Sri Lankan Cashew Nut Curry

Name: Sri Lankan Cashew Nut Curry
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 100 gms raw cashews, soaked in room temperature water for ½ an hour and drained.; 1 tbsp coconut oil; 1/2” piece cinnamon; 1 clove; 1 Coorg Cardamom; 2 small bay leaves; 1 large red onion, finely sliced; 6-8 curry leaves; 2 green chilli, slit; 1/2 tsp Lakadong turmeric powder; 1/2 tsp red chilli powder; 1/2 tsp cumin powder; 1/2 tsp Tura black pepper, coarsely ground; 200ml coconut milk; 1/4 tsp garam masala; Salt to taste

4.6 ✓ Thanks!

Serves2

Prep Time

10 mins

Total Time

55 mins

DifficultyEasy

Recipe by Aishwarya Subramanian Pastry Chef, Product Head

Aishwarya Subramanian is a designer and pastry chef bringing her creations to life at The Recipe Lab.

About This Dish

Kaju Maluwa is a coconut-milk curry built on soaked whole cashews, toasted whole spices, and a slow simmer that thickens naturally without flour or cream. The technique is straightforward: bloom cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and bay leaf in coconut oil, sweat onions with curry leaves and green chilli until just golden, then fold in the drained cashews and ground spices before deglazing with full-fat coconut milk. Ten minutes at a bare simmer is all it takes — the cashews absorb the spiced coconut broth, turning rich and almost buttery while the sauce reduces to a glossy, clinging consistency.

This curry rewards good raw materials more than most dishes. The turmeric provides color and earthy backbone, so the difference between a 2% curcumin grocery-store powder and a properly processed single-origin turmeric is immediately visible in the pot and detectable on the palate. The same goes for cinnamon — a delicate, true cinnamon adds floral warmth without the harsh bite of cassia, and the cardamom needs enough volatile oil left in the pod to perfume the coconut milk during the simmer. When the spices are fresh and properly sourced, you need less of them, and the curry tastes cleaner.

This version uses Lakadong Turmeric from Meghalaya, lab-tested at 7.61% curcumin content, which gives the sauce a deep saffron hue that commercial turmeric can't match. Laskien Wild Cinnamon — wild-harvested, not plantation-grown — delivers the soft, layered sweetness that Sri Lankan cashew curry traditionally calls for. Coorg Cardamom rounds out the whole-spice base with an intense, camphor-edged aroma that holds up through the full simmer without turning medicinal. The result is a vegan curry that feels genuinely luxurious, not like a compromise.

Ingredients

100 gms raw cashews, soaked in room temperature water for ½ an hour and drained.
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2” piece cinnamon
1 clove
1 Coorg Cardamom
2 small bay leaves
1 large red onion, finely sliced
6-8 curry leaves
2 green chilli, slit
1/2 tsp Lakadong turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp Tura black pepper, coarsely ground
200ml coconut milk
1/4 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste

Instructions

In a pan, heat the coconut oil. Add the cinnamon, clove, cardamom & bay leaf and sauté until fragrant. Then add in the onions, curry leaves and green chilli. Sauté over medium heat until the onions turn a light golden brown.
Add the drained cashews along with the powdered spices and stir fry for a couple of minutes.
Stir in the coconut milk and salt and let the mixture come to a boil.
Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Turn off the heat and add in the curry powder. Taste, adjust the salt if needed and serve hot with rice string hoppers.

This Recipe Features

Lakadong Turmeric

$11.00

Tura Black Pepper

$11.00

Ways to Make It Your Own

Saffron Cashew Curry

Steep 8–10 threads of Pampore Kashmir Saffron in two tablespoons of warm coconut milk for 10 minutes, then stir the saffron milk into the curry along with the coconut milk. The saffron adds a floral, honey-like complexity and turns the sauce a vivid orange-gold. This variation leans the curry in a more Mughlai direction — richer, more perfumed — and pairs especially well with basmati rice or a buttery paratha.

Black Pepper–Forward Version

Replace half the chilli with a generous amount of freshly cracked Tura Black Pepper from the Garo Hills. Add a teaspoon of coarsely ground pepper along with the powdered spices, and finish with another half teaspoon cracked over the top just before serving. High-piperine black pepper adds a slow, building heat that's different from chilli — it warms the back of the throat rather than the tongue. This version is especially good in cooler weather and pairs naturally with the turmeric, since piperine enhances curcumin absorption.

Ginger-Coconut Cashew Curry

Add a tablespoon of finely grated Ing Makhir Ginger along with the onions at the sauté stage. Meghalaya's Ing Makhir variety has a sharp, bright heat and pronounced citrus notes that cut through the richness of the coconut milk. This variation lightens the overall feel of the curry and adds a layer of freshness that makes it work as a warm-weather dish. Garnish with fresh ginger julienne and a squeeze of lime at the end.

