What is the best make to grind kaju or badam into a powder form and not like a paste? I tried using the coffee grinder but the nuts release oils and hence the mixture turns pasty. I needed it in a powder form.

Hello Nimi

I am not sure, I buy ready powdered almonds.

I am wondering if chilling, or even freezing, the almonds beforehand will help. And, try grinding only a few almonds at a time, rather than the whole grinder full, so that you don't have to grind for long and so release the oil.

Does anyone else know how to grind almonds without making an oily mess?

Whenever I have ground almonds in the past I ground them up in the electric coffee grinder and pushed them through a sieve. It gave a nice fluffy texture to them, but I was using them straight away, I don't know how well they would store.

Would it work if you were to roast them in the oven on a low heat and then grind them?

Sid

Blanch almonds. Skin them. Some folks like to dry them out in an oven at a very low temperature, I refrain from doing that. Why? Ends up too dry. My preference is to spread them on paper towels and air dry them. Then, if the recipe calls for icing sugar, I process them using a food processor, with a tbs. or two of the icing sugar. That's as fine as you can get it with a non professional grinder. The icing sugar absorbs the almond oil and prevents it from ending up into a greasy ball of almond paste. Use the on and off pulse method. If it is a very small quantity, I use my coffee grinder but most often I use my food processor.

Cashew nuts are dry and are easier to grind.

Good tip, worth a try. However, it is so easy and not too expensive to buy a large bag, 500 gm. to 1kg. at good Indian stores, that I don't bother. I keep mine in the freezer, along with all nuts and surplus spices, to stop them from going off. Oily things do not have a long shelf life.

This link has been sent to me by Lydia; http://www.pastrypal.com/2010/12/pastry-technique-make-your-own-almond-flour/