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vegan kaju matar masala curry

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!

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Indian, North Indian
Keyword cashews, curry, Instant Pot, kaju, masala curry, plant based, spices, Stove Top, Vegan, vegetarian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 6
Author Vanitha Bhat

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:

  1. To prep the cashew nuts:

  2. 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.

  3. To prepare the green peas:

  4. 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.

  5. If the frozen peas are soft enough after thawing, add directly to curry.

  6. To prepare the masala paste:

  7. 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.

  8. To make the kaju matar gravy:

  9. 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.

  10. Add the onion-kaju paste to this and sauté on medium heat for about 2 minutes.

  11. 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.

  12. 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.

  13. Add 1 tbsp crushed kasoori methi and mix well.

  14. 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.

  15. Adjust according to preference.
  16. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer on medium low heat for about 3 to 5 minutes.

  17. Add the fried cashews and sprinkle 1/2 tsp garam masala powder (optional), mix well and give it one boil.

INSTANT POT METHOD:

  1. 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.

  2. Make a fine puree of 2 medium sized tomatoes (about 1 cup puree) and set aside.
  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. Once you see that the tomatoes are cooked, stir in 1 tbsp crushed Kasoori methi/dried fenugreek leaves and mix well.
  8. 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.
  9. 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!

  10. Close the pot, cancel "saute" button and pressure cook on "LOW" for exactly 3 minutes. Then quick pressure release manually.

  11. Open the pot mix well.
  12. Add more water if needed (simmer again on saute to heat it up) and season with salt if necessary.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

  1. Remove from heat and serve hot garnished with more crushed kasoori methi or finely chopped coriander leaves.

  2. 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!