Chickpea and Cashew Curry (Higher Protein)

Fold one can of drained, rinsed chickpeas into the curry along with the soaked cashews. The chickpeas add bulk, plant-based protein, and a firmer texture that makes this version substantial enough to serve as a standalone main over rice. Increase the coconut milk by about a quarter cup to account for the extra volume, and simmer for an additional 3–4 minutes so the chickpeas heat through and absorb some of the sauce. This is a practical weeknight adaptation that keeps all the flavor of the original.

Why These Ingredients Matter

Lakadong Turmeric

Grown in Meghalaya's Jaintia Hills, this single-origin turmeric is lab-tested at 7.61% curcumin — roughly three times the concentration found in standard commercial turmeric, which typically ranges from 2–3%. In a coconut-milk curry, that difference is immediately visible: the sauce turns a deep, warm gold rather than a pale yellow. Functionally, higher curcumin content also means more of the earthy, slightly bitter backbone that keeps the curry from tasting flat or one-dimensionally sweet. A quarter teaspoon does the work of a full teaspoon of grocery-store powder, so the curry stays clean-tasting without any chalky residue.

Laskien Wild Cinnamon

Wild-harvested rather than plantation-grown, Laskien Wild Cinnamon has a warm, resinous sweetness with a depth and aromatic complexity that sets it apart from mass-produced cinnamon. Wild-growing conditions produce bark with a more concentrated essential oil content, which means the whole stick blooms more gradually in hot oil and releases fragrance steadily through the simmer rather than dumping all its flavor up front. Stale, pre-ground cinnamon tends to taste flat and one-dimensional in a long-simmered coconut sauce; a whole stick of wild cinnamon will perfume the entire pot with a warm, layered sweetness that builds over the cooking time without overwhelming the cashews or the curry leaves.

Coorg Cardamom

Sourced from the hill plantations of Coorg in southern India, these green cardamom pods are intensely aromatic with a bright, camphor-edged eucalyptus note and underlying sweetness. In a cashew curry, cardamom plays a bridging role — it connects the warm base notes of cinnamon and clove to the brighter, greener notes of curry leaves and chilli. Crushing the pods lightly before adding them to the oil allows the seeds to release their volatile oils directly into the coconut fat, which carries the aroma through the entire dish.

Coconut Milk

Full-fat coconut milk is non-negotiable here. The high fat content — look for cans with 17–22% fat — creates the rich, emulsified sauce that defines this curry and gives the cashews their silky mouthfeel. Light or reduced-fat coconut milk will produce a thin, watery sauce that won't coat the cashews properly. Shake the can well before opening, or whisk the cream and liquid together before adding to the pan, so the sauce emulsifies evenly from the start.

Cashews

Use whole raw cashews, not roasted or salted. Soaking them for at least two hours (or overnight) is essential — it softens the nuts enough that they absorb the spiced coconut broth during the simmer, becoming tender and almost creamy in the center while holding their shape. Unsoaked cashews will stay hard and chalky even after simmering, and they won't take on the flavors of the sauce. Drain them thoroughly before adding to the pan so you don't dilute the spice base with extra water.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use cashew pieces instead of whole cashews for Kaju Maluwa?

Whole cashews are strongly recommended. Broken pieces absorb liquid unevenly, turn mushy faster during the simmer, and lose their shape in the sauce. Whole cashews hold up to the 10-minute simmer and develop a creamy interior while staying intact. If cost is a concern, use whole split cashews (halves) rather than small fragments.

How long should I soak cashews for Sri Lankan cashew curry?

Soak raw whole cashews in room-temperature water for a minimum of 2 hours, or up to 8 hours in the refrigerator. Soaking softens the cashews so they absorb the spiced coconut milk during cooking and turn tender throughout. If you're short on time, soaking in just-boiled water for 30 minutes works as a quick alternative, though the texture won't be quite as even.

Does the type of cinnamon matter in Sri Lankan curry?

Yes — the difference between fresh, high-quality whole cinnamon and pre-ground supermarket cinnamon is immediately noticeable in a coconut-milk curry. Whole cinnamon sticks bloom in hot oil and release fragrance gradually through the simmer, building layered warmth. Pre-ground cinnamon dumps its flavor all at once and can taste flat or dusty. Wild-harvested cinnamon like Laskien Wild Cinnamon has a more concentrated essential oil content from growing in unmanaged conditions, which gives it deeper complexity than plantation-grown varieties.

Is Sri Lankan cashew curry naturally gluten-free and vegan?

Yes. Traditional Kaju Maluwa is naturally both vegan and gluten-free. The sauce is thickened entirely by the reduction of coconut milk and the starch released by the soaked cashews — no flour, butter, cream, or other dairy is used. Check your curry powder blend to confirm it contains no added wheat-based anti-caking agents, though most pure spice blends are naturally gluten-free.

Why Our Spices Make a Difference

Every spice in this recipe comes from a farmer we know by name. Lab-tested for purity, harvested at peak season, and shipped within weeks, unlike the years it takes for grocery stores to stock their spices. Meet our farmers

✓ Lab Tested ✓ Direct Trade ✓ Single Origin

Published November 21, 2025 Updated February 12, 2026