Matar Makhana Curry
Roasted fox nuts and green peas in a cashew-tomato gravy. A weeknight North Indian curry without khoya.
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed pan or kadhai
- Blender
- Small bowl
Ingredients
For the roasted makhana
- 2 cups phool makhana (fox nuts / lotus seeds)
- 1 tablespoon ghee
For the cashew paste
- 12-15 cashews about 1/4 cup
- 1/4 cup hot water for soaking
For the gravy
- 2 tablespoons oil or ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 onion medium, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced, or 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
- 1-2 green chillies slit
- 2 tomatoes medium, blended to a puree, about 3/4 cup
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 3/4 cup warm water plus more as needed
For the peas and finish
- 1 1/2 cups green peas frozen or fresh
- 3 tablespoons fresh cream
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar or honey optional
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi crushed between your palms
To garnish
- fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 tablespoon cream optional
Instructions
Soak and roast
- Soak the cashews in 1/4 cup hot water for 15 minutes. Blend with the soaking water until completely smooth. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in the kadhai over medium-low. Add the makhana. Roast 5 to 7 minutes, stirring, until they turn light gold and a piece snaps cleanly. Tip them onto a plate.
Build the gravy
- In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil or ghee over medium. Add cumin seeds. Let them sizzle 30 seconds.
- Add the chopped onion and a pinch of salt. Cook 6 to 8 minutes until soft and light gold, not burnt.
- Add ginger, garlic, and green chillies. Cook 1 minute until the raw smell goes.
- Add tomato puree, turmeric, Kashmiri chilli, coriander powder, cumin powder, and salt. Cook 5 to 6 minutes until the masala thickens and oil collects at the edges.
- Stir in the cashew paste. It will seize and look pasty. Add 3/4 cup warm water and stir until it loosens into a gravy that coats a spoon.
Add peas, then makhana
- Add the peas. Frozen peas can go in straight. Fresh peas need 4 to 5 minutes until tender. Add a splash of water if the gravy is catching.
- Stir in cream, sugar if the tomatoes taste sharp, garam masala, and crushed kasuri methi. Taste for salt. The gravy should taste a little sweet from the peas and nutty from the cashew.
- Add the roasted makhana. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes on low so they take on gravy but still have a little chew. Do not walk away.
- Garnish with cilantro and a spoon of cream if you want. Serve hot.
Notes
Frozen peas are fine. Do not thaw them on the counter. Add them frozen so they stay bright.
Fresh peas need 4 to 5 minutes in the gravy until tender before the makhana go in.
Khoya upgrade: stir in 1/2 cup crumbled khoya after the cashew paste loosens, then add water as needed. Ease back on the cream. Finish the same night.
Extra cashews: roast 2 tablespoons with the makhana and add them at the end.
Paneer: 1 cup cubes, pan-fried, added with the makhana.
Vegan: oil instead of ghee, and 3 tablespoons unsweetened cashew cream or thin coconut milk instead of dairy.
Jain: skip onion and garlic. Bloom a pinch of hing with the cumin, use 1 cup tomato puree, and blend 18 cashews.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep roasted makhana separate if you can. Reheat gently with a splash of water. Do not freeze.
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