Tag Archives: cashews

Coconut Chicken Curry with Cashews

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This Sri Lankan curry goes together fairly quickly despite the long list of ingredients. It’s best to use skinless, boneless thigh meat because it always stays moist and can absorb a lot of flavor from a short marinade in ginger, garlic, and spices.

To intensify the taste, the cashews and coconut are incorporated. First, half a cup of cashews is ground to a powder and added to the sauce. Then, after simmering for 30 minutes or so, the curry is finished with a generous cup of thick coconut milk and garnished with the remaining cashews.

In an unusual twist—a totally nontropical vegetable—parsnips are added, because of how they harmonize with the rest of the dish. However, we suggest changing up how they are cooked, indicated in the directions below. Instead of boiling them, sauté until lightly browned, then add back to the pot in the last 10 to 15 minutes.

Because we are not fond of coconut meat (but like coconut milk), we omitted the flakes. And as far as the cashews, why bother buying raw and then toast them, when you can purchase roasted cashews to begin with?

Coconut Chicken Curry with Cashews

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut in 3-inch chunks
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. grated ginger
  • 2 tsp. grated garlic
  • ¼ tsp. whole cloves
  • ¼ tsp. fennel seeds
  • ¼ tsp. cardamom seeds
  • ¼ tsp. allspice berries
  • ¼ tsp. cumin seeds
  • ¼ tsp. coriander seeds
  • ¼ tsp. turmeric
  • ¼ tsp. cayenne, or more to taste
  • 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 cup roasted, salted cashews
  • 1 lb. small parsnips, peeled and cut in 2-inch batons, woody cores removed if necessary
  • 2 Tbsp. ghee, coconut oil or vegetable oil
  • 1½ cups finely diced onion
  • 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 12-inch piece cinnamon stick
  • 3 cups chicken broth or water
  • 1 cup thick coconut milk
  • Steamed rice
  • A few sprigs of mint and cilantro for garnish, optional

Directions

  1. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper and put it in a mixing bowl. Add ginger and garlic and massage into meat. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast cloves, fennel, cardamom, allspice, cumin and coriander until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Grind the toasted spices to a fine powder in an electric spice mill and add to chicken. Add turmeric, cayenne and lemon juice and mix well. Let marinate at room temperature for at least 15 minutes, or refrigerate up to 1 hour.
  2. Grind the ½ cup cashews in a spice mill or small food processor to make a rough powder. Reserve ½ cup cashews for garnish.
  3. In a wide heavy-bottomed pot, heat ghee over medium-high heat. Add parsnips and sauté until lightly browned. Remove and reserve. Add chicken pieces to the pot, stirring occasionally until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, then remove and set aside.
  4. Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes more. Add tomato paste and let it sizzle with onions for a minute or two. Add broth and bring to a brisk simmer, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping up any caramelized bits from the pot. Add cinnamon stick, chicken, and the ground cashews. Adjust the heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Add parsnips, cover the pot again, and simmer until the chicken and parsnips are tender, about 10-15 minutes longer. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
  5. To finish the dish, stir in coconut milk. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until heated through and the sauce has thickened slightly. Transfer to a serving bowl over steaming rice and sprinkle with reserved cashews. Garnish with mint and cilantro sprigs, if using.

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Adapted from a recipe by David Tanis for NYTimes Cooking

Grilled Soy-Basted Chicken Thighs with Spicy Cashews

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The skinless chicken browns nicely over a medium flame, and the sugary soy basting sauce lacquers it beautifully in the final few minutes of cooking. It’s terrific with rice, or as a topping for a salad of sturdy greens. You may wish to double the recipe for Sriracha-roasted cashews (we are glad that we did!). They are addictive, and for them you will find many delicious uses.

This dish was so packed with flavor, we couldn’t stop moaning with each bite we took. And we were thrilled to have leftovers for lunch the next day.

Grilled Soy-Basted Chicken Thighs with Spicy Cashews

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • ½ cup unsalted cashews
  • 2 Tbsp. Sriracha sauce
  • 3 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
  • ½ cup plus 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. cracked black pepper
  • Hot sauce, to taste
  • 2½ lbs. skinless, boneless chicken thighs
  • ¼ cup brown sugar (light or dark) or molasses
  • 2 Tbsp. peeled and minced ginger
  • 4 scallions, sliced thin
  • 5 or 6 springs cilantro, tough stems removed and roughly chopped (approximately 2 Tbsp.)

