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Home » Curry » Cashew Curry (Vegan) | Indian Kaju curry

Cashew Curry (Vegan) | Indian Kaju curry

Published: Mar 4, 2020 · Modified: May 7, 2020

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This Indian vegetarian cashew curry is amazingly rich and flavorful. Delicious and rich curry simmered in a tomato cashew gravy.

Its vegan and gluten free too!

cashew curry served with home made chapathi and yellow rice

Cashew is very commonly used in Indian cooking.It is used in both sweet and savory dishes.

Ground cashew paste is used in sabzis, Punjabi curries and Korma to thicken the gravy.

Whole cashew is used in many rice dishes like Biryani and Pulav to add a nice crunch and richness to the dish.

Cashew nut is also used to make cashew katli (cashew fudge) and used in many Indians sweets like halwa, kheer, sheera, payasam and basundi.

Coming to today’s recipe – The base for many Indian curries is cashew nuts. Cashew nuts are soaked in warm water and ground to a fine paste. The ground cashew cream is added to curries and kurmas, making these dishes rich and creamy.

But today the star ingredient is not the cashew nut cream, but whole cashew. Pan fried cashews are cooked in a gravy made of onion, tomato, cashew, garam masala, fenu greek powder and red chili powder. This unique, yet flavorful curry is a must try recipe for all cashew lovers. This curry is also called as Kaju curry in India.

This Cashew Curry

  • is rich, delicious and creamy
  • is a restaurant style curry
  • vegan and gluten free
  • served with rice or roti

Ingredients needed to make this Vegan Cashew Curry –

cashew curry ingredients

How to make Indian Cashew Peas Curry (step by step pics) –

Prepping – Soak about 12 to 15 cashew in warm water. After 15 minutes add the soaked cashew and tomato in a mixer jar and make a smooth paste.

1 – Heat two table spoons of oil and fry the cashew till light brown. Remove and set a side.

2- Now add cumin seeds and cinnamon. Fry for 15 seconds. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes till soft. You can add splashes water to avoid burning.

3 & 4 – Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for a 30 seconds. Add all the spices and coat them in the onion mixture.

making cashew curry in the instant pot

5 – Now add the ground tomato, cashew paste to the onion masala. .

6- Add salt and sugar and cook the tomato mixture till the oil releases on the top, about 5 minutes. Its important that we cook the tomato till the oil releases.

7- Add the frozen green peas and pan fried cashew ( save few cashew to garnish on the top). Add half cup of water and cancel the saute the mode.

8 – Mix the ingredients and close the lid making sure the vent is in the sealing position. Pressure cook on high for 3 minutes and do a quick release. Quick release will help us keep the cashew slightly crunchy. But if you prefer soft cashew, do a natural pressure release.

Taste the curry and adjust the seasoning. Finally add some coriander leaves and lemon juice (optional).

cashew curry making in the instant pot

Serving Suggestions:

Cashew Curry can be served with roti , naan or rice. I served it with rice, chapathi and butter milk.

cashew curry served with rice, chapathi and onion and butter milk

What other vegetables can I add in this curry?

You can add bell pepper, cauliflower, green beans, lima beans or edamame.

What can I replace garam masala and coriander powder with?

Both can be replaced with curry powder of your choice.

cashew curry served with chapathi and butter milk

Few more Instant Pot curries –

Instant Pot Paneer Butter Masala

Rajma Masala

Instant Pot stuffed Baby Egg Plant Curry

Vegan Coconut Bell Pepper Curry

Instant Pot Vegan Jackfruit Curry

If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to give a star rating below. For more recipes and to see what’s cooking in my kitchen, follow me on  Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

cashew curry served with home made chapathi and yellow rice

Vegan Cashew Curry, Indian style.

Creamy Cashew curry, Indian style.
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Author: Madhavi

Ingredients

  • ⅓ heaping cup slit cashew
  • ½ cup green peas
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 3 medium tomato, diced
  • 2 tbsp cashew (about 15),, for the gravy
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 inch piece cinnamon stick
  • 1 tsp chopped ginger
  • 1 tsp chopped garlic
  • ½ tsp red chili powder or to taste
  • 1 tsp garam masala or to taste or curry powder
  • ½ tsp fenugreek powder skip if not available
  • ¾ tsp coriander powder or to taste
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • salt to taste
  • ¾ cup water
  • 2 tbsp oil

Instructions

Instant Pot method –

  • Soak 12 to 15 cashew in warm water for 15 minutes. Transfer the soaked cashew and chopped tomato in to a mixer and make a smooth puree. Remove and set a side.
  • Turn the instant pot ON on saute mode. Add oil and fry the cashew till light brown. Remove and set aside
  • Now add cumin seeds and cinnamon stick and fry for few seconds.
  • Now add finely chopped onion and cook till light brown. Its important to cook till onion turns soft and light brown.
  • Add ginger and garlic and fry few seconds. Add all the spices, and coat in the oil and cook for 45 seconds.
  • Now add the pureed tomato and cashew cream, salt and sugar and cook stirring often till the oil separates. This step is important, to make a tasty curry. This will take about 3 to 4 minutes. If the tomato is splashing, close the pot with a lid.
  • Add ½ cup water, fried cashew and green peas. Give a mix and cancel the saute mode.
  • Close the lid and adjust the vent to the sealing position. Press manual or pressure cooker mode and adjust the time to three minutes.
  • After three minutes is done do a quick pressure release. Quick release will help us keep the cashew slightly crunchy. But if you prefer soft cashew, do a natural pressure release.
  • Give a mix and add chopped coriander and serve this delicious curry.
    You can saute the curry for a minute or two depending on how thick you like the gravy.

Stove top method –

  • Follow the same method as instant pot, but after adding the water close the lid and simmer the curry for 7 to 8 minutes and garnish with coriander.

Notes

To get the best tasting curry-
the onion needs to be cooked till soft
the tomato cashew paste needs to release oil when sauteed 
use good quality cashew 
fenugreek powder is optional 
sugar is added to balance out the sourness from the tomato
optional, but you can add lemon juice at the end, after tasting the curry. 
Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @MadhusEverydayIndian or tag #MadhusEverydayIndian!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Diya

    November 04, 2020 at 6:25 am

    5 stars
    hi can I add tofu, if yes when should I add it?
    thank you amazing recipe

    Reply
    • Madhavi

      November 04, 2020 at 10:08 am

      Yes tofu will be a great addition. Pan fry the tofu with little oil, salt and chili powder. Add it at the last five minutes after the curry is cooked and simmer it for few minutes

      Reply
  2. Sandy W

    March 06, 2020 at 6:27 pm

    When do you take out the cinnamon stick? Can ground cinnamon be used instead? If yes how much please?

    Reply
    • Madhavi

      March 06, 2020 at 10:04 pm

      You don’t have to remove the cinnamon stick. But if you want to, remove before serving. 1/4 tsp of cinnamon powder can be used as a substitute for the cinnamon stick. Hope it helps.

      Reply

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About me

Hello there, I am Madhavi, welcome to my blog! I share vegetarian, dairy and egg recipes from India and around the world. Hope you enjoy my recipes and Happy Browsing!

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