Williams Sonoma Williams Sonoma Home Pottery Barn Pottery Barn Teen Pottery Barn Kids West Elm Rejuvenation Mark & Graham GreenRow

Mom’s Masala Cashews

Rated 0 out of 5
Be the first to Write a Review

“My mom usually makes these savory spiced nuts around the holidays, when unannounced visitors are bound to pop in and she needs to make sure the snack cabinet is stocked and ready to go,” says Palak Patel, the blogger and cookbook author behind The Chutney Life. This irresistible snack is made with a simple spice blend of black salt, red chili powder and black pepper, so every ingredient counts. Black salt is distinctive and offers an important flavor. It comes together with the chili powder and the black pepper to create more than the sum of its parts. “I highly recommend making a trip to a South Asian market to find it, or looking online,” Patel explains. “It’s just not right how quickly these nuts disappear in my house!”

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 to 6

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp. black salt
  • 1 Tbs. red chili powder
  • 3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 cups (16 fl. oz./480 ml) canola or vegetable oil
  • 12 oz. (340 g) cashews

Directions

In a small bowl, stir together the black salt, chili powder, pepper and salt. Divide the spice blend between 2 large heatproof bowls. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed medium pot over medium-low until it registers 350° to 375°F (175° to 190°C) on a candy or deep-fry thermometer. Add half the nuts and fry for about 30 seconds. Carefully remove with a slotted or mesh spoon and toss the nuts in one bowl of the spice blend to coat. Repeat with the remaining batch, coating the nuts in the second bowl of the spice blend. Let cool and serve. Nuts can keep for up to a week in the refrigerator or stored in a tin in the pantry. Makes about 2 1/2 cups (340 g).

Pro tip: Work in batches to toss the hot cashews with the spice mix right when they come out of the oil so the spices really adhere.

Adapted from The Chutney Life by Palak Patel (Abrams, 2023)

  • bvseo_sdk, java_sdk, bvseo-4.0.0
  • CLOUD, getReviews, 11ms
  • REVIEWS, PRODUCT
  • bvseo-msg: The resource to the URL or file is currently unavailable.;