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine cashews and Sriracha sauce in a small bowl and stir until nuts are coated. Line a small baking pan with foil and spread the coated cashews out on it, then place in the oven and bake until nuts are dry, approximately 20 minutes. Carefully remove the nuts from the foil and let cool, then chop roughly and set aside in a small bowl.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together sesame oil, ½ cup soy sauce, the hoisin sauce and the black pepper, and hot sauce if using. Add chicken thighs and stir to coat. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
  3. For the basting sauce, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce, the brown sugar and the ginger in a small bowl, and whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
  4. When you are ready to cook the chicken, build a fire in a charcoal grill, leaving about â…“ of the cooking space free of coals. When coals are covered with gray ash and the temperature is medium (you can hold your hand 5 inches above the coals for 5 to 7 seconds), you are ready to cook. (For a gas grill, turn one burner to high, leaving the others off, then lower cover and heat for 15 minutes.)
  5. Using tongs, remove chicken thighs from marinade and cook, directly over the coals, turning every few minutes, until they are well-browned but not crusty, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Then, using a pastry brush, begin to baste them with the soy, ginger and sugar mixture, until they develop a lacquer, an additional 8 to 10 minutes, again turning every few minutes. (If chicken threatens to burn, place it over the part of the grill without coals.)
  6. Transfer chicken to a warmed platter, sprinkle with the chopped cashews, the scallions and the cilantro, and serve.

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Recipe from Sam Sifton for NYTimes Cooking

Thai Stir-Fried Chicken with Cashews

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When it comes to Thai food, the cuisine ranks among the top of our ethnic food preferences. This classic from Milk Street, Thai Stir-Fried Chicken with Cashews raised the bar as the best version we’ve made at home. We pretty much followed the recipe to a T, except exchanging a medium-large red pepper in place of the small one. Oh, and of course we increased the amount of cashews 😉

Milk Street’s version uses mostly pantry staples and can be on the table in about 30 minutes. The chicken marinates for 15 minutes before cooking, and you can prep the bell pepper and scallions in the meantime. Serve the stir-fry with steamed jasmine rice.

Tip: Don’t discard the marinade after draining the chicken. It’s mixed with ¼ cup water and becomes a sauce that lightly coats the chicken and vegetables.

With stir-fries, most commonly we use our carbon steel wok, but our large cast-iron skillet happened to be sitting on the stovetop that evening, so it became the vehicle of choice. Choose your weapon—I mean skillet—according to your own preference, but don’t use a non-stick otherwise the chicken won’t brown well, if at all.

Thai Stir-Fried Chicken with Cashews

  • Servings: 3-4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 5 medium garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 3 Tbsp. fish sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 2 tsp. white sugar
  • 2 tsp. cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 3/4 tsp. ground white pepper
  • 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 Tbsp. peanut oil
  • 1 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and sliced into thin strips
  • 1 bunch scallions, cut into 1-inch lengths; save some thinly sliced greens for garnish
  • 1/2 cup roasted cashews, more for garnish if desired

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, pepper flakes and ¾ teaspoon white pepper. Stir in the chicken, then marinate at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.
  2. Drain the chicken in a fine mesh strainer set over a medium bowl, pressing the chicken to remove excess marinade. Stir ¼ cup water into the marinade and set aside.
  3. In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat the oil until barely smoking. Add the chicken in an even layer, then cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
  4. Stir in the bell pepper, scallions and cashews. Stir the marinade mixture to recombine, add to the pan and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid thickens and clings to the chicken, about 2 minutes.
  5. Taste and season with white pepper.

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Adapted from a recipe by Courtney Hill for Milk Street

Grilled Shrimp Satay and Cantaloupe Salad

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We’ve been posting a lot of grilled skewer recipes lately and here’s one more, this time for you shrimp lovers. There are myriad versions of Southeast Asian satay, which are grilled skewers of seasoned meats or seafood. This simplified version, complements of Milk Street, is a Singapore-style shrimp satay mainstay.

A fragrant blend of cashews and coconut milk gave the shrimp richness and cloaked them with wonderful bold flavors. The pungent shallot-vinegar dipping sauce created a perfect accent and was the icing on the cake. While we figured it was going to be good based on the ingredients, we weren’t quite prepared for just how fabulous it was!

