Vegan Kaju Matar Masala (with step-wise instructions); cashew nuts (kaju) and fresh green peas (matar) in a rich cashew gravy, infused with mild Indian spices!
If you are a cashew lover, this curry is for you!
Use any veggie along with kaju, be it capsicum/bell peppers, mushroom etc. or even stir in some roasted makhana (fox nuts/lotus seeds), you are going to love this curry.
Comes out perfectly rich and delicious on a stove top or even your pressure cooker!
Savor this one pot curry with any Indian flat bread like rotis, parathas, naan etc. and it tastes great with rice too!
Jump to Recipe
With travel on my cards, I wanted to clean up my fridge as soon as possible. The last few days have been hectic with lots of shopping, packing and cleaning up and devoting time for my blog has been difficult due to time constraints.
On this clean up mode, I happened to find some frozen green peas and a bowl of cashew nuts lying in the fridge.
Even with all the running around, a family has got to eat right? So, my mind veered towards making a quick curry with green peas and cashew nuts to have with some parathas (fortunately I had atta or whole flour just enough for one meal!).
VEGAN KAJU MATAR MASALA CURRY:
Kaju matar masala is a very popular North Indian curry and this dish sounded heavenly to make in a hurry.
With a few clicks of my cooking, another dish would be ready for my blog to share with all of you!
I wanted to make it totally vegan so I have omitted adding any ghee (clarified butter), curd/yogurt or any fresh cream to thicken or add richness to the gravy.
Adding some cashew nut paste or kaju paste (instead of fresh cream or yogurt) along with some fried cashew nuts for added crunch and texture was all that I needed to make this awesome dish rich, creamy and delicious!
If you like the flavor of ghee, you can add it when sautéing the spices or frying the cashew nuts.
A dash of fresh tomato puree, some mild spices available in any one’s pantry (coriander and cumin powder along with a dash of garam masala powder which I am sure everyone has), ginger, garlic and onions are the basic ingredients needed to whip up this quick and divine curry!
Once the basic gravy is ready, you can customize the curry with your choice of vegetables; it could be capsicum/bell pepper, mushroom, carrots, cauliflower, green beans etc. and you have a quick, creamy, comforting and easy vegan Indian spiced curry!
Dunk any flatbread like rotis, parathas, naan or even slices of fresh or toasted bread if you are lazy to make fresh parathas and enjoy a simple but one-pot meal anytime!
INSTANT POT VEGAN KAJU MATAR MASALA (Updated February 2022):
With an Instant Pot in my list of kitchen appliances, I find my cooking becoming more easy and super fun! So, I decided to make the stove top version into an Instant Pot version with a few tweaks.
The procedure is the same as stove top but the final cooking of green peas and cashew is done in the pressure cooker mode.
What do you know! It came out super yum and as good as the stove top version.
Recipe in recipe card below.
Had some leftover Konkani style dal (dalithoy) from yesterday's meal, so used that to make a delicious, soft and healthy multigrain paratha. Just mixed leftover dal with multigrain flour (1:2 proportion) and made a soft dough, rested it for 30 minutes and made the rotis or chapatis!
You can also enjoy this easy Vegan Kaju Matar Masala curry with Laccha Methi Paratha , Lauki and Carrot Parathas or even Bhaturas too.
UPDATED DECEMBER 2023....KAJU MATAR MAKHANA CAPSICUM MASALA:
Had a big pack of bell peppers and a fresh batch of nutritious makhana (lotus seeds/fox nuts), so added that too to this delicious gravy!
Just sauteed cubed capsicum in a little oil and some makhana too until roasted and crisp (each separately) and then added to the gravy.
Came out equally creamy, mouthwatering lip smacking yummy!
Enjoy Foodies and Happy Eating!
For more similar easy curries to enjoy anytime, check out:
- Basic Indian Curry Sauce
- Tadekewali Masoor Dal Curry
- Vegan Mushroom Masala Curry
- Mushroom Tikka Masala Curry
Step-by-Step Method to make Vegan Kaju Matar Masala Curry:
STOVE TOP METHOD:
To prep the cashew nuts:
Heat 3 tbsp oil in a large saucepan and fry 1/2 cup cashew halves on medium flame until light golden brown; remove and set aside.
Keep the remaining oil to prepare the gravy in the same pan.
To prepare the green peas:
If making on stove top, boil 1 cup green peas (fresh or frozen) in plenty of water until soft and cooked; about 5 to 7 minutes; drain and keep aside. Do not throw the water in which the peas are boiled; you will need it to make the gravy.
(In pressure cooker/Instant pot, peas will cook with along with the gravy, so you can use fresh or frozen green peas; but not dried).
