Roasted and flavoured nuts

Roasted nuts are nuts that have been dry-heated until they turn crisp and a shade darker, and flavoured nuts go one step further with salt and spice. We keep roasted badam, roasted pista, and kaju four ways: plain roasted, masala, peri peri and black pepper.

They are ready to eat from the pack. Here is which one to pick, how to roast makhana at home, and how to keep an opened pack from going soft.

The roasted and flavoured nuts we keep

• Roasted Almonds (Badam): the one to keep in a jar by the kettle. Roasting deepens the flavour and gives the almond a clean snap.
• Roasted Pistachio: the closest thing we keep to what people search for as salted pista. The product page shows exactly how it is seasoned.
• Kaju Roasted: plain roasted cashew, for anyone who wants the crunch without spice.
• Masala Cashew (Kaju): the classic masala kaju, the one that goes with evening chai.
• Kaju Peri Peri: the chilli one, for people who like a kick.
• Kaju Black Pepper: a pepper bite rather than a chilli one, a good middle ground between plain and masala.

All four cashews sit together on our kaju shelf, next to the raw grades.

Roasted, salted or masala: which one for what

A simple way to choose is to think about what the nut sits beside.

• With tea or coffee: roasted badam or plain roasted kaju. Nothing competes with the drink.
• With a cold drink or before dinner: masala kaju or peri peri. Salt and spice suit this moment.
• For a mixed family: black pepper kaju sits between plain and chilli, so more people tend to find it comfortable.
• For a bowl that looks generous: roasted pista. The green of a pistachio makes any table look well stocked.

Roasted makhana: how people make it at home

We sell Makhana (Fox Nut) plain, and roasting it takes about ten minutes.

1. Warm a heavy pan on a low flame with a teaspoon of ghee or oil for every two cups of makhana.
2. Add the makhana and keep stirring. Low heat matters: rushed makhana browns outside and stays chewy inside.
3. After seven or eight minutes, press one between your fingers. When it breaks with a crunch, it is done.
4. Take the pan off the heat and toss with salt and your choice of black pepper, chaat masala, a pinch of haldi or red chilli powder.
5. Let it cool completely before putting it in a jar.

Made this way, it is lighter than any nut and makes a good second bowl beside the kaju.

Setting out nuts for a party

For guests, three bowls work better than one big mix: one plain (roasted badam or pista), one spiced (masala or peri peri kaju) and one of home-roasted makhana. People pick what they like, and the spiced one does not coat everything else in masala.

Pour out small amounts and top up. A bowl left out all evening picks up moisture from the air and loses its crunch, especially in the monsoon. Orders start at ₹1,500 and ship free, so it is easy to stock two or three flavours ahead of a function.

Keeping an opened pack crisp

Roasted and flavoured nuts have a shorter life than raw ones. The oil and spice on the surface start going stale once air gets to them.

• Once opened, tip the nuts into an airtight glass or steel jar.
• Keep the jar in a cool, dry cupboard, away from the stove.
• Use a dry spoon, never wet fingers.
• Try to finish an opened pack within a few weeks.
• If nuts have gone a little soft, warm them in a dry pan for two or three minutes and let them cool. They crisp up again.
• If they smell sharp or taste bitter, the fat has turned. Throw them away rather than roasting over it.

For the difference between pista kernels and the other kinds, see our pista guide.

Questions people ask