Andhra Roasted Kaju

Plain roasted cashews are good. Cashews roasted with Guntur chilli and rock salt are a different experience. The heat from the chilli gets into the cashew as it roasts — not just a coating on the surface but actually into the nut — and the rock salt adds a clean mineral quality that table salt doesn't give.

These are made with whole cashews, roasted in small batches at controlled temperature. The Guntur chilli is added during roasting so it cooks into the nut. Rock salt and a little lime finish them off. No artificial flavouring, no MSG, no coating of starch or egg white.

The result is a spicy cashew that stays crunchy and doesn't have the sticky, powder-coated texture of most commercial spiced nuts. The chilli heat is real — not the mild kind — so if you're eating these for the first time, pace yourself.

Eat them as a snack on their own. Mix a handful into boondi mixture for extra richness. They go very well with a cold drink in the evening, which may be the most honest thing one can say about a food product.