If using frozen peas and they are already soft on thawing, skip this step too.
To prepare the masala paste:
In a blender jar, made a fine paste of 1 cup onions, 1 green chili, 2 tsp cashew bits, 1- inch ginger and 3-4 cloves garlic.
To make the kaju matar gravy:
In the same oil in which you have fried the cashews (add more if needed), add 1 bay leaf, 3-4 cloves and 1-inch cinnamon stick; sauté on medium low until slightly aromatic; a few seconds.
Add the onion-kaju paste to this and sauté on medium heat for about 2 minutes.
Add the spice powders; 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder with 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper powder, 2 tablespoons coriander powder and 1 teaspoon cumin powder and fry again for a few minutes, until the oil separates.
Stir in the 1 cup fresh tomato puree, mix well and sauté for a few minutes until the tomatoes are fried well and you can start to see oil separating.
Add 1 tablespoon crushed kasoori methi/dry fenugreek leaves and stir again.
Mix in the boiled green peas, salt to taste and pinch sugar and stir in enough water (use the water used to boil the peas too) to make a gravy of medium thick consistency.
Adjust according to preference.
Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer on medium low heat for about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the fried cashews and sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder (optional), mix well and give it one boil.
INSTANT POT METHOD:
Make a fine puree of 1 cup chopped onions, 1 serrano pepper, sliced, 1 inch ginger, 2 to 3 cloves of garlic and 2 tbsp bits of cashew nuts.
Make a fine puree of 2 medium sized tomatoes (about 1 cup puree) and set aside.
To make the curry, turn the Instant Pot to "sauté" and once hot, stir in 1/2 cup of halved cashew nuts; sauté, stirring often until light golden brown. Remove from pot using a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the whole spices (3-4 cloves, 1 bay leaf and 1 inch cinnamon stick) to the remaining oil and bloom for a few seconds. Add more oil if needed.
Stir in the onion puree along with spice powders (1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder or a combination of cayenne and paprika, 2 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric powder, a dash of black pepper powder), mix well and sauté, again stirring often until you see oil oozing from the sides.
Add 1 cup fresh tomato puree and cook again, stirring continuously until most of the moisture is gone and you start to see fat or oil almost separating.
The amount of time depends upon the moisture in the puree.
Once you see that the tomatoes are cooked, stir in 1 tbsp crushed Kasoori methi/dried fenugreek leaves and mix well.
Add the sautéed cashew halves, 1 cup of fresh or frozen green peas, 1 1/2 cups of water, salt to taste.
Stir through, scrape the bottom of the pot to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot which may lead to a "Burn" signal while cooking in an Instant Pot!
Close the pot, cancel "sauté" button and pressure cook on "LOW" for exactly 3 minutes. Then QPR (quick pressure release manually).
(If using fresh but raw just shelled green peas, then pressure cook on "HIGH" for 3 minutes and then QPR)
Open the pot; mix well.
Add more water if needed (simmer again on sauté to heat it up) and season with salt if necessary.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
Remove from heat and serve hot garnished with more crushed kasoori methi or finely chopped coriander leaves.
Rich, delicious and mildly spiced vegan kaju matar masala is ready!
Serve it and enjoy with any Indian flat bread like rotis, parathas, naan, puris etc., a steaming hot bowl of freshly cooked Basmati rice or even with slices of fresh or toasted bread!
Trust me; I have sometimes enjoyed this curry with few slices of fresh and/or toasted bread when I am lazy or did not have time to make fresh parathas or rice!
Enjoy and Happy Eating!
Time to Print/Save:
Vegan Kaju Matar Masala (Stove Top and Instant Pot methods)
Rich, creamy and totally vegan north Indian curry with sweet green peas and exotic cashew nuts in a delicious onion-cashew-spices gravy!
Ingredients
- ½ cup slit kajus/cashew nuts
- 1 cup green peas fresh or frozen
- 2 to 3 tomatoes pureed (about 1 cup puree)
- 1/2 tsp garam masala powder (optional)
For the Onion Masala paste:
- 1 medium onion chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 to 3 large cloves of garlic
- 1 inch piece of ginger
- 2 green chilies/1 serrano pepper sliced
- 2 tbsp cashew bits
For the Gravy:
- 3 tbsp cooking oil (or more as needed)
- 3-4 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 inch piece cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder or a combination of cayenne and paprika powders
- ½ tsp haldi/turmeric powder
- 1/4-½ tsp black pepper powder
- 2 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tbsp crushed Kasoori methi/dried fenugreek leaves
- Salt to taste
- Freshly chopped cilantro/coriander leaves for garnish
Instructions
STOVE TOP METHOD:
-
To prep the cashew nuts:
-
Heat 3 tbsp oil in a large saucepan and fry 1/2 cup cashew halves on medium flame until light golden brown; remove and set aside. Keep the remaining oil to prepare the gravy.
