Cashew Chutney

This Keralan cashew chutney, or kaju chatni, is one of the most delicious accompaniments I've ever come across for vegetables or Indian savoury pastries, and a must-try for cashew lovers. Adapted from Yamuna Devi's incomparable Indian cookbook, Lord Krishna's Cuisine, which also suggests that it makes a wonderful salad dressing when thinned, it only takes ten minutes at most to prepare and keeps well for several days. Make sure to use only fresh, raw cashews.

Cashew chutney

1 cup raw cashews, bits or halves
½-inch piece of ginger, sliced
5 hot green chillies, chopped with the seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt
small dash cayenne powder
¼ teaspoon lemon juice
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped

Combine the cashews, ginger, chillies, salt, cayenne and lemon juice in a food processor or blender with a ¼ cup of the water and blend until smooth, adding more of the water as necessary to produce a smooth purée. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the fresh coriander.

Serve fresh or refrigerate covered up to 3 days. If refrigerated, add a little more water when serving to thin the chutney as it tends to thicken when sitting.