Cashew nut ideas, please

My husband is from Springfield, MO and this dish is one of his most favorite things on earth. I, on the other hand, give it 0 stars, absolutely would not recommend. The linked recipe looks like it might be better than what you get at the typical Springfield cashew chicken joint, but it is not authentic - or at least the scallion sauce and chili oil-roasted cashews aren’t. What you get in Springfield is breaded and fried chunks of chicken (all white meat costs extra!), swimming in a gloopy brown sauce (the linked recipe looks about right), and topped with a handful of chopped raw scallions and cashews straight from the can. White or fried rice, egg roll and two fried wontons included.

Anyway, I would recommend a number of Indian dishes that use cashews as a sauce ingredient, particularly if yours are raw. If they are roasted and salted I would just eat them straight! :slight_smile: Here’s one of my favorites (adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Ayer):

Cashew Chicken with Fenugreek
4 T oil
1 medium red onion, sliced thin
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup cashews
1 t. cumin seeds
2 whole cloves
1/4 t. cardamom seeds
2 fresh green chiles, chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1 c. water
8 chicken legs and/or thighs, bone in, skin removed (also works well with boneless/skinless cut in chunks)
1/2 t. turmeric
salt to taste
1/2 c. chopped fresh or frozen fenugreek leaves

Heat 2T oil in a large skillet and add the onion, garlic, cashews, cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom, chiles and cinnamon stick. Stirfry until onions and cashews are browned and the spices are fragrant. Pour water into blender jar and add caramelized onion mixture. Blend until completely smooth.

Heat remaining oil in the same skillet and add chicken in a single layer. Cook until evenly browned, then add onion sauce, salt, turmeric and fenugreek leaves. Turn the chicken to coat well with sauce, then cover, turn heat to low and simmer until chicken is done, adding a little water if pan gets too dry. Serve with rice.

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