Roasting macadamia nuts intensifies their delicious flavour. Luckily, there are several easy ways to roast them at home.
Macadamias aren’t roasted in their shells in the same way chestnuts are. When roasting macadamias at home, it’s easiest to buy the raw kernels already cracked out of their shell. However, if you are lucky enough to have a macadamia tree at home you might want to invest in a good macadamia nutcracker to get the job done. Crack a large batch first, so you have a good number of kernels to roast in one of the following ways:
Oven-roasted macadamias
The key to roasting macadamia nuts at home in the oven is to pay attention. Don’t look away. Don’t even blink. The nuts can go from not-quite-right to over-done in moments and for best results you need to give the process your full attention.
While you are waiting for your oven to heat to around 120C, place your nut kernels in a single layer on a baking tray. Give them a light spray with some macadamia or vegetable oil and then sprinkle a little salt on top. Place your tray in the oven and roast for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden.
Take the tray out part way through cooking and give it a shake to move the nuts around to ensure they cook evenly. When they are done, remove from the oven and immediately transfer to a bowl. This is the time to sprinkle with a little more salt or you could try chilli flakes or other spices or herbs.
Roasting macadamias on the BBQ
What could be more Australian than Australia’s native nut cooked on a summer barbeque? The process is simple and a great way to create a snack for those standing around the BBQ and chatting.
Prepare the kernels by tossing them together with your choice of flavourings (native flavours like lemon myrtle and wattleseed work particularly well using this method). Then, transfer the nuts to a 30cm piece of aluminium foil lined with baking paper and place on the barbeque away from direct flame for 10 minutes. Toss the nuts occasionally during that time.
Pan-roasted macadamias
As with oven roasting macadamias, pan-roasting requires your full attention to make sure they don’t burn.
Simply heat a dry frying pan over medium heat, add the nuts and leave them to heat up, shaking the frying pan every two minutes or so to stop the nuts sticking and to make sure they roast evenly. After about 15 minutes, they should be nice and golden at which point you could add salt, pepper or chilli flakes to taste.
You can also stir fry macadamias in a little macadamia oil. Use a high heat and keep the nuts moving around the frying pan or wok until they have coloured a little. Add your flavourings as a final step.
How do you roast macadamias at home? Do you add extra herbs, spices or flavours? Head over to our Facebook page to share your secrets?
