Sauté Cashews (Kaju)

1. First heat 1 tablespoon butter or oil in a pan or kadai. Make sure that the butter does not brown. So melt the butter on a low heat.

2. Then add 1 cup Kaju or 120 grams whole cashews.

3. Stir and saute the cashews till they become golden on low to medium-low heat.

4. Remove them on a plate and keep them aside.

Cook Tomatoes

5. In the same pan there will be some butter remaining. Add 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf) and saute for a few seconds on low heat.

6. Then add 1.5 cups roughly chopped tomatoes and ½ cup water. About 4 medium or 3 large sized tomatoes. Stir and mix well and simmer the mixture on a medium to high heat till the tomatoes soften. You can also cover the pan and cook the tomatoes.

Make Cashew Powder

7. When the tomatoes are simmering, take 18 to 20 cashews in a grinder or blender.

8. Powder them to a very fine texture. If fat is released while grinding or blending cashews, then it is alright. Scrape the sides and powder them finely.

9. Remove and keep the ground cashews aside.

Blend Cooked Tomatoes

10. Meanwhile, the tomatoes have softened. Switch off the heat and allow the tomatoes to become warm or cool down completely.

11. Discard the tej patta and add the tomatoes to the same grinder or blender jar in which we had ground the cashews.

12. Blend the tomatoes into a smooth puree. Keep aside.

Make Kaju Masala Gravy

13. In the same pan in which we sauteed the cashews and cooked the tomatoes, heat 2 tablespoons of butter on low heat.

14. Add 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste (1 inch ginger + 3 to 4 garlic crushed to paste in a mortar-pestle).

Stir and saute for some seconds or till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.

15. Then add the cashew powder.

16. Stir and mix to combine.

17. On a low heat, keep on stirring the cashew powder, so that it cooks uniformly. You have to stir continuously, otherwise the cashew powder sticks to the pan and can get burned or too browned.

18. Stir till the color of the cashew powder changes to a pale light golden and you get a nice aroma. However don’t brown the cashew powder.

19. Then add the prepared tomato puree.

20. Stir and mix very well.

21. Saute the tomato puree for about 4 minutes on a low to medium heat. Keep on stirring often.

22. Then add ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder or deghi mirch. Stir and mix very well.

23. Now add ⅔ to ¾ cup water or as required. Stir and mix again.

24. Add 1 to 2 slit green chilies.

25. Simmer the gravy for 3 to 4 minutes on a low to medium heat.

Make Kaju Curry

26. Then add the sautéed golden cashews. Stir. You can also keep a few cashews for garnish.

27. Season with salt as required.

28. Add ¼ to ½ teaspoon sugar. Stir and simmer the curry for a further 2 minutes.

29. Lastly add the following ingredients:

• ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
• 2 to 3 tablespoons low fat cream or light cream or cooking cream or 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon kasuri methi, crushed (dried fenugreek leves

30. Stir again till the entire cream is mixed well with the kaju masala curry. Switch off the flame. Check the seasoning and add more salt or sugar if require.

31. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve kaju masala with tandoori roti, naan, phulka or paratha. You can also serve it with cumin rice or veg pulao or steamed basmati rice or saffron rice or ghee rice.

The leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container and used within a day.