Cashew Chicken Curry

Cardamom Pods

Recipe from Cooking Light

Originally I made this dish for Mel's birthday extravaganza last October. We both love Indian food- but since I am on a diet I figured I could make (with our friend Anisha's contributions) a healthier dinner feast than what we could order at our favorite local restaurant. I made this chicken cashew dish that turned out a bit bland for my liking, so I vowed next time I would use more spice. This time I did-- and it was great! Here is the recipe how I made it:

Serves 6-1c portions (or more if you are eating family style)

Ingredients

1. 2/3 cup cashews, toasted
2. 2/3 cup fat-free Greek-style yogurt
3. 1/4 cup tomato paste (I used one whole small can of paste)
4. 2 tablespoons white vinegar
5. 2 tablespoons garam masala
6. 1 teaspoon ground coriander
7. 1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
8. 1 tablespoon ground red pepper,
   
9. 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
10. 1 tablespoon smoked hot paprika
11. 3 crushed cardamom pods
    
12. 2 garlic cloves, chopped
13. 4 -5 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces* (about 20 ounces) (I forgot to cut mine this time so after cooking the stew for a while I shredded the meat)
    
14. 2 3/4 cups finely chopped onion (2 large)
15. 2 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
16. 1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick/ I used 1tsp ground cinnamon
17. 2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
18. 1 cup organic tomato puree (I used crushed tomato)
    
19. 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
20. 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Combine first 12 ingredients in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Combine nut mixture and chicken in a large bowl; cover and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

As you can see I did this in a bag and it had imperfect coverage of the chicken due to the fact that the marinade is so thick... It did not alter the final product taste though.

2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, cardamom, paprika, salt and cinnamon stick to pan; cover and cook 10 minutes or until onion is golden, stirring often.

Mmm... onions!

3. Add chicken mixture to pan; cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in broth, tomato puree, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 1 hour or until thick. Remove from heat. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired (I do not- eeeww!).

Nutritional Information (approx since I eliminated a few things like half and half, breast meat...)

Calories: 340 (36% from fat)

Fat: 13.6g (sat 3.4g,mono 5.8g,poly 2.6g)

Protein: 36.7g

Carbohydrate: 18.7g

Fiber: 3.8g

Cholesterol: 91mg

Iron: 3.2mg

Sodium: 435mg

Calcium: 83mg

I served this with brown basmati rice with fresh cooked peas!