a way to prepare dinner with Cashews: four scrumptious Nutty Recipes to attempt at domestic

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The Portuguese may have come to Goa in the quest for pepper, but they introduced a lot more in return, sowing the seeds (in lots of instances literally) for a whole new set of elements that we now see as quintessentially Indian. Cashew nut is amongst those substances that the Portuguese delivered all of theway from Brazil. From kaju katli to cashew-based totally gravies to South Indian-fashion cashew pakodas, cashew is definitely a pan-Indian factor, but if there’s one region a cashew would love to call domestic in India it’s likely Goa.

For starters, this is in which the Indian adventure of cashew surely commenced. The English call borrows from the Portuguese call for the cashew tree – reported in Portuguese as ‘kazu’. Technically, a cashew is nota nut and actually a seed; the botanical name Anacardium has Greek origins with a reference to theunusual vicinity of the seed outdoor the middle of the fruit.

Fenny – The Cashew-primarily based Drink

after I had attended the Cashew trail event at the Park Hyatt Goa, I met one among Goa’s betteracknowledged artists – Subodh Kerkar, who has a unique interest in Goa’s culinary history. We spoke atlength approximately the Portuguese connection that has impacted Indian delicacies in ways most folkscan’t even fathom. And it was fascinating to pay attention the memories of this humble ingredient. i will’tthink of a better parallel for the Goan dating with cashew than Kerala’s strong courting with coconut.similar to in Kerala, the Goans have almost dissected the cashew and discovered a culinary use for everypart together with the flavoursome fruit (but besides the toxic outer overlaying of the seed).

Goa’s iconic fenny is produced the use of the cashew apple, that’s mashed and fermented (and has a highforty% plus alcohol volume). all through the event, my conversation with Subodh Kerkar changed intointerrupted via a calming glass of urakk – a sort of fenny. I’m now not a big fan of fenny and but Idetermined to present urrak a ‘shot’. The aroma did put me off, but the taste became refreshingly one-of-a-kind. Urrak is lighter (15% alcohol) and is the unmarried distilled version. It’s also satisfactory fed onsparkling, so not like a bottle of fenny, you could’t ask your pals to carry down a bottle of urrak from Goa.

friends of mine who grew up in Goa frequently tell me approximately how fenny is a ‘go to’ beverage and that i’m not simply talking approximately celebrations. From belly problems to fevers, Goans have figureda way to make fenny paintings as a panacea.

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4 scrumptious Cashew Recipes

aside from fenny, cashew is an essential a part of Goan delicacies and performs a extensive position indifferent regional cuisines too. cooks around India love ground cashew’s starchy consistency that thickens kurmas and additionally adds a wonderful element to desserts. right here are a few recipes which willattempt at home –

1. Cashew, Pineapple, candy Potato and Urrak Soup
Recipe courtesy: Chef Edridge Vaz, Sous Chef (Casa Sarita eating place), Park Hyatt Goa

This bloodless soup brings together a number of Goa’s favored components which includes the omnipresent cashew and is ideal for a hot summer time’s afternoon.

For the recipe, click here.

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2. Sri Lankan-style Cashew and inexperienced Peas Curry (Kaju Maluwa)
Recipe courtesy: Chef Wijendra, Anantara Peace Haven lodge, Tangalle

Cashew is also an essential part of Sri Lankan cuisine. This became the first Sri Lankan curry I cooked with extra than a touch help from Chef Wijendra; simple yet remarkably flavoursome.

For the recipe, click on right here.

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3. Cashew Pesto
Recipe Courtesy: Saulo Bacchilega, government Chef, Park Hyatt Goa

I ought to confess that i’ve been responsible of being a meals snob at times, especially with regards tomy favored pasta sauce – pesto. i would even frown down upon pistachio (instead of pine nuts) in a pesto sauce after which I stumbled upon a bottle of cashew pesto in a brilliant marketplace in London with Jamie Oliver’s stamp of approval. It wasn’t quite the conventional pesto but it turned into similarly delicious. Chef Saulo is probably from Genoa however I could flavor his love for Goa in his model of pesto that combines cashew with curry leaves. I’m not sure his mother would approve though.

For the recipe, click on here.

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4. Mundiri (Cashew) Nokkal
This easy but sinful treat was once a ordinary at weddings in parts of Southern Tamil Nadu. It changed into usually part of the goodie bag that visitors took away (together with other candies and savouries) from a marriage. unfortunately it’s rapid disappearing and i was pleasantly surprised to look this at a marriage in Chennai these days. I couldn’t resist asking the marriage cook dinner to percentage his recipe:

components:
250 gm huge cashews
250 gm sugar
1 tsp ghee

Cooking approach:

1. bring the sugar to boil with a small amount of water until it reaches the ‘two-string’ consistency. quickfold the nuts and stir till the cashews are covered with sugar.

2. Brush a huge plate with the ghee. spread the cashews on the plate (It’s essential you make sure the cashews don’t bunch together). permit it cool for a couple of minutes. The cashews will now be crunchy at the outside and gentle inner.

approximately the writer: Ashwin Rajagopalan is a cross cultural training professional and way of lifewriter. when he is no longer writing about food, he thinks about devices, trends and journey stories. He enjoys speaking across cultures and borders in his weekday work avatar as a content material and editorial consultant for a global important and considered one of India’s only move cultural trainers.

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