Feline Musings

I had read many recipes that used crushed cashewnuts in the curry. The use of the ingredient fascinated me and I decided to use it in one of my curry preparations. Incidentally, I also landed up with some cream in my refrigerator while cleaning up leftovers. Now I was tempted to use the cream also. The result a thick gravy recipe that I tried for the first time. The cashew-cream-tomato curry can be used as the gravy base for roasted potato, boiled chicken drumsticks, curd-marinated and pressure-cooked mutton pieces and even soaked-boiled gram. I used diced paneer in my dish.

Ingredients:

•  
  • Diced (Cottage cheese) paneer pieces: 250 gms
  • Onions: 4 large
  • Tomatoes: 3 large
  • Capsicum: 1 large
  • Cashewnut: 15 nuts
  • Cream: half a dessert bowl
  • Garam masala: 1 tbsp
  • Turmeric: ¼ tsp
  • Salt: as per taste
  • Chillie: as per taste
  • Asafetida (hing): a pinch
  • Cumin (zeera seeds): 1 tsp
  • Coriander (dhania seeds): a few
  • Cinnamon powder: ½ tsp
  • Onion seeds (kalaunji): ½ tsp
  • Ginger garlic paste: 1 tsp
  • Cooking oil
  • Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

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  • Grind or finely chop onions.
  • Heat oil in a pan with a pinch of asafetida (hing).
  • Season the simmering oil with cumin, coriander and onion seeds.
  • Add finely chopped onions, and on saute the onions till golden brown
  • Add ginger garlic paste and a pinch of turmeric for color.
  • Puree the tomatoes, capsicum and cashewnuts.
  • Add the paste to the fried onions and let cook till the curry gets a soft reddish-brown color.
  • Add cinnamon powder to the reddish brown curry and also add diced paneer pieces. (At this stage you can use any other main ingredient like soaked and boiled gram, boiled chicken pieces, pressure cooked mutton pieces or roasted potatoes.)
  • While the curry and the main ingredient is being cooked on low heat, whip the cream along with the garam masala and make a paste.
  • Add some water and salt as per taste to the cream-masala paste to flavor your complete dish.
  • When your dish is cooked well enough to serve, add the cream-masala paste and slowly stir-in to mix well with the curry. If your curry is too thick then you may like to add some more water.
  • Cook on low heat for not more than 3 minutes, else the cream can curdle up. Also do not add the cream at any prior stage.
  • Serve hot with a garnishing of fresh coriander leaves and butter naan (if you can allow more calorie-rich indulgence), else serve with freshly boiled rice.

Enjoy your meal and say cheese

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