Chicken Curry with Cashews

It's nice (if you're wimpy like me) to make a traditionally spicy dish at home, where you can control the heat. I'm always nervous to order a curry at an Indian restaurant because I know there's a good chance my iron-tongued husband will be eating it the next day for lunch. This was perfect for me. Not enough spice to make my tongue burn, but enough to keep it interesting (I may be wimpy, but I don't want to strip it of all its personality).

CHICKEN CURRY WITH CASHEWS

Makes 6 servings

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

2 medium onions, finely chopped (2 cups)

3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

3 tablespoons curry powder

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or more to taste)

3 to 3 1/2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 cup whole unsalted cashews

3/4 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (can substitute coconut milk)

for serving:

cooked basmati (or jasmine) rice or naan

chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

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1.       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.

2.       Add curry powder, salt, cumin, and cayenne and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.

3.       Add chicken and cook, stirring to coat, 3 minutes.

4.       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.

Can be made a day ahead up to this point. Cool completely, uncovered, then cover and chill. Reheat over low heat before stirring in cashews and yogurt.

Just before serving:

5.       Pulse cashews in a food processor or coffee/spice grinder until very finely ground (being careful not to turn them into nut butter). Add ground cashews to curry along with yogurt and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring, until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.

6.       Serve with rice or naan and garnish with chopped cilantro.

adapted from Gourmet Magazine, January 2005

heating the butter (foam subsiding)

adding the spices to the onions, garlic and ginger

spices mixed in

adding the chicken (I used half breasts and half thighs)

chicken mixed

adding the tomatoes and cilantro

tomatoes and cilantro mixed in

grinding the cashews

adding ground cashews and yogurt

done

serving with naan

leftovers with brown basmati rice

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Spicy Caramelized Cashews

These are a little spicy and a little salty with just a hint of sweetness (I'm a sucker for the salty/sweet combo). Great for serving at a party or as a special snack treat when you're watching the big game.

And talk about easy, I think this took less than ten minutes to make (not including baking). And you can make them ahead of time. You can't beat that.

SPICY CARAMELIZED CASHEWS

Makes 2 cups

vegetable oil or non-stick spray

2 cups unsalted raw cashews (about 10 ounces)

1/4 cup pure maple syrup (preferably Grade B, aka dark for baking)

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds (can substitute 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin)

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1.      Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a sheet of foil with oil or nonstick spray; set aside. Lightly grease or spray a rimmed baking sheet.

2.      Toss cashews and all remaining ingredients in medium bowl. Spread cashew mixture evenly in single layer on prepared sheet.

3.      Bake nuts until golden brown and coated with maple syrup mixture, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Immediately pour nut mixture out onto foil, spreading evenly. Cool 10 minutes, then separate and break apart any nut clusters. Cool completely.  Can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

slightly adapted from Lora Zarubin

raw cashews

raw cashews mixed with maple syrup, cumin, salt and cayenne

raw, coated cashews spread out on a baking sheet

baked and stirred

spread out and cooling

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Udon Noodles with Cashew Sauce

I'm sure you could replace the cashews with peanuts
(but you didn't hear that from me)

I had a big time craving the other day for noodles with peanut sauce. But because of my daughter's peanut allergy, I set out to satisfy that yearning with something similar instead. Sometimes that works and sometimes nothing else can really replace that exact flavor you're lusting after.  Luckily for me, this totally hit the spot.

Maddie liked it too, but had hers without the scallions (luckily I had the foresight to set some aside before I added them). You should have seen it, it was classic. She tried one tinsy little piece of scallion and made a giant production out of how nasty it was, complete with coughing (hands around the throat), gaging and dramatically spitting it out into the garbage. Eye roll.

UDON NOODLES WITH CASHEW SAUCE

Yield: 4-5 servings

1/3 cup sesame oil

2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or rice vinegar

2 cups unsalted roasted cashews, plus a few tablespoons finely chopped for garnish

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (14 oz.) can unsweetened coconut milk

1/2 cup chopped scallions, plus more for garnish

1 lb. udon* noodles or linguine, cooked until al dente

*available in the Asian section of most supermarkets

1.      Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for 1 minute.  Add the honey, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar and stir for about 30 seconds more.  Set aside (don’t clean the pan just yet).

2.      Place the cashews and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times (until cashews are very finely chopped, but haven’t turned to cashew butter). Add the warm ginger/garlic mixture; process until smooth, about 1 minute (now it will look more like nut butter).  Add the coconut milk and mix until smooth (another 30 seconds).

3.      Return the cashew/coconut mixture to the saucepan over medium heat.  Heat until sauce is warmed through.  Stir in scallions.

4.      Toss sauce with cooked noodles. Serve sprinkled with chopped scallions and chopped cashews.

cashew blob before the coconut milk is added

I really need some new plates, all these photos are starting to look the same to me

I order my cashews from tierrafarm.com (all their nuts and seeds are processed in a peanut-free facility).