Creamy Mushroom Curry with Cashew Nuts

Creamy and full of flavour, this mushroom curry with cashew nuts is a vegan delight that's perfect for a busy weeknight. The cashews are a slightly unusual addition that brings a bit of crunchiness to this vibrant and delicious curry.

Mushroom curry recipes are not that easy to come across and I simply don't know why. Their meaty texture makes them the perfect ingredient for a vegan curry where you don't want everything to turn into mush.

So when I stumbled upon a mushroom and cashew recipe in the BBC Easy Cook magazine a couple of months ago, I knew that that was definitely something that I wanted to try.

The recipe was actually adapted by the magazine from Chetna Makan's "Chetna's Healthy Indian: Vegetarian" cookbook, and I tweaked it some more, so it might be a different recipe than Chetna intended, but delicious nonetheless.

The recipe called for natural yoghurt, but I decided to veganize it and used a plant-based yoghurt instead. If you don't necessarily want it to be vegan, you can use regular yoghurt instead.

What do you need for this vegan mushroom curry?

Cashew nuts - you'll need raw cashew nuts for this recipe, but don't worry, they'll become crunchy enough after you fry them. I used 25 grams of cashews, but feel free to use more or less.

Chestnut mushrooms - this is the type of mushroom you want in a curry. Chestnut mushroom retain a lot of their texture even after simmering in the curry for 20 minutes, so they'll still have a bit of a bite.

Spices - you need a mix of garam masala, ground coriander, turmeric, and chili flakes. The latter are optional, but highly recommended if you want the curry to have a bit of a kick.

Plant-based yoghurt - you can use your favorite type here; mine is Alpro's Plain Yoghurt version.

Fresh tomatoes - you can substitute these with tinned chopped tomatoes in a pinch, but make sure you tweak the liquids to compensate, as the curry may be too fluid if you use the entire contents of the tin.

How do you make this curry with mushrooms?

In a large pan, heat the vegetable oil over low heat and add the cumin seeds. Cook for 1 minute until they sizzle.

Add the chopped cashews and cook for 30 seconds until golden. Add the onions and fry on low-medium heat for 6-7 minutes until golden. Add the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.

Stir in all the spices and chili flakes and coat the onions well. Add the gram flour and cook for another 30 seconds. The whole mixture is going to be dry at this point.

Add the yoghurt to the pan gradually and stir continuously.

Add the chopped tomatoes, stir well (add ½ cup of water if the mixture looks too dry) and cook for 7-8 minutes with a lid on until the tomatoes are soft.

Tip in the mushrooms, add 250 ml water and cook with a lid on for 10-15 minutes until the curry has thickened slightly and the mushrooms are tender.

You can make this curry as thick as you want, but keep in mind that it will continue to thicken as it begins to cool off, so don't worry if it still looks like it has too much liquid when you turn off the heat.

This mushroom curry tastes great with roti (chapati), but you can also serve it with basmati rice.

If you liked this easy mushroom curry, have a look at some of my other vegan curry recipes:

30-Minute Vegan Chickpea and Spinach Curry

Thai Sweet Potato Curry with Spicy Chilli Peanuts

Aubergine Thai Red Curry with Peppers

Red Lentil Coconut Dahl with Spicy Paneer

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