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Sri Lankan Cashew Curry

4.1

(12)

Photo of Sri Lankan Cashew Curry.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton

This creamy, mellow cashew curry is often the one soothing element—besides rice, of course—in an otherwise fiery Sri Lankan meal. Most traditional versions call for fresh curry leaves and sometimes pandan leaves as well; this version is based on my grandmother’s recipe, which has traveled with her through 12 countries since she left Sri Lanka. She usually had only dried spices to rely on, shipped in bulk from Sri Lanka every couple of years. Without curry leaves, a generous squeeze of lime at the end adds an extra layer of flavor to cut through the richness. Cashew curry is best served alongside a few spicier curries, sambols, and rice and is especially good as a leftover for breakfast the next day, as the flavors intensify overnight.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    1 hour, plus overnight soaking

  • Yield

    4 Servings

Ingredients

2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
1 Tbsp. virgin coconut oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 2" piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped
2 tsp. homemade or store-bought unroasted Sri Lankan curry powder
½ tsp. ground turmeric
½ tsp. paprika
1¼ tsp. kosher salt, plus more
1¼ cups unsweetened coconut milk
Lime wedges (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Drain and rinse cashews; set aside. Heat coconut oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. Add onion, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and translucent, 5–7 minutes.

    Step 2

    Add curry powder, turmeric, paprika, and 1¼ tsp. salt to pot and cook, stirring to coat aromatics, until toasted and fragrant, about 2 minutes.

    Step 3

    Add 1½ cups water to pot, scraping up any browned bits stuck to bottom with a wooden spoon. Stir in coconut milk and reserved cashews and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat so mixture is at a rapid simmer and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat as needed, until cashews soften slightly and liquid is reduced by two thirds, 25–35 minutes. Remove from heat and let cashew curry sit 10 minutes (sauce will continue to thicken as it cools). Squeeze in lime juice; taste and season with more salt if needed.

    Step 4

    Cook’s Note: Don’t stress over the texture of the cashews. After their overnight soak and simmer, they’ll be plenty soft—and you can’t really overcook them.

TagsCurrySri LankanSouth AsianAsianCashewNutGingerHerbs & SpicesCoconut MilkMainDinnerVegetarianVeganGluten FreeDairy FreeEpicurious
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Reviews (12)

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  • “Who eats a bowl of flavored cashews for dinner? Pushing the vegetarian thing a bit much here.” This is a traditional Sri Lankan dish boss man. not something some vegan juice bar in Berkeley invented. there’s a rich history of delicious vegetarian dishes in South Asia

    • Papa palpatine

    • 11/25/2023

  • Who eats a bowl of flavored cashews for dinner? Pushing the vegetarian thing a bit much here.

    • Anonymous

    • 1/2/2023

  • Tasty. Sri Lankan curry powder has no chilli in it. So this is a mild dish. I also added a bit of sesame oil as suggested. Could be eaten by itself or with other dishes. Or as a base to add veggies or if you prefer meat to. The squeeze of lime makes the difference. Add to end of cooking as well as garnish. Need to simmer down a long way. Don’t be impatient.

    • Kaosandkato

    • Alva Beach Qld Australia

    • 2/17/2022

  • Humdrum.

    • Barbican

    • Dallas

    • 12/8/2021

  • This was good. Very rich; intense and complex flavors. I added some vegetables the second time I made it, and reduced the cashews a bit. Great base recipe for other uses, probably. If you like nutty curries, it's definitely worth a try.

    • liz002

    • Hobart, NY

    • 5/4/2021

  • I followed the recipe exactly as written and it came out perfectly. The flavor was delicate and layered. The best part, it came together so quickly!

    • myparisiansky

    • Paris, France

    • 2/3/2021

  • Really enjoyed the delicate flavor. I didn't have the right ingredients for the Sri Lankan curry powder so I used a sweet curry powder which worked well. I found it difficult to thicken to the extent in the recipe, so next time I'll reduce the amount of water. I'm really glad I didn't bump up the spiciness as I was tasting because the end flavor was complex and delicious and would have been hard to taste with extra spice. I'll make again with the Sri Lankan curry.

    • jump11157565

    • 1/30/2021

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