Mum's Stinky Nuts!

So-called because cooking them makes the kitchen eye-wateringly "fragrant" (AKA stinky)...!

I've been making these for too many years to remember; both for myself and the family to nibble on, and to share with friends who come over, especially to go with drinks prior to diving into "proper food"!

They're very quick and simple to make in a pan, you just need to toss them for a few minutes - the longest part is waiting for them to cool down, so they become nice and crunchy! After years of making these intuitively, it took me several attempts to measure out the exact amount of spices and liquids tc. to replicate the way I make them, however after giving it a go as written, feel free to change the spice levels to your own tastes, and if you want them saltier, omit the water and add a little more soy sauce to taste - I just didn't want them to be too salty for people the first time they tried them!

Ingredients

• 200g whole raw cashew nuts
• 2 to 3 tsp cajun spice mix to taste (my recipe is here, or you can buy it pre-made, e.g. Schwartz*)
• 1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper for extra heat!
• 1 x 15ml tbsp light soy sauce / gluten free soy or tamari sauce (Lee Kum Kee is my favourite light soy sauce, Yutaka brand is my favourite gluten free soy sauce)
• 1/2 tbsp water

Equipment

• A large very reliably non-stick frying pan (or similar) - whether it's a trusty cast iron pan, a well-seasoned carbon steel wok, a ceramic coated pan, or one with a non-stick coating (very important, otherwise when you make the nuts, much of the coating will stick to the pan, rather than the nuts!)

Method

1. Measure out the dry ingredients into one small container, and the soy and water into another and put them somewhere close to hand, as you'll need them in quick succession (and also some kind of silicone spatula or similar, especially if you're not comfortable tossing things to turn them in your pan).

2. Add the raw nuts to a dry non-stick pan over a medium heat, and toss / stir until parts of the nuts are just starting to turn a light golden colour - don't leave them standing else they might scorch.

3. Add the spices and toss (or stir together) quickly for just a few seconds until they become fragrant (the stinky part!!).

4. Very quickly sprinkle over the soy / water mix as evenly as you can and IMMEDIATELY toss / stir several times until the nuts are evenly coated, and then turn the heat down to low, whilst continuing to toss / stir for several more minutes, until all of the liquid has evaporated, and the "sound" of the nuts hitting the pan has changed subtly from a softer sound, to a harder, drier sound (if that makes sense!) but without burning the nuts / coating! They will be quite happy at a dark chocolate brown colour (because of the soy sauce colour), but NOT black! If your pan has good non-stick properties, then most if not all of the coating should be stuck to the nuts, not the bottom of the pan! The reason for continuing to cook over a low heat for a few minutes, is to ensure maximum evaporation, so that your nuts stay crispy.

5. Tip onto a large cold plate in a single layer, and allow to cool completely (they will have a softer texture if you try one whilst still warm, but be nice and crunchy once they cool!). Once they are completely cool, store in an airtight container, and they will stay crunchy (if you've cooked off all of the moisture) for several days... if they last that long!