Chicken Curry with Cashews

After I discovered Indian food I was obsessed with finding a way to have it at home.

Alot of my favorite Indian dishes are labor intensive though so I began searching for a simple curry dish that was easy to make and didn't require too many exotic ingredients.

I tried a few and finally settled on this one. It's fairly easy to make and I usually have the ingredients on hand.

I serve it over Jasmine or Basmati rice. And my rice cooker is one of my favorite and most often used kitchen appliances. I've never been able to cook rice well in a regular old pot. It's one of my greatest shortcomings.

For 4 servings:

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter (margarine is not allowed to darken my refrigerator doorway)

2 medium onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped (I buy the quart jar of chopped garlic in the produce section. It keeps forever. But we go thru it in a couple months. We love garlic!)

3 Tablespoons curry powder (Buy it from an Indian market. It matters! And it's cheaper.)

1 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 Tablespoon chopped ginger

1 can diced tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

3/4 cup cashews (I usually have a can of pieces and halves around because Roger loves them.)

3/4 cup plain yogurt

Heat butter in a 5-6 quart pot over moderately low heat until foam subsides. Add onion, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring, until softened. About 5 minutes. Add curry, cumin, cayenne and salt and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add chicken and stir to coat with seasonings. Cook 3 minutes, stirring about half way thru. Add tomatoes with their juice, and cilantro. Bring to a simmer. Cover and and continue simmering gently, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes.

Pulse cashews in food processor until finely ground. Add to curry along with yogurt. Stir and simmer gently, uncovered, till thickened. About 5 minutes.