Many readers emailed and asked about candlenuts or buah keras when I posted the Udang Masak Lemak Nenas recipe by Nyonya Pendek Melaka.
An important ingredient in Nyonya (and Indonesian) cooking, this post serves as a brief introduction of candlenuts, or buah keras in Malay, or kemiri in Indonesian. On the packaging of candlenuts, you will mostly see the above three names: candlenuts, and kimiri, as most candlenuts found here in the United States are made in Indonesia…
Candlenut is quite possibly one of the secret ingredients of Nyonya cooking. My late grandmother who was a Nyonya used a lot of candlenuts in her cooking, especially when making curry dishes. My uncle told me that when candlenuts are ground and cooked in curries, the oil in the nuts lend a very creamy texture to the dishes, hence they make curries thicker and super delicious. I am a firm believer because my late grandmother would always ask for buah keras when she was cooking.
If you can’t find candlenuts at your local Asian stores, you can use macadamia nuts as a substitute as they have a similarly high oil content and texture when pounded.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for posting it, now I know how candlenuts look like.
Thanks for this post. I’ve always wondered what candlenuts are!
How do they compare in taste to macadamia?
Well, candlenuts taste slightly bitter and certainly not something you want to eat as nuts. ;)
Candlenuts cannot be eaten raw. Its slightly poisonous.
Bee,
I recently posted article on candlenuts in my blog too :-)
Thanks for letting me know. :)
Next you have to feature Buah Keluak which is a black nut from Indonesia. Its more popular down south if I’m not mistaken. I’ve just got my supply from my mum in Melaka. I cook it with chicken (or fish head) in a “pedas” style gravy. Heavenly with white rice.
Alvin – you are right, yes, in Penang, I have never seen buah keluak chicken. Would love to try it though.
Thanks for the tip! some friends and I tried to snack on candlenuts we purchased at the New Sagaya grocery in Anchorage and only found out AFTER starting to eat them that you’re really not supposed to. I look forward to trying them again after cooking.
Candlenut is a relative of the delicisous macadamia nut. It has so much oil it can burn like candle. Saw that on “Man vs Wild” documentary once. Tried it too at lantern festival. Fun to play with.
Thanks for your information. Wow, I wonder how you play it though.
I just bought a whole bag of Candle-/Kemiri-nuts, out of shear culinairy curiousity. Never used it before. My question is: how long should you cook them (roast or boil?), before they can be eaten? Would there be any way I can use these nuts in making bread?