Creamy Cashew Chicken Curry Restaurant Style | Chicken Curry in Cashew Sauce
Author: 
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 5-6 Servings
 
Ingredients
  • Chicken - 1 kg, curry cut
  • Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
  • Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
  • Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
  • Salt - 1 tsp
For Creamy Cashew Paste:
  • Raw cashew - 16 to 18
  • Onion - 2, small, peeled and roughly chopped
For the Curry:
  • Mustard oil - 4 tbsp
  • Green cardamom - 5 to 6
  • Black cardamom - 1
  • Cloves - 5 to 6
  • Cinnamon - 1-inch stick
  • Onion - 4, large, thinly sliced
  • Tomato - 1, large, finely chopped
  • Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
  • Cumin powder - 1 tsp
  • Coriander powder - 3 tsp
  • Kashmiri chilli powder - ¼ tsp
  • Garam masala - ¼ tsp
Instructions
  1. Wash the chicken pieces thoroughly in a mixing bowl and drain out all excess water. Then add ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric powder and salt to the chicken.
  2. Massage the chicken pieces well with the aromatics and seasoning so that each piece is evenly coated on all sides. Leave it to marinate while you prepare for the gravy.
  3. Boil about 2 cups of water in a saucepan and add the cashews and roughly chopped onions. Let them cook in boiling water for 15 minutes until the onions turn soft.
  4. Drain the water out from cashew & onion and keep them in a bowl allowing to cool down completely.
  5. Once the cashew and onion are completely cooled down, transfer to a blender jar and blend them with some water to make an extremely smooth paste. Set it aside until needed.
  6. Now take a kadai/wok big enough to hold all the chicken. Add the mustard oil and let it warm up.
  7. Once the oil is warm, temper it with whole spices - green & black cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Let them crackle & become fragrant for a few seconds.
  8. Then add the sliced onion to the hot oil. Sauté the onion on medium flame, stirring occasionally in between to protect them from burning. Fry the onion for 15 minutes on medium heat until they turn golden brown and crispy.
  9. Now add the chopped tomato and give a good stir. Add about half a teaspoon of salt to soften the tomato quickly; cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.
  10. Next it’s time to add the marinated chicken. Tip in the chicken along with any accumulated juices to the kadai.
  11. Also add all the powdered spices - turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and Kashmiri chilli powder.
  12. Sauté the chicken with the spices, after giving a good mix, for about 30 minutes until any water released from chicken is dried up and oil starts to release.
  13. After the chicken is nicely sautéed, pour the cashew-onion puree over the chicken and start mixing it in with the chicken and spices using a spatula, keeping the heat on low.
  14. Thoroughly mix the cashew paste with chicken and cook them for 5 more minutes to warm things up. Meanwhile, heat about 2 cups of water until it starts boiling.
  15. Once the cashew paste is nicely mixed with chicken and oil starts to release again, pour in the hot water. You may not need the entire 2 cups of water; first add 1 cup, mix it well and let it come to a boil.
  16. Then lower the heat to minimum, cover the kadai and let the cashew chicken simmer for 15 minutes.
  17. After 15 minutes, uncover the kadai and check if the chicken is completely cooked through by poking one piece with a fork. If it’s done, then taste the gravy for seasoning and adjust if needed by adding salt as per taste.
  18. Also check the consistency of the gravy, if it seems too thick, add a little more of the hot water and bring to a boil.
  19. Your creamy cashew chicken is ready. Sprinkle a dash of garam masala on top and serve warm with plain white rice. Enjoy!
Recipe by Flavor Quotient at https://www.flavorquotient.com/2024/04/cashew-chicken-curry-restaurant-style/