This is one of our favorite plant-based authentic curry recipes, and often pair it with other dishes like red lentil curry, apple curry, jackfruit curry, mushroom curry, green bean stir fry, carrot curry, pumpkin curry, cauliflower curry etc. for an amazing vegan meal.
Sri Lankan cuisine
While Sri Lankan chicken curry is legendary, curries from the island nation go way beyond just that. The vegetarian cuisine of Sri Lanka is also one that’s full of flavor and creativity. Growing up, my family would eat entirely vegetarian meals on one day every week, but even on other days our traditional rice and curry spreads would often feature vegetarian dishes (check out my archive of vegetarian recipes for lots of ideas!). Plus, there was a phase when I was pescatarian (I could never say no to this incredible fish curry), and that made me appreciate vegetarian dishes a whole lot more.
Cashew curry
One of the dishes that I would absolutely flip for as a kid was Cashew Curry (cashew nut curry). As it turned out, it’s one of Mr K’s all-time favorites too! We didn’t make it often, in fact it was a special occasion curry that made an appearance only on, well…. special occasions. My grandmother and mother both had a signature cashew curry dish that was just so creamy and flavorful. I have also made the crunchier version where the cashews still have some “bite” to them. I personally prefer the creamier version. This creamy cashew curry is pure comfort food that’s full of delicious flavor and spices (like Sri Lankan curry powder, turmeric and chili powder), plus it’s gluten free and vegan too!
How to make cashew curry
It’s really easy to make, but you must have a little patience, grasshopper. The step where you soak the cashew nuts in salt water is really important – so don’t skip it. It plumps up the cashew nuts as they absorb the brine solution and leaves them well seasoned, inside and out! Otherwise it’ll be just bland cashew nuts floating in a flavorful curry sauce. For the sauce, use good quality coconut milk. Please read the label when buying coconut milk, because more often than not, you’re just buying water with coconut extract. You want the kind that has actual coconut milk in it (maybe with some guar gum as well that emulsifies the mix). This makes it so much creamier and more flavorful, and that’s crucial for a creamy cashew curry like this since the curry sauce is a critical component. Traditionally, a Sri Lankan cashew curry is cooked with only cashew nuts, but some people also love to add peas! I don’t have a preference there, but Mr K does, so we add peas whenever we make this curry. This Sri Lankan cashew curry is creamy, soft, nutty and spiced. We usually pair it with a spicy green apple curry (which is sweet, spicy and tangy) or mango curry, with some fried papadums (like in this mango chutney recipe) for crunch. It’s vegan, and you’ll never miss meat with a spread that includes this dish. If you do like a meat curry however, check out my black pork curry, chicken curry, lamb curry (mutton curry), beef curry etc. So go ahead and add this to your curry repertoire and wow your friends and family. Even kids LOVE this dish! How do I know? Because I used to be a fussy eater, but would NEVER pass up a chance to eat this! There’s a reason why a lot of people choose to roast their cashew nuts with curry powder, the flavors work really well. I hope you guys enjoy this cashew curry just as much as we do! 🙂
