The first time I tried this cashew snack was during the 2012 nationwide vegetarian festival in Thailand. I purchased them from a street vendor who, in partnership with his wife, prepared and packaged tiny containers of this morish snack at home. I returned the next day to buy more and have been making it at home ever since. If you find some vegan shrimp or pork floss, they both make a great addition to the mix.
Yam Met Mamuang Himaphan – Spicy Fried Cashews
Yam Met Mamuang Himaphan – Spicy Fried Cashews
Serve these quick and tasty cashews as an appetiser or as a bar snack with beer. You can omit frying the lime leaves, but I prefer the crunchier texture imparted by this method. Don’t package them up straight away or they will lose their crunch. Allow to air dry.
Ingredients
- 150 grams (1 heaped cup) cashews
- 250 millilitres (1 cup) vegetable oil
- 2 fresh kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon sliced spring onion (green part only)
- 1 teaspoon thinly sliced or chopped chillies (or more if you’d like)
- 1 teaspoon palm sugar
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon soy sauce
- Couple pinches salt (or more to taste)
Directions/Method
- Heat the oil in a wok or saucepan to medium heat and fry the cashews, stirring frequently so the nuts do not burn. Once they are a toasted brown colour (5-10 minutes), remove and drain on kitchen roll.
- Fry the kaffir lime leaf slivers, removing them almost as quickly as adding them to the oil. They will bubble for just a second or two before they are done.
- When the cashews have cooled, mix all remaining ingredients and kaffir lime leaves together.
- By Messy Vegan Cook
- Makes: 1 cup
- Cuisine: Thai
Those sound like the best bar snack ever! I love anything with kaffir lime leaves!
Same!