Kaju Jhinga Curry
This creamy Cashew Prawn Curry packs in a lot of flavour and is beautifully decadent.
Ingredients
- 500 g raw tiger prawns, peeled and deveined
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 3 tbsp ghee or mustard oil, or 1½ tbsp of each
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 4 green cardamoms, lightly bruised
- 1 bay leaf
- 10 fresh curry leaves
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- half a large onion, diced
- 2 red chillies, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
- 1 tbsp mixed powder
- 200 ml base gravy, warmed through
- 200 ml coconut cashew sauce (see instructions)
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
- 1-2 tbsp mango chutney (to taste)
- salt (to taste)
- 1-2 tbsp natural yoghurt (optional)
- juice of half a lime
- 1 tsp garam masala
- a handful of coriander, chopped
Instructions
For the coconut cashew sauce
- Add a large handful of cashews to a dry pan on a medium heat and toast for couple of minutes to release the oils. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool for a moment.
- Add the cashews to a blender along with a little coconut milk. Blend, adding more coconut milk, a little at a time as needed, until the consistency reaches something similar to double cream.
- Add a little turmeric, about a quarter teaspoon, and whizz again until incorporated.
For the curry
- Peel and devein the prawns, sprinkle with the turmeric, stir and set aside.
- Add the ghee/mustard oil to a large pan or wok on a medium-high heat. When visibly hot, add the black mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add the rest of the whole spices and stir for 30 seconds or so to infuse the flavour. Be careful not to burn them.
- Add the chopped onion and fry until they just start to turn golden brown - around 5 minutes - making sure they don't burn. The onions should be soft and translucent, with a hint of colour to them. Then add the chillies and stir through, frying for another 30 seconds or so.
- Add the garlic and ginger paste and fry until fragrant. Then add the mixed powder, frying for 30 seconds or so to bloom the spices.
- Add a ladle of base gravy to loosen everything up, then leave to simmer until the sauce begins to caramelise. Scrape the caramelised sauce back into the curry, as this is where the flavour is. Add more base sauce when it starts to look dry.
- Add in the coconut flour, along with the coconut cashew sauce and stir well. Stir in the mango chutney and a little salt to taste.
- Now add the prawns, cooking through until they start to turn pink, then reduce the heat to low. Residual heat should cook them through nicely - you don't want to overcook them or they will go tough.
- Stir through the natural yoghurt if you want a creamier sauce. Finish with the lime juice, a sprinkle of garam masala, and a scattering of chopped coriander.
Notes
This recipe makes enough for 4 reasonably sized portions as part of a bigger meal that includes rice and sides or naans. If you're just serving this on it's own with rice, it will feed 2 comfortably.