Cashews in Sri Lankan Cooking: From Kaju Curry to Aluwa

Cashews arrived in Sri Lanka with Portuguese traders, as we describe in the history of cashew in Sri Lanka, and over the centuries they found a place in the island's kitchens. You will find them in a pot of creamy curry at Sunday lunch, in the rice at a wedding, in a devilled dish served with a cold drink, and in sweets at New Year. In Sinhala the nut is kaju, which is why you hear the dishes called kaju this and kaju that.

This guide brings the main dishes together, with the cashew to use for each, and links to the full recipes.

Kaju maluwa is a Sri Lankan classic, a creamy curry of whole cashews in a coconut gravy flavoured with onion, green chilli, garlic, curry leaves, pandan, cinnamon and mild curry powder. It appears at weddings and Sunday lunches alike, and is one of the simplest curries to make. You simmer the whole cashews with turmeric until they are tender, then cook them in thin coconut milk and finish with thick coconut milk. Serve it with rice and dhal. See our recipe in 5 easy cashew recipes and our tips for the creamiest cashew curry.

Kaha bath, or yellow rice, is a festive rice dish coloured with turmeric, often topped with fried cashews, and served at celebrations. Our recipe is in yellow rice with cashews. Cashew fried rice is the quick, everyday cousin, where roasted cashews are added at the end for crunch. Both use cashews as texture, so add them late, so they stay crisp.

Devilled dishes are a Sri Lankan favourite with a cold drink. Devilled cashews are either stir-fried in a sweet, sour and spicy sauce with onion and capsicum, or sold ready-made as a seasoned snack. See what devilled cashews are for the story, and our Deviled Cashew if you would like the flavour without the cooking.

Cashews are a staple of Sri Lankan sweets. Cashew aluwa, made from cashew powder, sugar and cardamom, is cut into diamonds and shared at New Year and at celebrations. Our step-by-step cashew aluwa recipe shows how. For a crunchy treat, try cashew brittle, which also makes a good gift.

Soaked and blended, cashews turn into a smooth milk and a thick cream, which are useful for dairy-free cooking and for enriching gravies, as in cashew milk, cashew cream and cashew butter. A paste of ground cashews has long been used in Sri Lankan kitchens to thicken and enrich gravies.

Cashews turn up wherever Sri Lankans celebrate. Kaju maluwa and yellow rice feature on wedding and festival menus, aluwa is cut into diamonds for New Year, and a bowl of roasted or devilled cashews is put out for visitors at almost any gathering. They are also a popular gift, which is why our gift boxes and our guide to cashew gift ideas for festivals are among our most visited pages.

A few simple habits make cashew cooking easier. Keep plain cashews in an airtight container away from heat and damp, as in how to store roasted cashews. Keep a small bag of cashew powder for sweets and quick gravies. Soak cashews before blending them into milk or cream, because soaking softens them for a smooth result. And buy a size you will use within a few weeks, since fresh cashews taste best.

If you cook for someone with a tree nut allergy, remember that cashews are a tree nut, and read tree nut allergy and cashews before you serve a cashew dish to guests.

For anything that simmers or blends, such as curry, milk, cream and butter, use plain whole cashews, such as our Cooking Cashew. For sweets, use Cashew Powder, which saves you the grinding. For garnishes, rice and stir-fries, use roasted cashews and add them at the end, such as our Oven Roasted Cashew. For snacking and sharing, choose a flavour, from Salt & Pepper to Deviled.

If you have never cooked with cashews, begin with kaju maluwa, because it is forgiving and uses only a handful of ingredients. Once you are comfortable, try yellow rice for a celebration and aluwa for a festive sweet. You can compare packs and prices on our cashew price guide, and order 100% Sri Lankan whole cashews from Puttalam for delivery across Sri Lanka in five to seven business days.