DIY Curry Powder & Cashew Nut and Pea Curry

You know when you go to the doctor/dentist etc. and flip through a magazine only to find some swine has ripped out the article you wanted to read?  Erm, well, that might be me….

I cannot for the life of me remember which magazine I *stole* this from but maybe you’ll recognise it?  (Unless you were the person coming in after me…)

Anyway, this is a bit of a two-in-one because I am here to extol the virtues of the curry powder and go ‘Booooo!’ to the actual curry.

Since making these recipes I have gone out and bought a mortar and pestle (A bargain £7.50 in M&S).  This is because the muscles on my right arm are now larger than the left due to over an hour’s grinding/bashing/pummeling/rolling with my wooden rolling pin.  Talk about hard work!  Still, it was worth it and I have proudly made a really nice Sri-Lankan curry powder which has a lovely taste and just enough kick.  I also recommend trying to get the ingredients from a local whole-food type store rather than the supermarket as the spices are so much cheaper, having been bought wholesale and packaged up in-store.

sri lankan curry powder

Sri-Lankan Curry Powder

Ingredients:

1tbsp coriander seeds
1½tsp cumin seeds
¼tsp fenugreek seeds
½tsp fennel seeds
2½cm piece of cinnamon stick
3 cloves
5 green cardoman pods
1 dries bay leaf
2 hot dried chillies

To make:

Heat a heavy-based pan over a medium heat.  Add all ingredients except the bay leaf and chillies.  Fry until well-browned, stirring all the time.  Add the bay leaf and chillies and continue stirring until they also go brown and the other spices are a dark brown colour – but don’t let them burn!

Then allow to cool for a few minutes and grind into a powder.  I STRONGLY recommend you use a mortar & pestle (see my above comment!).  Allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container.  When I made it I had 2/3 tbsp of powder.

 

Cashew Nut & Pea Curry

The curry was not a great hit – in fact Husband and I only ate a few mouthfuls each.  There were just far too many cashew nuts in it.  It tasted really nice (from the above curry powder) but the texture was all wrong, especially for a main dish.  The reason I am including the recipe is because it has potential with a few less cashews, a few more peas and as a side dish.  A dollop on the side would be perfect.  I might have another go one day, but in the meanwhile I’ll let you take it, leave it or amend it as suggested!

cashew nut pea curry

Ingredients:

300g cashew nuts (soaked in cold water for 2 hours)
½tsp ground turmeric
2tbsp oil
2 onions, halved and sliced
2 chopped cloves garlic
½ cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
¼tsp cayenne pepper
½tsp mild paprika
1tbsp Sri-Lankan curry powder
300ml coconut milk
150g frozen peas

To make:

Drain the cashews then add the turmeric and simmer in salted water for 30 mins.  Make sure they don’t get mushy.  Drain and set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok and fry the onions for 5 mins.  Add the garlic, cinnamon and bay leaves and fry for another 5 mins.  Then sprinkle in the cayenne, paprika and curry powder and fry for 30 seconds.

Add the coconut milk and a pinch of salt.  Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 5 mins.   Add the peas and simmer for a further 2 mins.

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