Recipe: Kaju chi Usal (Cashew Curry)
Although the recipe is best made with fresh and wet cashews, you can prepare the curry with soaked cashews we get regularly at the supermarkets in the UK – just remember to soak the cashew nuts for about 2-3 hours.
Ingredients required for Cashew curry or Kaju chi Usal
250g Cashews – can be used dry but ideally wet or soaked for 2-3 hours
2 cups of freshly scraped coconut
1 tbsp poppy seeds
2-3 cloves
4-5 peppercorns
A small piece of nutmeg
An inch of cinnamon stick
4 green chillies
Salt to taste
For tempering, you will need mustard seeds, turmeric, hing (asafoetida) and ghee.
And for garnishing, you will need freshly chopped coriander and some grated coconut.
Method:
Dry roast all the dry spices separately. Grind them with the scraped coconut. Add in water if you need to. Leave this masala aside.
In a pan, prepare the tempering with ghee, hing and turmeric. Add in the soaked cashews and stir. To this mixture, add about half a cup of water, cover and cook for about 3-5 mins. Now, add the fresh masala prepared earlier. Add salt and cover to cook till the cashews are soft.
When done serve garnished with chopped coriander and scraped coconut. Cashew curry or Kaju chi Usal is not just nutritious and protein-packed, but tastes divine when served with hot chappatis!
Preeti Deo, India News Bulletin’s food expert, works in a Special Needs School and is passionate about cooking and experimenting with traditional Maharashtrian recipes.
Recently she has started a project whereby she is cooking up dishes following the recipes from the traditional Marathi cookbook Ruchira by late Kamalabai Ogale.
