Cashew Description
Many people think that cashew, as befits a nutty fruit, grows directly on a tree. It turns out, not quite so. On a tree hangs a juicy cashew fruit, up to ten centimeters in length, resembling in shape a cross between a pear and an apple. This fruit is tasty, sweet and sour - orange, red or yellow. But only residents of India, Vietnam, South America or tourists can try it fresh. The fact is that a juicy cashew apple is stored for one to two days, and then deteriorates. So this apple, on the opposite side from the tail, has an appendage-zagogulin in a hard shell. This is the real cashew nut, about three centimeters long.
The walnut shell contains caustic oil (phenolic resin), which can get on the skin and cause severe burns. Cleansing nuts are handled by special people trained in this matter. After cleaning, the walnut kernels are fried to completely neutralize the poison. That is why nuts are always sold in purified form.
Cashew fruits grow on a powerful tree with a spreading crown, which reaches 12-15 meters in height. The homeland of the nut is Brazil, where you can still meet wild bushes of trees. Cashews are cultivated in heat-loving countries - Africa, India, Vietnam, Brazil, Iran, Azerbaijan. The main cashew suppliers in the world are Vietnam, India and Nigeria.
Cashew is propagated by seeds (nuts), which are first soaked in water for two days. Then the seeds are transferred to small containers filled with earth, in which after two or three weeks the first seedlings appear. The grown seedlings are transplanted into the ground, where they develop quite quickly and after two years the young tree gives the first crop.
Cashew - useful properties
Anyone who has ever tried cashews very quickly transfers them to the category of their favorite nuts - after all, they are not as hard as, for example, almonds or hazelnuts, they have a pleasant creamy taste and are very useful. They contain vitamins: E, group B, PP, important amino acids, including glycine, tryptophan, lysine, useful elements - magnesium, calcium, copper, selenium, phosphorus, iron, which normalize the digestive system, improve brain function blood vessels strengthen immunity. And Omega 3,6,9 fatty acids contained in cashews sharpen eyesight, attention, hearing, improve memory, prevent blood clots, develop atherosclerosis, and prevent arthritis and osteochondrosis.
The systematic use of cashew nuts lowers cholesterol, bringing it back to normal. The recommended daily dose is not more than ten pieces per day. And they are advised to drink them with mineral water. It is believed that the beneficial properties of both walnut and water are enhanced in this way. Cashew is recommended for dystrophy, anemia, diabetes, hypertension, diseases of the endocrine system.
With caution, it is worth consuming nuts for people prone to allergies and small children - for the same reason. Cashew, along with peanuts, is a pretty strong allergen.
Cashew Nutrition
The calorie content of 100 g of cashews is 640 kcal.
Cashew - cooking use
Cashew nuts are very common in Asian and Indian cuisine. It is added to meat, vegetable dishes, not to mention a variety of desserts. Nuts improve the taste of any dish, wherever they are added - to soups, sauces, rice, seasonings, salads, pastries.
In Europe, nuts are often consumed by themselves, or as part of snacks for beer, wine, cocktails. They are fried with salt, honey, caramelized in sugar. Sweet nuts are added to fruit salads, desserts, sprinkled with ice cream.
Cashew Recipe Examples
Recipe 1: Asian Cashew Chicken
To prepare such a dish is a matter of several minutes; it can be quickly made for dinner. It turns out spicy, sweet and sour and very tasty. Garnish chicken better with boiled rice or vegetables.
Ingredients: 0.5 kg chicken fillet, 3 tablespoons each. starch and soy sauce, a handful of cashews (up to 100g), 5 cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoons. lies. vinegar (rice, apple), 1 onion, black pepper, green onion - a large bunch, vegetable oil, salt.
Cooking method
Cut the fillet into medium slices (about 2 cm), chop the garlic and onion finely. Fry the nuts and chop them with a knife.
Roll the meat in starch and fry in hot oil. When it is browned, get it, and in the same oil put the garlic, onions and fry until golden. Return the meat to the pan to the onion, pour in the vinegar and evaporate it for a minute. Pour 100ml of water and soy sauce. Stew for a minute or two. Add chopped green onions and nuts, if necessary, add salt. Stir as it boils - turn off.
Recipe 2: Rice with Cashew Nuts
Such rice can be served as an original and delicious side dish for fish or chicken, or an independent, vegetarian or lean dish.
Ingredients: rice - 150g, 350-400ml of water, 1 onion, a handful of cashew nuts (50g), salt, green onion, butter and lean, black pepper.
Cooking method
Rinse, dry. Finely chop the onion, lightly fry until transparent, add rice, and fry with onion for about a minute.
Pour with water, salt, boil over high heat for a minute, then, reducing the heat to a minimum, simmer for twenty minutes, closing the lid.
Cut nuts into slices, fry in a dry pan. Then add a piece of butter, crushed green onions, salt, sprinkle with pepper and mix. Combine with cooked rice.
Recipe 3: Roasted Meat with Cashew Nuts
Ingredients: 0.5 kg tenderloin of beef or pork, 2 cloves of garlic, a small bunch of green onions, 70-100g cashew nuts, salt, 1 table. lies. starch, sugar and soy sauce, vegetable oil.
Cooking method
Cut the meat into long strips, about five centimeters in length and a little less than one centimeter in thickness. Fry in hot oil until crusty. Put on a plate.
Add a little more oil to the pan and fry the finely chopped garlic and green onions. Add chopped nuts and fry, stirring continuously, for about a minute.
In a bowl, mix 100ml of water, starch, sugar, soy sauce and salt. Return the meat to the pan and pour the resulting mixture. Simmer the meat on low heat for ten to fifteen minutes, until cooked.
Cashews - Useful Tips from Experienced Cookers
- When buying cashews, you should choose not chopped fruits, but whole kernels with a smooth surface, not dry and not wrinkled - this way they are better preserved.
- Nuts should not be kept warm, otherwise they will go rancid. It is better to transfer to a closed container, and transfer to a refrigerator or freezer, where they lie from six months to a year.
