I’ve partnered with SmartMade™ to create this post! Enjoy.
Okay, some quick facts about this Cashew Chickpea Curry:
- It’s perfect for when you’re craving Indian food. I can say that pretty definitively, since I basically have a perpetual craving for curry, rice, and naan.
- It’s completely vegan. (But it doesn’t necessarily taste like it is!)
- It’s packed with flavor, but it’s also VERY easy to make.
When it comes to eating well, it’s always easier to swap something rather than banish something. Instead of white rice, try brown rice; instead of dark meat chicken, use white meat; instead of butter, use olive oil. I don’t know about y’all, but if I were to try and completely cut out, say, carbs, I’d turn into a red-eyed, steam-coming-out-of-my-ears grump monster with zero patience for pretty much anything. This, unfortunately, I know from direct experience.
So when we were asked by SmartMade to come up with a Smart Swap (i.e. an idea to replace a common ingredient with a more nutritious one), we decided to create this Quick Cashew Chickpea Curry recipe, which is DELICIOUS, but also completely vegan. This recipe has no butter or ghee, and uses cashew milk rather than the normal heavy cream or yogurt for its distinctive flavor and creamy texture.
SmartMade is a series of frozen dinners made with ingredients and cooking methods that are similar to what you’d do in your own kitchen––dishes like Spicy Peanut Chicken and Broccoli, Roasted Vegetables with Angel Hair pasta, and Grilled Sesame Beef and Broccoli. The ingredients are normal, recognizable things that you’d find at the grocery store. Frozen dinners with sad frozen chicken puck, corn puck, potato puck, and brownie puck no more!
But if you do have time to cook, this Quick Cashew Chickpea Curry is everything. It’s spicy, filling, and has a hint of coconut. Thick, ever so slightly sweet cashew milk gives the dish that distinctive creaminess that you’re looking for in a great curry, without the dairy. Oh, and the leftovers are awesome, making for great weeknight dinners or daytime lunches.
All hail the smart swap!
You’ll need:
- ½ cup toasted cashews
- 1 medium onion
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1-inch piece of fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup flaked coconut
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 15 oz. cans chickpeas
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- Salt and pepper
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 ½ cups cashew milk
In a food processor, puree the toasted cashews, onion, garlic, ginger, spices, and coconut.
Add the resulting paste to a pot over medium heat, along with a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil, and fry for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the chickpeas, tomato paste, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon zest, and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring often.
Turn the heat down to low. Add the cashew milk, and bring the curry to a gentle simmer.
Simmer for 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly.
Serve with steamed basmati rice and toasted naan.
Cashew Chickpea Curry
Ingredients
- ½ cup toasted cashews
- 1 medium onion
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup flaked coconut
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 30 oz. chickpeas (2 cans, 850g)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- Salt and pepper
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 ½ cups cashew milk
Instructions
- In a food processor, puree the toasted cashews, onion, garlic, ginger, spices, and coconut.
- Add the resulting paste to a pot over medium heat, along with a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil, and fry for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add the chickpeas, tomato paste, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon zest, and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring often. Turn the heat down to low. Add the cashew milk, and bring the curry to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Serve with steamed basmati rice and toasted naan.
Nutrition
SmartMade wants to hear from you as they create new meals inspired by you. If you like this smart swap and would like to see a similar meal in your freezer aisle, please pin this post to your Pinterest board. The recipe with the most love from YOU will be used as inspiration in a future meal!
Irene says
drained or undrained chickpeas?
Judy says
Hi Irene, undrained.
Caitlin says
I really enjoyed this! Soaking the cashews before blending them would make this more creamy, but I think the chunky texture adds some nice interest to the dish. Excellent with some stir fried greens and basmati rice.
Kaitlin says
Hi Caitlin–yay, so glad you made and nom-ed successfully! I was very pleasantly surprised by how delicious this one turned out to be, being vegan and all! :)
Alice Halbeisen says
I finally made this for the vegetarian who is also lactose-intolerant in the family. Here come the subs-
I only had raw cashews and no coconut flakes. So instead of cashew milk, I used coconut milk. I finished with dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi) and garnished with lots of cilantro. It came out really good. I bet cauliflower and/or peas would work well, too.
Thanks for the vegan options.
Sarah says
That’s awesome, Alice! Thanks for trying and reporting back. :) I agree, this dish would totally work with cauliflower and peas.
Susan says
Hi Kaitlin,
I’m allergic to coconut; what do you recommend as a substitute for coconut flakes?
Thanks!
Kaitlin says
Hi Susan, you could easily make this without the flaked coconut and no additional substitutions–it just adds a little coconutty edge and a bit of texture, but it’s only a 1/2 cup, so totally fine to just omit per your allergy!
Brian Eugene Lim says
Am in the Philippines; can you make your own cashew milk?
Sarah says
Hey Brian, not sure about making cashew milk––sounds like a lot of trouble! You could substitute coconut milk––which is readily available in the Philippines and sure to be delicious as well!
J. Ong says
I make my own cashew milk all the time. It’s so easy and it tastes so much better than store brought. I use a ratio of 3 parts water to 1 part cashew. Whizz up in a blender. Bam. You can soak the cashews overnight first. Or you can boil them for at least 10 minutes (I find my preservative free cashew milk lasts a little longer this way), but Sam Turnball of “It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken” thinks it’s silkier soaked overnight. Here’s her recipe:
https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/strain-free-cashew-milk/
But the texture of your cashew milk probably doesn’t matter for this recipe.
Benny says
If I WAS to pair this with a meat. What would you suggest?
Sarah says
Hey Benny, you can sear off some cubed chicken thighs and add them to the curry before the final simmering stage.
Benny says
Thank you!
HindiMom says
I love your blog. Cashews are great way to eliminate cream from Indian food. I think this will be a great curry, but I see that its a bit chunky. For smoother curry you can try to soak raw cashews for a couple of hours or microwave with water for about 20 secs. Using grated coconut might also result in smoother paste/masala.
Kaitlin says
Hi there, thanks for the tips! We’re on an ongoing mission to unlock the secrets of Indian food, so this is really helpful :)