Thai Chile-Lime Cashews

October 2012 

SmartCooks here.  For Thanksgiving dinner, you don't usually need much in the way of appetizers. This year Bon Appetit was featuring light appetizers and I found and tried Thai Chile-Lime Cashews.  They worked well, especially set out in cute little bowls in the living and dining rooms.  Plus a small bowl for the cook!  

I preferred making my own mostly because you can control the sodium level.  In this version you get only about one-third of what you find in store-bought versions.  Plus, this appetizer is super simple to make and cheaper than the packaged brands!  

I found all the ingredients, i.e., the dried chiles de arbol, ground ancho chiles and kaffir leaves at my favourite local, organic Herb and Spice store.  

Despite the chiles, this is not a super-spicy dish. The lime cools it off considerably.  To borrow a phrase ... Bet you can't eat just one!  Bon Appetit-izer! 

Ingredients: 

4 cups raw cashews (definitely unsalted) 

15 dried chiles de arbol, pix below

10 kaffir lime leaves cut in 1/4 inch slices

2 T melted unsalted butter

2 T vegetable oil (I used safflower) 

1 T kosher salt (or less... up to you) 

1.5 tsp ground ancho chiles (pix right) 

2 T finely grated lime zest 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F. 

Combine cashews, dried chiles de arbol, kaffir lime leaves, unsalted butter, vegetable oil, kosher salt and ancho chiles in a large bowl and toss to coat.  Spread nut mixture in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet.

Roast, stirring occasionally, until cashews are evenly toasted, about 20 minutes. Let nut mixture cool completely on sheet on a wire rack. Transfer nuts to a large bowl and toss with the grated lime zest. 

This appetizer can be made up to 2 days ahead of the event and leftovers stored in a tight container at room temperature for awhile (I don't know for how long... they didn't last).