Curry de Nuci Cremos Sri Lankan (Vegan)
By Chef Sri Lanka (@chef_sri_lanka)
Ingredients
- 300 g raw cashews
- 1 tsp salt (for the brine)
- ½ medium onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 2½ tsp Sri Lankan curry powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp sugar
- 8 curry leaves (if you can get your hands on them, OR 1 - 2 dried bay leaves)
- 1 ½ cups good quality coconut milk
- 1 cup frozen peas (you can add extra if you like (I prefer less peas in my cashew curry))
- Salt (to taste)
Directions
- 1Place the cashews in a bowl and cover with room temperature water. Add the salt and mix to dissolve. Cover and leave the cashews to soak overnight (up to 24 hours).
- 2When you're ready to cook the cashews, drain them and set aside.
- 3Heat about a tbsp or two of oil (you can use coconut oil or a neutral tasting oil) in a medium-sized saucepan, over medium heat.
- 4Add the chopped onions and saute until translucent.
- 5Add the garlic, bay leaves/curry leaves and saute for a few minutes until it becomes fragrant.
- 6Add the soaked and drained cashews, turmeric, curry powder, cayenne pepper, sugar and a generous pinch of salt and the coconut milk. Mix to combine.
- 7Cover and let it simmer for 45 - 50 minutes. Check from time to time to make sure there's enough liquid in the saucepan - add water if needed. Add salt to taste.
- 8When the cashews are cooked, they should be firm on the outside, but not crunchy when eaten. They should be almost al dente in texture but be creamy when eaten.
- 9Add some water if the gravy is too thick (I add about ½ cup of water). Add the frozen peas and cook until the peas are heated and cooked through and the gravy is simmering - about 10 more minutes.
- 10Serve warm with rice. This can be made a couple of days ahead and it actually tastes better on the second day. Leftovers can be reheated.