Chicken Curry with Cashews
4–6 servings
Ingredients:
1/2 stick (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 (in a pinch, powdered ginger will suffice)
3 tablespoons curry powder
(I added mustard powder, tumeric, and a number of other powdered spices I had on hand that I thought might work well; experiment)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 (3 1/2- to 4-lb) chicken, cut into 10 serving pieces (I used chicken breasts cut into 2-inch cubes)
1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes (I recommend substituting fresh tomatoes, whose flavor is vastly superior to most diced tomatoes; consider using the same amount of leftover plain paghetti sauce—already mellowed with long cooking time—or a can of whole San Marzano tomatoes instead)
(I also added some diced carrot and some frozen peas, which added a lot of character)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 cup cashews (1/4 lb) (or whatever nuts you have on hand; I had walnuts)
3/4 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (or coconut milk; I used milk with a few drops of coconut extract with half 'n' half, and it worked amazingly well)
Accompaniment: cooked basmati or jasmine rice
Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro
Preparation:
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 any other spices you wish to add), and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.
Add chicken, and cook, stirring to coat, 3 minutes.
Add tomatoes, including juice (or fresh tomatoes and a cup or two of chicken stock, which would replace the juices from the canned tomatoes, or add one of the other recommended substitutes mentioned above), and cilantro (and any extra veggies you wish to add), and bring to a simmer; then cover, and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes (or closer to 15 minutes if using cubed chicken breast). (If making ahead, see cooks’ note, below.)
Just before serving: Pulse cashews (or whatever nuts) in a food processor or electric coffee/spice grinder until very finely ground, then add to curry along with yogurt (or coconut milk or other substitute mentioned above) and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring, until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
Cooks’ 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.
DJ’s note: As you can see from my notes above, I had to improvise with the ingredients I had on hand, but it turned out REALLY well—especially the milk–coconut extract concoction. This recipe could easily be made vegetarian, perhaps by substituting large potato chunks or cauliflower for the chicken and reducing the cooking time accordingly. Enjoy!
recipe spliced from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-Curry-with-Cashews-231358 and my own experience tinkering with it
