KAJU MATAR USAL1

Kaju  Matar  Usal  is an excellent dish cooked in Maharashtrian style – cashew nuts cooked with green peas in a rich tomato, coconut and spice mix delicious gravy. This dish is a complete extravaganza delicacy that can be prepared for any special occasion or party. Kaju Matar Usal is a lip smacking recipe prepared by using wholesome cashew nuts, fresh or frozen green peas cooked in rich, creamy and velvety based gravy. Cashew nuts in a delicious, spicy sauce just taste heavenly and this can also impress your guests with delight. Making of this usal curry takes less time and can become a star dish on your dinner table.

Cashew nuts and fresh coconut are the star ingredients from the cuisine of Kerala. This yummy and delectable usal pleasantly combines the richness of the cashew nuts along with the smoothness of green peas with the creaminess of coconut. There are a lot of Indian dishes that use ground cashew nuts for making their gravies thick and rich based. The exotic dishes made from the Mughlai cuisine are some of the richest dishes in the world. Most of their recipes are made with cashew nut paste or almond paste with ghee. Their recipes are generally slightly sweet and wonderful to taste and Mughlai recipes are spicy too.

Some of my fabulous recipes made with cashew nuts are Cashew nut curry, Kaju Karle – (Karela Bittermelon with Cashew nuts), Chicken with cashew nuts, Chicken Korma, Spicy Fried Cashew Nuts, Masala Cashews. Cashew nut is a very versatile nut and is also used in making various sweet delicacies like Cashew Chikki, Carrot payasam with cashew, Cashew nut biscuit, Kaju burfi and many more. Cashew nuts are extensively grown in South India (state of Kerala). India is a major exporter of cashew nuts worldwide only second to Brazil. Generally the quality of cashews is determined by their whiteness.  

The whiter the kernels, better is the quality of cashews. Fresh green peas are another incredible food item that can be used fresh, frozen or dried. These little round green tiny balls are very popular in the north Indian cuisine. They are generally eaten as a snack, as a side dish or as a main course dish. Popular dishes made from green peas are Aloo mattar (potatoes and green peas), Kheema Matar (minced meat and green peas), Mattar Paneer (Paneer cheese cubes and green peas), Peas Pulao, Peas masala etc.

The pea is a green, pod-shaped vegetable, widely grown as a cool-season vegetable crop. A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the legume Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Although it is botanically a fruit it is treated as a vegetable in cooking. In early times, peas were grown mostly for their dry seeds. In modern times, however, peas are usually boiled or steamed. Fresh peas are also used in pies, salads and casseroles while the dried peas are often added into the soups or simply boiled and eaten on their own.

To prepare this mouth-watering and scrumptious Kaju Matar Usal, firstly heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and when it is hot enough, add 1 tsp cumin seeds, few curry leaves, 2 tbsp onion paste and sauté until browned.

Add 1 tsp chopped garlic and chopped green chillies, When the garlic and green chillies get cooked, add a pinch of hing, turmeric, red chilli powder, pinch of garam masala powder, salt and 1 cup tomato puree.

Sauté the entire ingredients well. Add little water, 2 tbsp ground coconut paste and mix. Cover with the lid and cook for about 5 minutes until this is nicely cooked.

Add ¼ cup boiled cashew nuts, boiled green peas and ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves and cook for 2-3 minutes and switch off the flame. The dish is ready.

Serve hot with Garlic naan, tandoori roti or Jeera rice!

Kaju Matar usal is an affluent dish and makes an extraordinary lavish curry. This curry has a wonderful creamy soft, crunchy texture with amazing silky thick gravy, spiced with incredible and intrepid Indian aromatic spices creating a perfect dish for parties and special occasions. This dish also tastes extremely good with naan, roomali roti, pulaos, jeera rice and fried rice.

Do try this healthy Kaju Matar Usal recipe and enjoy its exotic flavours and taste.

Click on the below link to view the making of this delightful recipe:

 https://www.vahrehvah.com/kaju-matar-usal-recipe

 Apart from the wonderful flavour this dish imparts, it is also packed with umpteen amounts of nutrients and vitamins as green peas in several different forms have a vibrantly delicious flavour, wonderful texture and a wealth of health supporting nutrients. They are very good source of vitamin K and dietary fibre and also good source of folic acid and a good source of vitamin B6.

Enjoy Cooking!!!