Meals · Telangana

Koya Kaju

The rich restaurant favourite: ghee-fried whole cashews and crumbled khoya in a silky onion, tomato and cashew gravy finished with cream and kasuri methi.

Koya Kaju

Prep 15 min · Cook 35 min · Total 50 min · Serves 4

Ingredients

Cashews and khoya

  • 100 g Whole cashews
  • 2 tbsp Ghee
  • 150 g Khoya (mawa), crumbled

Gravy base

  • 1 tbsp Oil
  • 2 Onions, roughly chopped
  • 3 Tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 15 Cashews
  • 1 inch Ginger
  • 4 cloves Garlic
  • 2 Green chillies
  • 1 cup Water

Curry

  • 2 tbsp Butter
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 3 Green cardamom
  • 3 Cloves
  • 1 ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
  • 1 tsp Coriander powder
  • ¼ tsp Turmeric
  • 1 tsp Garam masala
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • ½ cup Water
  • ¼ cup Single cream
  • 1 tbsp Kasuri methi

Method

  1. Fry the cashews. Warm the ghee in a pan over low heat and fry the whole cashews, stirring, until evenly golden. Lift out with a slotted spoon. In the same ghee, stir the crumbled khoya for 2 minutes until it smells nutty and just colours, then tip it out too.
  2. Make the base. Heat the oil and cook the onions until soft and translucent. Add the tomatoes, gravy cashews, ginger, garlic, green chillies and 1 cup water. Cover and simmer until everything is very soft. Cool slightly and blend to a completely smooth purée; strain it for a restaurant finish.
  3. Temper and cook. Melt the butter in the pan and add the cumin, bay leaf, cardamom and cloves. When they crackle, pour in the purée with the chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric. Cook, stirring, until thick and the butter rises to the top.
  4. Add the khoya. Stir in about two-thirds of the fried khoya with the sugar, salt and 1/2 cup water. Simmer for 5 minutes; the khoya melts into the gravy and makes it rich and slightly sweet.
  5. Finish. Add the garam masala, cream and kasuri methi and simmer for 2 minutes. Fold in the fried cashews just before serving so they stay crunchy, and scatter the rest of the khoya on top. Serve with butter naan or jeera rice.

Tips

Fry the cashews over low heat and pull them out the moment they turn golden; they keep darkening off the heat. Add them at the very end or they go soft.