Masala Peanuts

Ingredients

• 250 g peanuts, raw and skin-on
• 100 g chickpea flour
• 2 tbsp rice flour
• 1½ tsp chilli powder
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 pinch asafoetida
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp water
• 20 curry leaves
• 1 fresh chilli, slit lengthways
• 6 dl vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Method

1. 1.

   Coat the peanuts in spiced flour — In a wide bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, rice flour, chilli powder, turmeric, cumin, asafoetida and salt. Tip in the peanuts and toss until every nut is dusted grey-gold with the dry mix.

2. 2.

   Dampen to a clinging batter — Sprinkle in the water a spoonful at a time, rubbing the peanuts between your fingers after each addition. Stop as soon as each nut wears a thin, damp jacket of batter and the mixture clumps like wet sand — there should be no loose batter pooling in the bowl.

3. 3.

   Heat the frying oil — Pour the oil into a deep, heavy pan to a depth of about 5 cm and heat to 170°C. A pinch of the coating dropped in should rise straight away and sizzle steadily without colouring in the first seconds.

4. 4.

   Fry the first batch — Scatter a third of the peanuts into the oil, spreading them so they do not fuse into one raft. Fry for 4-5 minutes, stirring once the first minute is up, until the sizzling quietens and the clusters are deep golden.

5. 5.

   Drain and fry the rest — Lift the peanuts out with a slotted spoon onto a rack set over paper. Fry the remaining two batches the same way, letting the oil climb back to 170°C between them.

6. 6.

   Crisp the curry leaves — Turn the heat down a little and drop in the curry leaves and the slit chilli. They will spit hard for 20-30 seconds; scoop them out the moment the spitting stops and the leaves turn dark and glassy.

7. 7.

   Cool until shattering, then toss — Leave everything to cool for 10 minutes — the coating only turns properly shattering as it cools. Toss the peanuts with the fried leaves and chilli, taste for salt, and store any leftovers in an airtight jar.