-
To prepare the green peas:
-
Boil 1 cup green peas (fresh or frozen) in plenty of water until soft and cooked; about 5 to 7 minutes; drain and keep aside. Do not throw the water in which the peas are boiled; you will need it to make the gravy.
-
If the frozen peas are soft enough after thawing, add directly to curry.
-
To prepare the masala paste:
-
In a blender jar, made a fine paste of 1 cup onions, 2 green chilies or 1 serrano pepper, 2 tbsp cashew bits, 1-inch ginger and 2-3 cloves garlic.
-
To make the kaju matar gravy:
-
In the same oil in which you have fried the cashews (add more if needed), add 1 bay leaf, 3-4 cloves and 1-inch cinnamon; sauté on medium low until slightly aromatic; a few seconds.
-
Add the onion-kaju paste to this and sauté on medium heat for about 2 minutes.
-
Add the spice powders; 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and a dash of black pepper powder, 2 tbsp coriander powder and 1 tsp cumin powder and fry again for a few minutes, until the oil separates.
-
Stir in 1 cup tomato puree, mix well and sauté for a few minutes until the tomatoes are fried well and you can start to see oil separating.
-
Add 1 tbsp crushed kasoori methi and mix well.
-
Mix in the boiled green peas, salt to taste and pinch sugar.
Stir in enough water (use the water used to boil the peas too if needed) to make a gravy of medium thick consistency.
-
Adjust according to preference.
-
Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer on medium low heat for about 3 to 5 minutes.
-
Add the fried cashews and sprinkle 1/2 tsp garam masala powder (optional), mix well and give it one boil.
INSTANT POT METHOD:
-
Make a fine puree of 1 cup chopped onions, 1 serrano pepper (2 green chilies), sliced, 1 inch ginger, 2 to 3 cloves of garlic and 2 tbsp bits of cashew nuts.
-
Make a fine puree of 2 medium sized tomatoes (about 1 cup puree) and set aside.
-
To make the curry, turn the Instant Pot to "saute" and once hot, stir in 1/2 cup of halved cashew nuts; saute, stirring often until light golden brown. Remove from pot using a slotted spoon and set aside.
-
In the same oil (add more if needed) add the whole spices (3 cloves, 1 bay leaf and 1 inch cinnamon stick) to the remaining oil and bloom for a few seconds.
-
Stir in the onion puree along with spice powders (1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder or a combination of cayenne and paprika, 2 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric powder, a dash of crushed black pepper powder), mix well and sauté, again stirring often until you see oil oozing from the sides.
-
Add 1 cup tomato puree and cook again, stirring continuously until most of the moisture is gone and you start to see fat or oil separating. The amount of time depends upon the moisture in the puree.
-
Once you see that the tomatoes are cooked, stir in 1 tbsp crushed Kasoori methi/dried fenugreek leaves and mix well.
-
Add the sauteed cashew halves, 1 cup of fresh or frozen green peas, 1 1/2 cups of water, salt to taste and mix well.
-
Scrape the bottom of the pot to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot which may lead to a "Burn" signal while cooking!
-
Close the pot, cancel "saute" button and pressure cook on "LOW" for exactly 3 minutes. Then quick pressure release manually.
-
Open the pot mix well.
-
Add more water if needed (simmer again on saute to heat it up) and season with salt if necessary.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
-
Remove from heat and serve hot garnished with more crushed kasoori methi or finely chopped coriander leaves.
-
Rich, delicious and mildly spiced vegan kaju matar masala is ready!
Serve it and enjoy with any Indian flat bread like rotis, parathas, naan, puris etc., a steaming hot bowl of freshly cooked Basmati rice or even with slices of fresh or toasted bread!
Recipe Notes
- If you prefer and are not vegan, then you can use ghee instead or in addition to oil.
- The same gravy can be used to make different curries using mix of veggies, paneer, mushrooms or even makhana (lotus seeds/fox nuts) etc. That version is in post above.
- For non-vegetarians, you can add chicken, fish or even boiled eggs.
- Adjust the amount of spices and consistency of gravy according to personal preference.
- If the gravy is sour (due to sour tomatoes), feel free to add some sugar to balance the acidity.
- Enjoy and Happy Cooking/Eating!
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Have fun cooking, eating and sharing!!!
Made this twice now and absolutely live this curry. Also put some chickpea in there and ate it with garlic naan. Yummy!
