A heady spice mix and freshly made cashew milk come together in this sumptuous curry

A recipe for Creamy Cashew Chicken Curry caught my eye at allrecipes.com. I love cashews and have a hard time not eating too many. Enticing.

The recipe, with 61 5-star ratings out of 65, came from John Mitzewich - aka, Chef John.

I looked at his recipe, with its 19 ingredients, to see just what "creamy cashew" meant. It turned out that Chef John used a mixture of water and cashews pureed in a high-speed blender.

The video accompanying the recipe showed Chef John turning the blended cashews and water into what looked like milk. And, when added to the pan, looked soupy. As the sauce simmered, he explained that it would thicken up just like whipping cream. Hmmm.

Since I had a package of organic, boneless, skinless chicken thighs and a package of organic cashews available, and all the spices, I decided to make Chef John's recipe with a few Mauer twists.

Chef John used fresh cilantro in the sauce and as a garnish. My partner, Nan, is not a cilantro fan. Wanting to maintain Chef's John flavors, I substituted dried cilantro in the spice mixture.

Since Nan is not a fan of spicy food, I substituted Aleppo chile pepper for the cayenne. The spice's package describes Aleppo chile pepper from Syria as: "… a medium heat level with a fruity flavor and cumin-like undertones." This seemed the perfect substitute since Chef John's spice blend included cumin.

The chicken needs to marinate for at least 4 hours, so I mixed his spice blend of kosher salt, cumin, coriander, sweet paprika, Aleppo pepper, turmeric, garam masala, and my dried cilantro, dividing it into two parts.

Next, I cut each chicken thigh into five pieces, tossed them into a bowl with half the spice mixture and some olive oil, and stirred it all together. I covered the bowl and let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

About an hour before dinner, I heated a small amount of butter in my skillet, sauteed the chicken pieces until lightly browned, and then set them aside on a dinner plate.

Next, I added chopped onion, the remaining spice blend, tomato paste, garlic, and ginger to the pan and sauteed them for about 2 to 3 minutes. In went some organic chicken broth, and while it started to heat up, I added water and cashews to my blender, blending them until the mixture looked like milk. Into the pan went the cashew solution, and everything simmered for about 20 minutes. The aroma in my kitchen literally made my mouth water. And, amazingly, the sauce thickened.

Instead of preparing white rice, which would have been high in carbohydrates (½ cup: 103 calories; 22 carb grams), I warmed up some frozen organic riced cauliflower (13 calories; 2 carb grams). I served my chicken curry over the riced cauliflower, and we dug in.

Chef John, this was sensational, even though I did not follow your recipe exactly. Five stars.

• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write to him at 1leanwizard@gmail.com.

Chicken Cashew Curry

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

2 teaspoons garam masala

1½ teaspoons ground organic cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon Aleppo chile pepper

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon dried cilantro

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 cup chicken broth (organic preferred)

2 cups bottled water

¾ cup roasted cashews (organic preferred)

Early in the day: In a small bowl, stir salt, paprika, garam masala, cumin, coriander, Aleppo pepper, turmeric, and dried cilantro together until combined. Set aside.

Cut each chicken thigh into 5, 2-inch pieces. Transfer chicken pieces to a bowl, add olive oil, and half the spice blend. Using a rubber spatula, mix thoroughly. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 4 to 12 hours.

About an hour before dinner, heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over high heat until melted and golden brown. Add the chicken pieces in a single layer and cook until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more, until browned. Transfer chicken to a dinner plate.

In the same skillet, over medium-high heat, add onion, garlic, tomato paste, ginger, and the remaining spice blend; cooking until fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add chicken and any accumulated juices.

While the broth comes to a simmer, add water and cashews to a blender and blend on high speed until very smooth, about 2 minutes, and then stir blended cashews into the chicken mixture. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring from time to time. Serve over cooked rice or cauliflower rice.

Serves 8

Nutrition values per serving (without rice): 241 calories (47.9 percent from fat), 12.8 g fat (3.2 g saturated fat), 6.6 g carbohydrates (4.7 net carbs), 1.9 g sugars, 0.8 g fiber, 24.9 g protein, 98 mg cholesterol, 690 mg sodium.

Suggestions: To make this more like Chef John's, add 1/3-cup each of sliced green onions and chopped fresh cilantro to the sauce at the very end of simmering. Pass a plate of lime wedges so guests can squeeze some on if they choose. No Aleppo pepper? Substitute cayenne pepper. Trader Joe's sells organic cashews at a reasonable price.

Adapted by Don Mauer from Allrecipes.com