Try A Crunchy Cashew Pakoda Recipe For A Terrific Teatime Snack

Addictive snacks don’t get more addictive than the pakoda. With any filling and flavour, these crunchy little nuggets can steal away your heart and your waistline. But that doesn’t mean we’ll stop eating them! In fact, even though deep-fried pakodas aren’t always the healthiest bet when it comes to snacking, it’s never slowed down people’s enthusiasm a bit. 

something that helps is the fact that you can make pakodas out of virtually any vegetable. As long as you have a delicious batter, you’re good to go. Tamil Nadu seemed to be channelling that virtue in life when they created the Kaju Pakoda. In Tamil, Cashew nut is referred to as Mundiri Paruppu and these mundiri pakodas as they’re known are a big hit among people of all ages. 

These snacks combine the best of snacking on dry fruits and nuts with a decadent, deep-fried batter that is made with a mix of besan flour and rice flour for extra crispiness. The batter itself is a bit thicker than regular pakoda batter, but that’s what gives the final product such a resounding crunch. Make them next time you have guests coming over and wow them with the unexpected potential of pakodas. 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup gram flour/besan
  • ½ cup rice flour
  • ½ cup cashew nuts
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • A pinch turmeric powder
  • ½ tsp ginger garlic paste
  • 2 sprig curry leaves
  • 3 green chillies
  • ¼ tsp asafoetida/hing
  • Salt to taste
  • Cooking oil for deep frying

Method:

  • Take the cashew nuts in a bowl and rinse them in water before draining them and patting them dry.
  • Add the red chilli powder, turmeric powder, and salt, and mix well.
  • Now, add the besan and rice flour along with curry leaves and chopped green chillies.
  • Mix well.
  • Add a little more water if it’s too thick. The goal is to create a consistency that fully covers the cashew nuts.
  • Heat a deep pan or pot with a few inches of neutral cooking oil.
  • When the oil is shimmering, drop into the cashews a few at a time. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan. 
  • Fry at medium heat until evenly golden all over. 
  • Serve with tea or for a mid-morning snack.