Roasted Cashews | Masala Kaju - 3 flavors
Roasted Cashews or Indian Masala Kaju are a crispy and delicious snack that you can make in 20 minutes. In this post, you will learn how to roast cashews and three interesting flavors. Serve these as an evening snack or include them in a gift box for the Diwali and Christmas holidays. These also make the best accompaniment for your cocktail and mocktail parties. Cashews can be deep-fried, air-fried, oven-baked, or roasted in the microwave. I have shared all 4 methods to roast cashews. Store them in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
Servings: 12
Calories: 193kcal
Ingredients
Salted Chili Cashews
- 1 cup Whole Cashew nuts
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Red chile powder
Pepper Garlic Cashews
- 1 cup Whole Cashew nuts
- ½ teaspoon Pepper powder (black or white)
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Cashew Pakora (Bajo)
- 1 cup Whole Cashew nuts
- 3 tablespoon Chickpea flour or Besan flour
- ½ teaspoon Salt, adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon Red chile powder
- ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida or Hing
- 2 to 3 tablespoon Water (approximate)
Other ingredient
- Oil for frying
Instructions
Making of Chili Cashews
- Heat oil in a pan on medium-low flame. Once the oil becomes warm, add 1 cup of cashews and continue to fry them on medium to medium-low flame, flipping it occasionally till it becomes crisp and golden brown.1 cup Whole Cashew nuts
- Transfer this to a bowl and when it is still hot, add chile powder and salt, toss or shake it well until the cashews are coated in salt and chili powder. Flavor 1, i.e., Chili Cashews, is ready.½ teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Red chile powder
Making of Pepper Garlic Cashews
- 1 cup Whole Cashew nuts
- Transfer this to a bowl, and while it is still hot, add salt, pepper powder, garlic powder, and toss or shake until cashews are coated in the spices. Flavor 2: Pepper Garlic Cashews is ready.½ teaspoon Pepper powder (black or white), ½ teaspoon Garlic powder, ½ teaspoon Salt
Making of Cashew Pakoda or Pakora
- In a bowl, add cashews, chickpea flour, salt, chile powder, asafoetida, and water little by little in increment of 1 tablespoon just until that the chickpea flour coats well to the cashews. Do not add too much water. Adjust the spices as per your liking. Check the video here.1 cup Whole Cashew nuts, 3 tablespoon Chickpea flour or Besan flour, ½ teaspoon Salt, adjust to taste, 1 teaspoon Red chile powder, ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida or Hing, 2 to 3 tablespoon Water (approximate), Oil for frying
- Drop these in the hot oil one by one and fry them on medium to medium-low flame, occasionally flipping until they become crispy and crunchy. Transfer the fried pakoras to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil. Flavor 3: Cashew pakora is ready.
Roasted cashews in air fryer
- For the first 2 flavors (chile and pepper garlic) toss cashews with spices and 1 tablespoon of oil, mix well to coat. Place the seasoned cashews in a single layer on the air fryer basket. Air fry at 160 degrees or 325 degrees F for 6 to 8 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. Transfer it to a plate and let it cool for 10 minutes.
- For making cashew pakora or pakoda in an air fryer, mix all the ingredients given and place them in the air fryer basket in a single layer separately as much as possible. Air fry at 325 degrees for 4 to 5 minutes. If there are any clusters, separate and continue to air fry for an additional 3 minutes or until they become golden. Cashews may look soft but will turn crunchy on cooling.
Roasted cashews in oven
- Like the air fryer method, add cashews and spices along with 1 tablespoon of oil for the first two flavors (chili and pepper garlic), and for pakoda, mix all the ingredients given in the ingredient list.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread the seasoned cashews to the parchment paper in a single layer and bake for 12 to 15 minutes tossing every 5 minutes so that you prevent it from burning and the cashews are roasted evenly.
- Let this cool for 10 minutes. It will crisp upon cooling. Serve and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- For the crispy and crunchy final product, don’t be in a rush. Always remember to fry it on medium to medium-low flame. The oil should not be too hot. It should be warm.
- The time for frying will vary depending on the intensity of the flame, the thickness of the pan used, etc. Be patient for 5 minutes, and don’t be in a rush, please 🙂
- Adjust salt and spices to your taste. The measurements given above work perfectly for us.
- In our hometown, pure coconut oil is used for frying. Use any preferred cooking oil of your choice.
- For cashew pakoda, do not overmix the batter.
- Air frying and baking time may vary depending on the appliance used. Adjust accordingly.
Nutrition
Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 301mg | Potassium: 231mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 110IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 2mg