Pea and Potato Creamy Masala

By the Gracious Vegan

This curry dish features two popular vegetables along with an appealing creamy tomato sauce with Indian spicing. The fenugreek seed powder is key to its success, and you can find it online or in Asian grocery stores. 

 Makes 5 servings

Soak cashews in cold water at least 2 hours, or pour boiling water over them, cover, and let them soak 20 minutes while you start the rest of the recipe.

• 1/3 cups raw cashews

Boil, steam, or microwave the potato chunks until they are just tender (the microwave will take 7-10 minutes, depending on your microwave’s strength). Put them aside.

• 1 pound Yukon or red- or gold-skin potato, in 1” cubes (peeling optional)

Separately, water-sauté the following ingredients in a Dutch oven or other large pan until they are soft, 8-10 minutes. (What is water-sauté?)

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, minced, grated, or finely chopped

• 2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger

Add the spices and stir 1-2 minutes.

• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

• 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seed powder

• Cayenne pepper for spiciness (I use a pinch, but some like it hotter)

Add the diced green chili pepper and cook 1-2 minutes. 

• 1 green chili pepper (jalapeno with seeds removed, or a spicier variety if desired), finely chopped

Separately, drain the cashews and place them in a blender with water 1 cup water and process until absolutely smooth and creamy.

Then add tomato paste to the blender and blend it with the cashew cream.

• 1/2 cup tomato paste

Add the cashew-tomato mixture to the Dutch oven along with the following ingredients. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add additional water to achieve your desired sauce consistency.

• The potatoes

• 1.5 cup peas (thawed or frozen)

• 3/4 cup water (or more)

• 1 teaspoon salt

Garnish with cilantro and serve over rice, other cooked grains, or with flatbread. 

• Fresh chopped cilantro for garnish

Timing: Hands-on time 40 minutes, total time 40 minutes                     

Nutritional information per serving (with 1/2 cup cooked brown rice per serving): 299 calories, 4g fat, 1g sat. fat, 57g carbs, 717mg sodium, 7g fiber, 9g protein 

Gluten-free