Macadamia is a tree species which is indigenous to Australia. It is commercially grown for its nuts. Macadamia nuts are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and many other nutrients. It is also an excellent source of mono-saturated fatty acid (lowers bad cholesterol) and dietary fiber. Along with its nutritional benefits it is deliciously sweet and flavorful. It can be eaten raw or roasted. If you want to know how to roast macadamia nuts then keep reading this oneHOWTO article.
Macadamia nuts growing on trees are protected by a hard outer shell. These shells are very hard to crack.
While buying from a market you can get both types of macadamia nuts i.e. with shell and without shell.
If you have brought macadamia nuts with shell from the market then the first step you need to do is removing the shells. Since these shells are very tough to crack you will need a special device called Macadamia nut cracker. There are many different types of Macadamia nut cracker available in market or at online stores. Choose the one that works best for you.
After obtaining the nut cracker, use it to crack the shells. Then remove the shell and store the nuts in a bowl or container.
Now take a shallow pan, not more than 2 inches deep. Place the nuts in the pan in a single layer. If you have both whole nuts and small broken pieces of nuts then it’s best to separate them. This is because while roasting both of them together the small pieces can either get scorched or the large pieces may remain uncooked. So, separate them and put them into different pans.
Roasted macadamia nuts taste better when they are seasoned with a bit of salt. To prepare the salt and butter seasoning mix together with water, salt and melted butter. Then pour the mixture in a spray bottle. Spritz the nuts with this salt butter mixture.
Now prep the oven by preheating it to 225 degrees Fahrenheit (107 degrees Celsius). When the oven is ready, put the pan containing macadamia nuts in it. Roast it for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Keep an eye on the macadamia nuts while they are roasting in the oven. Take them out as soon as they turn light golden brown. Anything darker means the nuts have started to burn.
Always keep in mind that the whole nuts take longer to roast than the broken nuts. So, you need to monitor them closely while they are roasting.
After removing from the oven, let it cool down a bit. This will take some time as the oil in nuts holds the high temperature.
When it cools down you can either store it in an airtight container or just serve it with some more salt and butter seasoning.
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