Kaaju Curry (Cashew Curry)

We built a beautiful vegetable biryani for dinner tonight and were feeling quite pleased with ourselves. About 10 minutes into the baking time I suddenly realized that we'd prepared a dinner full of starch and veggies but completely devoid of protein! I frantically flipped through the legume section of the cookbook without much hope of finding anything that I'd be able to prepare in time for dinner. I was figuring we'd probably end up having to thaw out a few frozen meatballs to serve along side our fancy saffron-laced casserole.

Just toward the end of the legume chapter though, I spotted this delightfully simple cashew curry. Sadly, the first step ended with a 2-hour soaking period. It sounded so perfect otherwise though, so I decided to give it a go, replacing the long soak with a short simmer. This approach seems to have worked wonderfully! The cashews came out nice and tender with a lovely mild flavour. The Kidlet couldn't get enough of 'em! (If I'm honest, neither could I.)

Certainly not a curry for every day; if not for health reasons, then for budget ones. But what a lovely treat to enjoy when you have the cashews to spare. I'm used to cashews being used as a pleasant inclusion in meat- or tofu-based curries and stir-fries. Having them as the main ingredient made for a decadent (and delicious) change of pace.

Kaaju Curry

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 c. raw cashews
• 1 (400mL) can coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies¹
• 12-15 fresh or frozen curry leaves
• 6 green cardamom pods
• 6 whole cloves
• 1-2 (3") cinnamon sticks

Directions

1. Place cashews in a pot and add water to cover.
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Drain and return to pot.
5. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
6. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until sauce thickens (~20 minutes).

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¹ Iyer calls for ground cayenne here, but I swapped in some Kashmiri chilies instead since they're quite a bit milder and I figured the Kidlet would prefer it. Feel free to use cayenne if you're looking for something with a bit more kick. ^Back