamy chicken stew) or ciulama de pui cu ciuperci (creamy chicken and mushroom stew).
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