Fruit & Nut Curry

This is one of the first recipes we made at home straight out of college.  At the time we remember thinking it was so expensive and complicated.  Now it doesn't really seem that way. :)

Makes: 6 servings (1 serving = 1.5 ladles)

Cost per serving: coming soon

Calories per serving:  ~283 (excluding rice)

Ingredients:

•  half a large onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½" piece ginger, minced or grated
• 2 Thai chilies, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
• ¾ cup mixed nuts, coarsely chopped 
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• ¾ cup water
• 1½ tablespoons butter or ghee
• 4 dried apricots, chopped
• ½ cup raisins or sultanas
• 1 teaspoon salt (can omit if nuts are salted)

Saute onion in oil until it starts to brown - about 7 minutes.  Add garlic, ginger, and chilies, and saute another 3 minutes.  Add spices and saute until aromatic, about 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Try to mash them up a bit as you go. 

Pour mixture into a container. Mash the tomatoes more depending on desired chunkiness. Very finely chop 1 tablespoon of the mixed nuts.  (Maybe you have a whole tablespoon of nut dust already just from the coarse chopping!)  Add this plus the yogurt and water to the mixture. Set aside.

In the same skillet, melt butter.  Add the remaining nuts and toast for 3 minutes.  Add apricots and sultanas and saute 1 minute.  Add the tomato/yogurt/etc mixture and salt.  Simmer 10-12 minutes to thicken.  Serve with rice.