Sri Lankan cashew nut curry, a vegan curry with extra bite
I don’t think you can get more Sri Lankan than cashew nuts. This Sri Lankan cashew nut curry is full of flavour and packed with goodness. I’ve added potatoes and green beans to make this a full meal. If you are looking for a vegan, flavoursome, filling curry then try this Sri Lankan cashew nut curry with green beans and potatoes.
Are cashew nuts good for you?
Like any nut, cashew nuts have a high-fat content. Each 100g of cashew nuts has around 553 calories. But they are rich in dietary minerals, vitamins B and K. Just don’t eat too many nuts in one sitting!
The cashew nut and its apple
The cashew nut is unusual. It grows on the outside of the cashew apple which itself can be eaten. The cashew apple is versatile as well as being eaten fresh it can be cooked in curries, made into jams, chutneys and used to flavour drinks.
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A Sri Lankan recipe for cashew nut curry with green beans and potatoes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Category: Vegan
- Cuisine: Sri Lankan
Ingredients
- 400g raw cashew nuts
- 2 medium-sized potatoes (skin on, halved, quartered, and halved again / 4cm chunks)
- 200g green beans (chopped into 2cm diagonals)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 red chilli crushed
- 10 curry leaves (ideally fresh)
- 1 yellow onion sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 inch of ginger, chopped
- 2 tsp curry powder (see my recipe for homemade Sri Lankan curry powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
- Freshly made curry powder
- 200 ml coconut milk
- 150 ml vegetable stock
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Prepare ahead by putting the cashew nuts into a bowl of salted water, and leave to soak for an hour, but not more than two
- Put the chopped potatoes saucepan, cover with water, add salt and bring to the boil. Boil until the potatoes start to soften. Take off the heat, drain and set aside
- Top and tail the green beans, and slice into 2 cm diagonals and set aside
- Heat 3 tbs vegetable oil in a large frying pan
- Add the whole spices, chilli and curry leaves
- Now add the onion, garlic and ginger, fry until the onions are soft and transparent – will take up to about 15 minutes
- Add the curry powder and the turmeric
- Drain the cashew nuts and add to the pan, followed by green beans, stir so the beans and nuts are covered in the spices, onions, garlic and ginger
- Pour in the coconut milk and followed by the vegetable stock
- Nestle in the potato chunks, give a stir, so the potatoes are coated in the spiced coconut
- Season with the salt and pepper
- Cover the frying pan with a lid, lower the temperature, and let the curry cook
- Keep checking the curry, give the occasional stir. If the curry looks like it’s drying out, add a little water or extra vegetable stick.
- When the potatoes are soft, and the beans are cooked through, it’s done
- Serve with freshly boiled basmati rice
