Cashew Chicken Curry
An epicurious recipe I tried recently and loved! Easy chicken curry with a nice nutty sauce.
An epicurious recipe I tried recently and loved! Easy chicken curry with a nice nutty sauce.
- 3 tablespoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 2 medium onions finely chopped (2 cups)
- 2 large garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 2 pounds chicken cut into 10 serving pieces
- 1 ea (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 3/4 cup cashews roasted (1/4 lb)
- Carbohydrate 11.8183303000976 g
- Cholesterol 127.110303018376 mg
- Fat 20.9394964425888 g
- Fiber 1.86310288020144 g
- Protein 36.7025657497111 g
- Saturated Fat 7.851949781275 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (238g)
- Sodium 144.64887822725 mg
- Sugar 9.95522741989617 g
- Trans Fat 1.95596962030684 g
- Calories 380 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat butter in a 5- to 6-quart wide heavy pot over moderately low heat until foam subsides, then cook onions, garlic, and ginger, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add curry powder, salt, cumin, and cayenne and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook, stirring to coat, 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, including juice, and cilantro and bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes.
- Just before serving: pulse cashews in a food processor or electric coffee/spice grinder until very finely ground, then add to curry along with yogurt and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring, until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Note: Curry, without yogurt and cashews, can be made 5 days ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered; reheat over low heat before stirring in yogurt and ground cashews.
- Serve with basmati rice. Garnish with Cilantro
Adding the dairy and ground nuts too early will cause the sauce to separate into an oily, grainy mess, making the final five-minute simmer the most critical window in the entire recipe. Control is maintained by keeping the heat at a gentle bubble once the yogurt and cashews go in, allowing proteins to thicken the liquid without seizing.
Achieving Body and Balance
Finely pulverized cashews act as a natural thickener alongside plain yogurt, absorbing excess moisture while imparting a rich, rounded body. Standard blenders often struggle with small quantities of nuts, leaving coarse chunks rather than the required powder; a dedicated spice grinder or food processor fitted with a small work bowl produces the uniform consistency needed for a smooth sauce. Butter forms the aromatic base for the onions, ginger, and garlic, but ghee can replace it equally if higher heat tolerance is required before the spices bloom.
- Curdling occurs when cold yogurt meets high heat; temper the dairy by whisking a small amount of warm curry sauce into the yogurt bowl before stirring it back into the pot.
- Advance preparation is entirely feasible by cooking the base chicken and tomato mixture up to five days ahead, chilling it thoroughly, and only adding the yogurt and freshly ground cashews after reheating.
