Creamy Cashew and Yoghurt Chicken Curry with Cardamom
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking and America's Test Kitchen.
Chicken thighs marinated in yoghurt and ginger are simmered in a smooth cashew and caramelised onion sauce warmed through with whole spices, finished with cream and toasted cashews.
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Method
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Equipment
- large bowl
- blender
- large heavy pot or casserole with a lid
- wooden spoon
- instant-read probe thermometer
- small dry frying pan
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 524 kcal |
| Protein | 40 g |
| Carbohydrate | 16.8 g |
| of which sugars | 6.6 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 33.5 g |
| of which saturates | 15.3 g |
| Fibre | 2.8 g |
| Salt | 1.93 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
7.6 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 4 servings
Marinade
- 700 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 4 cm pieces
- 100 g plain whole-milk yoghurt
- 15 g fresh ginger, finely grated
- 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 4.5 g fine sea salt or table salt about ¾ tsp
Cashew-onion sauce
- 40 g unsalted cashews
- 180 ml hot water
- 3 tbsp ghee
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped about 300 g
- 1.5 g fine sea salt or table salt about ¼ tsp
- 1 tomato, roughly chopped about 120 g
Spices
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 4 green cardamom pods, lightly cracked
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 120 ml water
To finish
- 60 ml double cream
- 20 g unsalted cashews, toasted
- 10 g coriander leaves, chopped
- 1
Marinate the chicken. Mix the chicken with the yoghurt, ginger, garlic and salt in the large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours. The yoghurt's gentle acidity works into the meat over time, helping to tenderise it and carry the ginger and garlic flavour right through.
- 2
Soften the cashews. Pulse the cashews in the blender to coarse crumbs, then add the hot water, blend briefly and leave for 15 minutes to soften. Softening the nuts first means they'll blend to a completely smooth, grit-free cream rather than staying gritty in the finished sauce.
- 3
Caramelise the onions. Heat the 3 tbsp ghee in the pot over medium heat, add the onions and salt and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until deep golden brown, turning the heat down if they start to catch. Tip the onions and tomato into the blender with the softened cashews and blend until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Cooking the onions this far brings out a deep natural sweetness that underpins the whole sauce.
- 4
Bloom the spices. Add the 1 tbsp ghee to the empty pot over medium heat and fry the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf for 30-60 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the ground coriander, turmeric, chilli and pepper for 30 seconds, then add the cashew-onion sauce and the 120 ml water, scraping the base. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook gently for 10 minutes; frying the spices briefly in hot fat releases far more of their aroma than simply simmering them in liquid.
- 5
Cook the chicken gently. Stir in the chicken with all its marinade, return to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the chicken reaches 74°C in the thickest piece. Keep the heat low enough that the sauce only just bubbles, since a hard boil can cause the yoghurt to split instead of staying silky.
- 6
Finish and serve. Meanwhile, toast the 20 g cashews in the dry frying pan for 3-4 minutes until golden. Remove the whole spices from the curry, stir in the cream and heat for 1 minute, then scatter over the toasted cashews and coriander. Serve with rice or flatbread.
Storage
Cool quickly and refrigerate within 1 hour; use within 3 days and reheat only once until piping hot (74°C). This curry also freezes well for up to 3 months. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
