How to Make this Chicken, Shallot and Cashew Curry
This warming, fragrant chicken curry is the perfect dish to cook over the weekend when you have a little bit more time
- For the chicken
- 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
- 2 tsp turmeric
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 800g skinless bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 6 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 120g round shallots, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tsp sugar
- 100ml warm water
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- For the cashew paste
- 75g cashew nuts
- 5cm piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 green chillies
- For the temper
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 round shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 30g cashew nuts
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 10 curry leaves
Put the yoghurt, turmeric and salt and pepper in a bowl and stir to combine. Mix through the chicken, cover and leave in the fridge to marinate for at least two hours.
Meanwhile, make the cashew paste. Soak the cashews in 100ml of warm water for half an hour. Put the cashews and their liquid in a blender with the ginger and chillies, blitzing to a smooth paste.
Heat the two teaspoons of vegetable oil in a large, lidded saucepan on a medium heat. Add the cloves and cinnamon and let sizzle for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until golden – around six minutes.
Add the chicken and fry for eight minutes until seared all over. Lower the heat, add the sugar, a pinch of salt and 100ml of water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Stir in the cashew paste, simmer for a further five minutes, add the cardamom, and take the pot off the heat.
Allow the curry to rest whilst making the temper – heat the one tablespoon of oil in a small frying pan on a medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for five minutes until starting to turn golden. Add the cashews and fry for a further two minutes. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves, cook for 30 seconds. Pour the temper over the curry and serve with rice or chapati.
