Name: Maharashtrian Kaju Usal
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 95 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1 cup Cashews, whole, soaked in hot water for 1 hour; 1 Onion, divided (roughly chopped for paste, finely chopped for gravy); ¼ cup Fresh Coconut, grated; 2½ Garlic, cloves; ½ inch Ginger; ½ tsp Mustard Seeds; ¼ tsp Ground Turmeric; 1 tbsp Kanda Lasun Masala, authentic Malvani/Kolhapuri spice blend; ¼ tsp Garam Masala, Malvani masala if available; 1½ tbsp Coconut Oil, divided (for roasting paste and making gravy); ¾ cup Water, hot; ½ tsp Salt; 1 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped for garnish

1 hr 35 mintotal

35 min hands-on1 hr hands-off

Prep 10 min · Cook 25 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Spicy

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Method

Make the Vatan (Base Paste): Heat a portion of the coconut oil in a pan. Add the roughly chopped portion of the onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté deliberately until the onion edges turn thoroughly brown.
Add the grated fresh coconut to the pan and roast continuously on low heat until the coconut completely turns a deep, dark golden brown. Cool slightly and blend this fragrant mixture with a small splash of water into a very fine paste.
Heat the remaining coconut oil in a heavy kadhai. Add the mustard seeds and let them confidently splutter.
Add the finely chopped portion of the onion and sauté until it becomes light golden and translucent.
Integrate the turmeric powder and the fiery Kanda Lasun Masala. Stir rapidly for exactly 10 seconds to release the brilliant color into the oil without burning.
10 sec
Pour the roasted coconut-onion paste (Vatan) into the kadhai. Fry this foundational masala on medium heat until the oil separates completely and the paste visibly darkens.
Drain the soaked cashews comprehensively and add them to the pan along with the salt. Toss them well in the robust masala for 2 minutes to coat them.
2 min
Pour in the measured hot water to form the gravy body. Bring to a rapid boil, cover, and let it simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. The cashews will turn incredibly soft and beautifully meaty.
10 min
Turn off the heat. Sprinkle the Malvani/Garam masala and freshly chopped coriander on top. Serve hot.

How to tell it's done

Plump, buttery, and yielding whole cashews suspended in a heavily spiced, dark red, coarse, and oil-rich roasted coconut gravy.

Getting it right

Tip

Do not fry the cashews. Kaju Usal relies on boiling the soaked cashews within the fiery coconut gravy so they swell up, becoming soft, plump, and almost meat-like in texture.

What to serve it with

A coastal delicacy from the Malvan region. Demands to be eaten with Vade (fluffy fried puris), Amboli, or steamed rice.

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