Roasted or Fried Spicy Nuts (Peanuts, Cashew and Almonds)
Bhuni Moogphali, Kaju aur Badam Masaledar
Mamta Gupta
It is quite easy to roast peanuts, cashew nuts and any other nuts at home. They are much cheaper, tastier and you can control the salt content. For peanuts, I often leave the skin on. If you do not like the skin, then roast skinless ones or rub the thin skin ff after they have cooled down.
Ingredients
200 gm. Peanuts or cashew nuts or almonds
Salt & Pepper to taste. Or use salt and chilli flakes or Chat Masala on its own
1 tbsp. water to sprinkle
Instructions
Roasting in conventional oven:
Heat oven to at 200? or 400?F or gas mark 6.
Place nuts in a single layer on an oven tray, evenly spread out.
Cook for 15-20 minutes, turning them around half way through to ensure even cooking. Oven times and performances vary, so keep an eye on them, they can burn easily.
When still hot, sprinkle a little water and salt or other seasoning like Chat Masala or salt and pepper. Water will evaporate immediately and spices will stick to nuts. The nuts will become crisp as they cool.
Roasting in a microwave oven 800-1000 watts
Place cashew nuts in a microwave proof dish and spread them out evenly.
Cook on full for 2+2+2 minutes, stirring them every 2 minutes. This way, you can adjust the time you need to cook them to as you want, light or dark.
Sprinkle water, spices and salt and stir quickly while still hot. All the water will evaporate and spices will cling to nuts.
Allow to cool, they will become crisp as they cool.
Deep frying:
Heat oil to moderate heat, add nuts and fry turning frequently. Drain onto old newspaper or kitchen paper. Season while still hot.
You can experiment with different seasoning of choice, but salt and pepper or salt and chilli powder are the most popular ones.
Notes
If you have any other nice ways of cooking nuts, feel free to send your ideas/recipes to Mamta via the contact link above.
