Tender Cashewnut Stir Fry | Bibbe Upkari is a flavorful and delicious, soft and creamy stir fry prepared using fresh tender cashews and few spices. This can be served as a side dish with steamed rice or as a breakfast or evening snack with poori (puri) or chapati.

This is a very popular recipe from Konkani cuisine of coastal Karnataka (Udupi and Mangalore) prepared mainly during Ugadi festival, or during the summer season when these tender cashews or bibbo are available.

This is my fourth recipe for Ugadi (Gudi Padwa ) series. If you have missed my first 3 recipes and details on Ugadi festival check this out.

MANGO RICE OR CHITRANNA
UGADI PACHADI
GASAGASE PAYASA (POPPY SEEDS PUDDING)

Have you tried tender cashew nut before? Are you wondering what tender cashews are?

Cashew seed attached to the cashew apple (kaju) start growing on cashew trees or kaju trees around the Konkan region of India (coastal Karnataka, Goa, and parts of Maharashtra) in the month of January and these cashew seeds, also known as cashew nuts, become mature by end of April which is then processed and used as snacking item or in a number of recipes including preparation of cashew cheese and cashew butter. Even before they become mature, the young cashew seeds are harvested and peeled to get these tender cashews popularly called bibbo in Konkani. These are softer than the mature cashew nuts that are sold in supermarkets or grocery stores across the world.

But the main recipe, BIBBE UPKARI, using bibbo or tender cashews is prepared during Ugadi (Gudi padwa) festival, i.e. beginning of New Year for southern parts of India. As this festival is celebrated at the beginning of summer, other popular seasonal konkani dishes, namely, ambe upkari using gonte ambo (sweet and savory mango curry), avnas ambe sasam (a sweet and savory coconut curry using pineapples and mangoes), and breadfruit rava fry or breadfruit fritters (jeevkadgi podi) are also prepared. Recipes for these dishes coming up soon!!

These tender cashews are typically sold in vegetable stores in packets of 50 or 100 cashews and are very seasonal and expensive too. These can be stored in the freezer for a month. Yet Konkanis buy them and some even dry them in sunlight and store it in the freezer to use them year-round. You will compromise on taste by sun-drying but it is worth it as the taste of tender cashews is unique compared to the mature cashews you buy in the market.

What bibbo means for amchis or konkanis?

If you meet any Konkanis around this festival, they never ask you how you are. The very first question is tukka bibbo melli ve? tu kitli dille? makkai thode kanu davarta ve? (i.e., did you find tender cashews? how much did you pay? Please buy some for me if you find them again.) Ugadi is incomplete without this stir fry.

And I still remember my granny and parents telling if there was bibbe upkari for a wedding during the summer season, the event was declared a very grand one 🙂

Because it is expensive and if you are feeding a large family or gathering to increase the quantity of the stir fry people add potatoes and ivy gourd (tendle or tindora) which is again available in plenty during this season.

How to cook tender cashew nuts or bibbo?

These bibbo (cashews) are available with skin on. Put them in hot boiling water and let this soak for an hour or two. You can even put them in boiling water and soak them overnight. This is mainly done to remove any sand and dirt sticking and for easy peeling of the cashews.
After one hour or overnight soaking, peel the skin and separate the cashews.
Some people pressure cook at this point so that it cooks faster, and becomes soft and creamy. I prefer this if using mature cashewnuts. But with tender cashew nuts I like to cook it with water in a pan with lid on so that I know when to stop cooking further and that these won't turn mushy at all. The choice is yours. If you are pressure cooking, cook for 2 to 3 whistles with enough water and stop.

Can't find tender cashews where you stay?

You can prepare bibbe upkari by using dry mature cashews that are available with skin-on (peel off the skin by rubbing between your palms or by soaking process) or skin-off whole (or split) white cashews that are available in any grocery store across the world. Make sure to choose cashews that are not fried. To get that soft and creamy texture, just soak it overnight and pressure cook for 3 whistles (one on high and two on medium flame) and use it in stir fry.

Ingredients for tender cashew nut stir fry | bibbe upkari

2 cups peeled tender cashewnuts or bibbo (around 80 to 100 unpeeled)
2 tablespoon Coconut oil
1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
1 teaspoon Urad dal
1 tablespoon Chana dal
1 dry Red chile
1 Green chile
2 sprig Curry leaves
1 ¼ cup Water (approx)
4 tablespoon grated Coconut
¼ teaspoon Hing powder or Asafoetida
Salt, to taste

How to make tender cashewnut stir fry | bibbe upkari?

Heat 2 tablespoon of coconut oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they start to splutter, added urad dal and chana dal When they become light golden in color add slit red chile, slit green chile, curry leaves, and saute for few seconds.
Add tender cashew nuts, water, salt to taste and bring it to boil on high flame. Now cover with lid, lower the flame to medium and let it cook till the water has evaporated and cashews become soft and creamy (approx 5 to 10 minutes). At this point, if you still feel it's not soft or creamy or cooked through, add a little more water and cook it further.
Add hing powder, grated coconut, and toss till combined. Sauté for 2 more minutes. Switch off the flame.
Tender Cashewnut Stir Fry | Bibbe Upkari is ready. Serve hot and enjoy.

Tips:

Make sure you soak tender cashew nuts in hot water for at least 1 hour. If you are using skinned mature cashews or regular white cashews make sure you soak them overnight and pressure cook for faster cooking.
You can add potatoes and ivy gourd (tendle or tindora) cut lengthwise to the recipe if desired.
To know if it's cooked completely or not, taste one cashew. It should be soft and creamy. If not, continue to cook for some more time.
I have actually used hing water (solid hing dissolved in water and added). Use good quality hing (powder or solid form). The flavor it gives to the dish is just amazing.
You can increase the number of chilies if you want the dish spicy.
I have added freshly grated coconut. You can use frozen or desiccated coconut.

Can I store any leftover stir fry?

There will be hardly any leftovers with such seasonal delicacies. But if you have some you can store it in the refrigerator for 3 days and heat it as and when required. But do remember it always tastes best when done and served fresh.

Are there any other recipes that I can make with tender cashew nuts or bibbo?

I can give you 100s of them but some of my favorite ones where you can use tender cashew nuts are

BIBBE SONG - quick shortcut version or check BATATE SONG. Simply substitute potatoes with tender cashews.
BIBBE HUMMAN OR HINGA UDDA or BENDI (Simply substitute prawns with bibbo in this recipe for PRAWNS CURRY)
VALVAL
MADGANE
BIBBE SUKKA (substitute mushroom with tender cashews in this recipe)