Meatless Monday – Creamy cashew nut and mushroom curry

Serves 4-6

You’ll need: 1 Tbsp ghee; 1 medium onion, finely chopped; 1 tsp garlic, minced; 1 Tbsp ginger, grated; 1 tsp curry powder; 1 tsp garam masala; ½ tsp cayenne pepper; ½ tsp turmeric; 1 tin chopped tomatoes; ½ cup raw cashew nuts.

For the mushrooms – 2 Tbsp ghee; 400g portabellini or button mushrooms, sliced; 2 tsp curry powder; salt and pepper, to taste; 1 cup peas, fresh or frozen.

To serve – Rice, fresh coriander, toasted cashew nuts and finely sliced red onion.

How to: 

In a large pot over medium heat, fry the onion, garlic and ginger in ghee along with all the spices. Cook until the spices become fragrant and the onion is tender. Add in the tin of tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir through the cashew nuts and remove from the heat.

Add about 1 cup of cold water to the sauce and then carefully transfer to a blender or use a stick blender. Blend until smooth and set aside. Taste for seasoning.

For the mushrooms:

Fry sliced mushrooms in the remaining ghee.

Season with curry powder, salt and pepper.

To the cooked mushrooms add the blended sauce and bring to a simmer. Add the peas and cook for a minute.

Spoon curry onto a bed of rice and top with fresh coriander and toasted cashew nuts.

* Recipe & image by The South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association