Thai Tom Yum Cashews

This snack exploded into popularity about 10 years ago.  They sold them at the Bangkok airport, varying degrees of spiciness, some with different nuts and some with other added ingredients.  But this original flavor is my favorite, and it’s super easy to make.  Since I can’t visit Thailand on whim, this is the next best thing.

There are specialty ingredients, you need Tom Yum Paste, Lemongrass, and Kaffir Lime Leaves.  Tom Yum and Lemongrass are found in most Asian supermarkets, but kaffir likes leaves aren’t as easily found, I used dried kaffir lime leaves from Amazon.

Print Recipe

Tom Yum Cashews

Flavor bomb in the form of a cashew, super addicting to eat.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time24 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Snack

Cuisine: Thai

Ingredients

• 28 oz Cashews
• 4 tbsp lime juice
• 8 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp coconut oil or avocado oil
• 2 tbsp minced lemongrass
• 4 tbsp tom yum paste
• 8 kaffir lime leaves (finely chopped)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 250F
• In a large bowl, combine like juice, sugar, oil, tom yum paste, and lemongrass
• Add cashews, mix well
• Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, lay the cashews in a single layer, try to get all the sauce onto the tray, that’s the KEY.
• Bake for 18 minutes, stirring every 6 minutes. Be sure to get the sauce off the foil and mixed onto the cashews.
• Turn the heat to 350F, bake another 10 minutes, mixing every 5 minutes.
• Remove the cookie sheet from the oven, sprinkle the finely chopped kaffir lime leaves onto the cashews, mix well.
• Cool the cashews completely before storing. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

I start timing the baking intervals after I do my stirring, to ensure sufficient bake time.  The last 10minutes is crucial to get crispy cashews, stir more often to prevent burning.  
I cool the cashews with the help of a fan, since I think cooling it faster makes it more crispy.