Awesome!! Thank you so much for your lovely feedback 🙂 So happy to hear you love it as much as we do too! Thank you again for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
I really do appreciate such feedback.
Adding these to my shopping list. So badly want to make it now. Looks yumm.
Thanks so much Seema 🙂 Do try and make this sooon, it tastes so yummy!
Indeed a delicious recipe. Cashew based gravies are a magic, they give a rich taste to the dishes. Looks good.
Thanks a lot Nisha 🙂 I know, nothing can beat the richness cashew lends to any dish!
The gravy looks creamy ,rich and delicious..awesome combo with some hot parathas
kaju matar masala looks amazing Loved this recipe looks so rich!
Thanks Swati 🙂 Tastes amazing too!! Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂
I prepare similar kind, it comes out tasty. Just yesterday I made it. Yours looks delicious.
Thanks Jayashree 🙂
Though traveling excites me, at the same time I dread it because as you mentioned we have to clear up so much of our food stock,especially when we're going away for long time. I love adding cashew nuts to my curries.Kaju Matar masala looks very tempting.
Thanks so much Mayuri 🙂
so yummy this kaju matar masala is super yummy side dish with rice or paratha. Loved this.
Thanks Bhawana 🙂
love when the heavy curries can be vegan. this kaju matar masala is simply amazing.
Thanks so much Sonal 🙂
Sometimes the best recipes are created from leftovers from the fridge, this looks like one of those keeper recipes. The cashew has added richness to the dish.
Thanks so much 🙂 Most of my recipes start with ingredients I need to use up soon 🙂 It is so satisfying when you use up stuff and get fresh ingredients later on 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by!
One of my favourite sabji which I love to devour on a very special occasion, but never tried vegan version. Thanks for posting vegan version of this delicious and rich curry.
Thanks Jagruti 🙂 I wanted to try making this without adding cream or yogurt and to my satisfaction, it came out so rich and delicious!
The kaju matar masala looks incredibly delicious and I love that it is Vegan. Love the pictures too.
Thanks so much Sapna 🙂 So appreciate your stopping by!
Very rich Side dish for Rotis and Pulav.. Love this Mattar and Cashew combo.. These are always a finger licking combination..
Thanks so much 🙂
That sounds like a decadent and delicious curry. Love the use of cashews to get the creaminess -- yummy accompaniment to roti and rice.
Thanks so much Pavani 🙂 Cashews gave a lovely texture and richness to the dish.....loved the flavor!
Thanks so much 🙂 Wanted to experiment and see whether avoiding any cream or yogurt would affect the richness of the dish; I was so excited when it actually tasted rich and creamy with the addition of just cashew paste.
I am a cashew lover. I always prefer ordering one dish if I go to restaurants. This is must try for me. Nice clicks. Bookmarked.
Thanks so much Nivedita 🙂 I am a cashew lover too..can keep munching on the salted variety forever...love to add them in any dish for the extra crunch 🙂 🙂
Curry looks so rich and creamy without using any cream. Thats amazing and no doubt about the taste !
Thanks so much Priya 🙂 Even I was doubtful whether omitting cream would take away from the richness, but cashews came to the rescue; the curry tasted amazing 🙂
Such a delicious looking gravy and so creamy that nobody would believe that it's vegan!
Thanks so much 🙂 Even without cream or yogurt, I was amazed by the texture and flavor...loved it.
So creamy and yumm... Love it.. Perfect with roti..
Thanks Sharmila 🙂 Absolutely; was so perfect with the rotis!
Curry looks so great. Vegan curry lovely recipe. Nicely explained .. love such Rich curry
Thanks so much 🙂 Me too, tastes great with bread slices too 🙂
Loved the vegan version of this recipe 🙂 Nice clicks. Curries are always a favourite at our house.
Thanks so much 🙂 We love to have curries at our house too; especially my kids.
Thanks Sushma 🙂
Absolutely loved the recipe, esp the vegan version and the beautiful images. I love curries with cashews and don't follow the belief that they are fattening. I think no other nut is so widely used in Indian Gravies the way cashew is.
Thanks Vidya 🙂 I agree with you; cashews add a lovely texture and flavor to any dish; my favorite nut to use for most dishes!
Omg the curry looks so delicious. Good one.
Thanks so much Sushma 🙂 🙂
The curry looks rich and delicious.. The gravy goes well with parathas and naans.
Thanks so much Shobha 🙂 I agree, nothing better than dunking your parathas in this gravy!
I have already tried my hands with this combination but not as vegan version, lipsmacking masala there.
Thanks so much Priya 🙂 Even I was surprised how rich and tasty it came out without any cream, ghee or yogurt!