Cardamom and black pepper cashew spinach curry
main | vegan | sri-lankan
A sweetly aromatic, Sri Lankan-inspired curry with added fire, depending on how many chillies you choose to mix in.
Prep 10 min
Soak 1 hr
Cook 30 min
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp black cardamom seeds
250g cashews, soaked for 1 hour, then drained
1-4 green bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped
½ tsp turmeric
1 cinnamon stick
1 x 400g tin coconut milk
salt and pepper
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 red onions, peeled and sliced
10-12 fresh curry leaves
1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
250g spinach leaves, washed and shaken dry
to serve:
White rice or flatbreads
Method
- Gently toast the cumin and cardamom seeds, grind to a powder, then tip into a medium-sized pan with the nuts, chillies, turmeric, cinnamon and coconut milk. Season generously with salt and a great deal of pepper, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, warm the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions, curry leaves and fennel seeds, season, then sauté gently for about 10 minutes, until the onions are soft and sweet.
- Stir the onion mix into the coconut pan, add the spinach and cook gently for a few minutes, until the leaves collapse into the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve with other curries or dals, or simply with white rice and/or flatbreads.