Spicy fried cashews (or baked) are an all time favorite at the Kamath household. No trip to Mangalore,India is complete without a last minute stop to MMP Cashews to buy some packets to bring home. Alas, they don't last forever, of course I make them at home too. They are a perfect accompaniments to drinks, hot or cold.
Cashews are rich in fiber, protein, and healthy fats. They also contain a variety of vitamins and minerals like copper, magnesium and manganese, and anti-oxidants - nutrients important for energy production, brain health, immunity and bone health. Of course like most nuts, they are very good for you, in moderation. One serving is supposed to be about 4 or 5 cashews, I don't know anyone who can stop at that.
Here is the recipe for these irresistible fried cashews that make a delectable snack for all times and/or occasions.
Spicy Cashews
Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups cashews
8 tablespoons of besan
4 tablespoons rice flour
2 teaspoons of Kashmiri chilli powder (Kashmiri chilli powder is less spicy, please adjust quantity to your taste, if you are using regular hot and spicy chilli powder)
1 teaspoon haldi/turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon hing/asafoetida powder (I add slightly more as we like the flavor)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
3 - 4 tablespoons of water to coat
couple of sprigs of curry leaves (optional)
Spicy Cashews coated with spices and flours ready to fry
Steps:
Mix all the spices along with the salt into the cashews with wet hands. (DO NOT ADD ANY WATER AT THIS POINT) Keep it aside for about 5 minutes so the spices meld into the nuts.
Add in the besan and rice flour and adding the water little at a time, and gently mix well to coat the nuts. (You may or may not need all the water)
Roast the curry leaves in very little oil till nice and crispy and keep aside.
Heat the oil to medium hot and drop the cashews one by one into the oil and stir occasionally and fry till nice and crunchy.
Hand crush the curry leaves and mix into the fried cashews, it gives a nice flavor!
Enjoy by itself or as an accompaniment to your happy hour.
Spicy Fried Cashews
Notes and Variations:
• Make sure you dont add too much water to the nuts, it will not be crunchy, will become like a pakoda and cannot be stored. Less water, the better. Just enough to help coat the mixture.
• Make sure you fry on medium only and resist the urge to fry on high.(this will burn the cashews)
• This can be air fried, baked, or microwaved too.
- For air fryer, follow the settings recommended. (Not sure, as I don't have an air fryer yet, but some of my friends have made air fried cashews. I will update my recipe once I have mine and try it)
- For oven baking, I use a couple of teaspoons of oil and mix it into the cashews. I spread the cashews into an a greased baking tray, and place it in the centre of the oven, and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 12 - 14 minutes. Toss and turn every 5 minutes or so to ensure even baking. Cool completely before serving, they get crunchy as they cool. (Oven temperatures vary, so please determine when to turn off the oven and remove the tray.)
- When I have a small quantity, I make it in the microwave. I put the mix onto a MW safe plate and keep in microwave for 30 seconds at a time. It's usually ready within a couple of minutes.
Variations:
• Spicy Peanuts and Pistachios
I have used the same recipe with peanuts and recently, I also used it with pistachios as well.
Of course the family favorite is still the Cashews! When I use this recipe with peanuts or
pistachios, I end up using less besan and rice flour as it is less in volume.
Spicy Pistachios coated for frying and Fried Pistachios
• Spicy Roasted Cashews (or other nuts)
Heat a tablespoon of oil or ghee, and roast 1 cup cashews or any other nuts till golden or till
a nice aroma wafts through your kitchen.
Add in 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric and salt to taste to the
hot nuts. (Optional: crush some roasted curry leaves into them. Alternately, I also mix in my
curry leaf chutney. In that case you can use less of the other spices and salt or none at all)
Here is the link to the chutney:
https://www.veevaasari.com/post/flavorful-karbev-curry-leaf-chutney
Mix it well, till all the spices are nicely coated. Serve when it cools.
(LIKE THE OTHER RECIPE, THIS CAN BE BAKED AS WELL. This will take less time as it does not
have the additional coating of besan and rice flours)
Remember, that the nuts get crispy, once cooled, so resist the temptation to overcook and
overbrown them.
• Other Suggestions for Roasted Nuts flavor combinations
- salt and pepper
- cinnamon and honey
- Chilli and Lime (Squirt some lime juice into the cashews before roasting or baking)
- garlic powder, pepper
- any combination of indian spices (chaat masala or cumin pd, or garam masala, whatever
suits your fancy palate)
- curry leaves powder (dry roast and hand crush)
- any chutney powder (I love mixing in curry leaf chutney powder or moLaga pudi)
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