Did I ever tell you guys about the great cashew caper? It was the day our cousin Ruvi and he husband Pesh were leaving Sri Lanka and after a lovely lunch we  headed to ODEL to buy some devilled cashews.  We left a sleeping baby and the husbands in the car and went inside to the “nut counter”. We picked up a huge bag of cashews, paid for the purchases and walked outside.

That night as Ruvi was packing, the cashews were nowhere to be found. We searched the car, the bags and looked in all the spots that Master C could’ve hidden them. But, to no avail.

Now, I am quite an absentminded person, I lose wallets and phones and money all the time. Nuwan is forever chasing me about the house closing cupboards and draws. Shelton mama never lets a friend leave without telling them how as a 10 year old I calmly placed 10 dollars into a bin along with a the wrapper for my pork roll. I’ve learned to deal with this by developing a great recollection. I can walk through events and instances in my mind to try and find that lost wallet or keys. Otherwise, I’d probably never leave the house.

So as night fell that day I started thinking back over our trip to ODEL and mentally following that package of cashew. I remembered it being placed in the basket. I remembered walking to the counter and I remembered paying for the purchases. I also remembered that we didn’t get the cashews back. Sure enough, we called ODEL and they were there, hanging out at the counter. Ruvi left Lanka, cashews in hand.

A Sri Lankan wedding is never complete without a cashew nut curry, so make this dish for your next set of festivities.

Ingredients

• 150g cashew nuts
• 2 tsp. curry powder split
• 1tbsp. oil
• 1tbsp. sesame seeds
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1 tsp. chilli powder
• 1 piece of cinnamon
• 1 green chilli sliced
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 small onion chopped
• salt
• 1/2 cup coconut cream
• 100g of green peas

Preparation

In a small pan place the cashew nuts and turmeric and curry powder with enough water to cover the nuts. Place on a medium heat and bring to the boil. Cook till the nuts are soft, I like mine to have a bit of a bite so I don’t cook mine as much as is conventional.

Drain the cashews and place the pan back on the heat. Add a splash of oil, the chilli powder, curry powder, cinnamon and sesame seeds. Fry for a few seconds until the sesame seeds are toasted.

Add the onions, garlic and chilli and fry until they are soft.

Return the cashews to the pan and add the  coconut cream.

Simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly and then add the green peas just before serving.