Any kind of nutty flavouring, at least in India, is incomplete without little slivers of almonds. You cannot enter a halwai ki dukan and not see trays upon trays of sweets layered with shards of dry fruit with almonds and pistachios most often taking centre stage.
These beautiful golden brown oval nuts hold a place of esteem in Indian cooking and with good reason. Full of essential nutrients like magnesium, vitamin E, copper, protein, good fats and riboflavin, almonds feature heavily in any healthy diet.
A lot of people swear by soaked peeled almonds to get the most benefit from it, but personally, I cannot abide the texture of soaked almonds. They taste dry and crumbly and there is zero enjoyment to be had from chewing on them.
But since almonds are an essential addition to one’s diet especially for women, I think the second best way to have it is in butter form.
Now, buying almond butter can be very expensive and is just not feasible, because there is always the risk of added sugar. I figured making almond butter shouldn’t be that tough so I took a gander at it.
Here’s what you need to do.
Take 1 heaped cup or 150 gms of almonds and lay them out in a pan on the stove.
Keep the flame on low and stir intermittently.
The skin can turn dark really fast so don’t let it burn. You’ll see small patches of oil on the almonds it will release a warm nutty aroma – this means it is sufficiently heated.
Tip the almonds into a grinder to cool.
Keeping them to cool in the hot pan could singe them even if the flame is off.
Once the almonds have come to room temperature, grind them.
It will first turn powdery, then mealy and then finally it start taking on a more oily texture.
Don’t run the grinder for too long at the stretch, it will heat up considerably.
Run it at 5-7 second intervals and open and scrape the sides of the grinder.
You’ll see it come together in a lovely glistening slightly grainy paste.
Transfer to a dry jar.
Do not refrigerate.
I find the best way to enjoy almond butter is with fruit or seed bread or both. It makes for a delicious, wholesome and nutritious breakfast for all ages.
Not adding any sugar to the almond butter is important. Buy high quality almonds for a slightly sweet undernote. I’ve used Tata Sampann almonds and found that sugar is definitely not required.
If you still need it to be sweet, I suggest adding honey, but don’t add it to the batch. When pairing with bread or fruit, drizzle some honey separately.
When making sandwiches for children who might not enjoy the more neutral flavour of the almond butter, add a little melted chocolate to it. If using a ready-made chocolate spread, take some in a bowl, add in some almond butter and mix well. It’ll spread just as easily. It’s a great option for a quick and healthy tiffin addition.