As for the shrimp themselves, we bought jumbo sized because they were on sale and they don’t dry out as quickly. Consequently it took another minute or so to grill them. Yes, some of the marinade will fall off into the grill, but as you can see from the photos, a good portion remains clinging to the shrimp.

A couple of DONT’S: Don’t use shrimp smaller than the size specified (although you can go larger like we did). They will overcook before they have a chance to take on any the flavorful char that is a hallmark of satay. And don’t use light coconut milk. The fat from regular coconut milk is needed for flavor.

Along with the shrimp satay, our meal consisted of steamed rice,
and cantaloupe salad.

Grilled Shrimp Satay

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1½ lbs. extra-large (21/25 per pound) shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on
  • ½ cup roasted cashews, plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped roasted cashews
  • 5 Tbsp. coconut milk, divided
  • 1 oz, fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 4 med. garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
  • 1 Tbsp. grated lime zest
  • 2 serrano chilies, stemmed, halved and seeded, divided
  • 3 Tbsp. packed light or dark brown sugar, divided
  • 4 tsp. fish sauce, divided
  • 2 med. shallots, finely chopped
  • ½ cup unseasoned rice vinegar

Directions

  1. In a food processor, combine the ½ cup cashews and 3 tablespoons of coconut milk. Process until almost smooth, about 1 minute, scraping the bowl as needed.
  2. Add the ginger, garlic, lime zest, 2 chili halves, 1 tablespoon of sugar and 2 teaspoons fish sauce; process until finely chopped, 1 to 2 minutes.
  3. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the shrimp, rubbing to coat them thoroughly. Marinate at room temperature while you make the sauce and prepare the grill.
  4. Thinly slice the remaining 2 chili halves and add to a small bowl along with with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, the remaining 2 teaspoons fish sauce, the shallots and vinegar. Stir until the sugar dissolves; set aside.
  5. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct, high heat cooking.
  6. While the grill heats, thread the shrimp onto eight 10- to 12-inch skewers, dividing them evenly. Skewer each shrimp in a C shape, piercing through two points.
  7. When the grill is ready, brush one side of the skewered shrimp with some of the remaining 2 tablespoons coconut milk. Place the skewers brushed side down on the grill (directly over the coals if using charcoal) and cook until the shrimp are well charred, 2 to 3 minutes.
  8. Brush the skewers with the remaining coconut milk, then flip and cook until the second sides are well charred and the shrimp just turn opaque, about another 2 minutes.
  9. Sprinkle with chopped cashews and serve with the dipping sauce.
Prepare the dipping sauce before you start grilling the shrimp.

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Recipe from Milk Street

Cantaloupe Salad with Olives and Red Onion

If like me, you crave melon during the warm summer months, it may be psychological. Apparently we are drawn to water-rich foods in hot weather because they keep us hydrated and require less energy to digest. This recipe kicks the mundane cubes/slices up a notch with more texture and savory flavors.

To counter the abundant water contributed by the cantaloupe, make an intense dressing with assertive ingredients such as lemon juice, red onion, and ground dried Aleppo pepper, but skip the oil, which would only be repelled by the water on the surface of the cantaloupe. Instead, add richness with oil-cured olives, which—when chopped fine—adhere to the surface of the cantaloupe pieces and hold onto the dressing. 

Taste your melon as you cut it up: If it’s very sweet, omit the honey; if it’s less sweet, add the honey to the dressing. 

Cantaloupe Salad with Olives and Red Onion

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • ½ red onion, sliced thin
  • â…“ cup lemon juice (2 lemons)
  • 1 – 3 tsp. honey (optional)
  • 1 tsp. ground dried Aleppo pepper
  • ½ tsp. table salt
  • 1 cantaloupe, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 1½-inch chunks
  • 5 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, divided
  • 5Tbsp. chopped fresh mint, divided
  • ¼ cup finely chopped pitted oil-cured olives, divided
  • Red onion slices marinate in lemon juice
  • Cantaloupe chunks are stirred with
    remaining ingredients

Directions

  1. Combine onion and lemon juice in large bowl and let sit for 5 minutes.
  2. Stir in honey, if using; Aleppo pepper; and salt.
  3. Add cantaloupe, ¼ cup parsley, ¼ cup mint, and 3 tablespoons olives and stir to combine.
  4. Transfer to shallow serving bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley, remaining 1 tablespoon mint, and remaining 1 tablespoon olives and serve.

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Recipe from Cook’s Illustrated