Cashew Coconut Milk Food

CAULIFLOWER, CASHEW, PEA AND COCONUT CURRY

Steps:

• Place the ginger, garlic and green chile in a mortar and pestle with a pinch of salt. Mash until a paste forms and set aside. Alternately, finely chop the ginger, garlic and green chile together, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, then mash into a coarse paste using the flat portion of your chef's knife.
• In a large skillet with a lid, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium. Cook the onions until golden, about 10 minutes. Add the ginger paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato paste, coriander, cumin, chile powder and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt. Stir in the cauliflower and coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the cauliflower is tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a small skillet over medium. Fry the cashews, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
• Add the peas and garam masala to the cauliflower mixture and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
• Top the curry with the cashews, cilantro and a squeeze of lemon just before serving. Serve with a big steaming bowl of basmati rice.

CASHEW COCONUT MILK

Steps:

• Place the cashews and coconut in a container large enough to cover them with water. Pour water over them until they are fully covered. Place plastic wrap over the container and leave to soak for at least 12 hours.
• After 12 hours, drain the cashews and coconut.
• Put the drained cashews and coconut in a high speed blender with 4 cups of water and blend until smooth and creamy. Blend long enough that you can see nothing but liquid.
• Place a strainer over a large bowl and line it with a double layer of butter muslin or fine-mesh cheesecloth.
• Pour the blended Cashew Coconut Milk into the strainer and allow it to drain through into the bowl. If the pulp begins to slow the draining, use a spoon to gently scrape it away from the bottom of the strainer and let the milk flow freely.
• Gather the edges of the straining cloth together and twist it to squeeze the last drips of milk from the pulp.
• Put the pulp in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week. Leftover pulp can be used in homemade granola, in cracker and bread recipes or even stirred into yogurt. I've hear of using about 1/4 cup in muffin recipes, too, though I haven't tried it yet, myself.
• Pour the strained milk from the large bowl into a pitcher or jar and store in the fridge for up to one week.
• Use Coconut Cashew Milk as you would dairy milk.

CHICKPEA, COCONUT, AND CASHEW CURRY RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine cumin, coriander, star anise, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, turmeric, and cardamom in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder. Set aside.
• Heat oil, butter, or ghee in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until melted (or until oil is shimmering). Add onion, garlic, ginger, and chili. Cook, stirring frequently, and scraping bottom of pan until golden brown and starting to burn in spots, about 10 minutes. Add cayenne, cashews, and half of spice mixture. Cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add coconut milk and remove from heat. Scrape up any browned bits from bottom of pan.
• Transfer mixture to blender and starting a low speed, slowly increase speed to maximum. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Return mixture to pot. Add chickpeas, spinach, and remaining spice mix and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until vegetables are heated through and spinach is wilted, about 10 minutes. Add salt and lime juice to taste. Stir in half of cilantro. Transfer to serving bowl, sprinkle with extra cilantro, and serve with lime wedges, basmati rice pilaf , grilled naan , and cilantro chutney , as desired.

COCONUT CHICKEN CURRY WITH CASHEWS

Steps:

• 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.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Put cashews on a baking sheet and roast until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool. Spread the shredded coconut on the baking sheet and toast until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, then let cool. Grind the coconut with 1/4 cup cashews in a spice mill or small food processor to make a rough powder. Reserve 1/2 cup roasted cashews for garnish.
• Bring a small saucepan of lightly salted water to a simmer, then add parsnips and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and cool.
• In a wide heavy-bottomed pot, heat ghee over medium-high heat. Add cooked parsnips, if using, 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. 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 coconut and cashew mixture. Adjust heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes, until chicken is tender. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning if necessary.
• To finish the dish, stir in coconut milk and add reserved parsnips. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until parsnips are heated through and the sauce has thickened slightly. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with reserved cashews. Garnish with mint and cilantro sprigs, if using.