Roasted Kaju (Cashews)

Roasting a cashew is a narrow road. Too little and the kernel stays pale and chewy; too much and the edges scorch bitter while the middle is still soft. Look for an even golden colour across the pack, kernels that snap crisply rather than bend, and a warm, buttery smell with no burnt note. Size still matters less than the roast: a well roasted standard kernel beats a badly roasted jumbo every time. For the grade codes and the full market picture, see our kaju guide.

Roasted is for snacking, guests, gift trays and the desk drawer. If the kaju is headed for a gravy, a sweet or the grinder, save the difference and buy our white cashews at Rs 4,650 a kilo; the recipe cannot taste the roast. One practical warning: roasted kaju disappears faster than any other dry fruit we sell, and at roughly 550 calories per 100 grams it is rich food. A small handful is a serving, whatever the bowl suggests.

Roasted kernels stale faster than raw ones because the heat wakes the oils up. Keep the pack airtight, finish an opened pack within a few weeks, and if the crunch softens, five minutes in a low oven brings it back. Never leave roasted kaju in an open bowl for days; it drinks the room's moisture and smells.

Are these salted? They are roasted for the table with a seasoned finish. If you want plain kernels for cooking, the white cashews are the unsalted buy.

Which pack for a party? Work on a small handful per guest. For a gathering of twenty, the 1kg pack covers the table with some margin.

Why do roasted cost more than white? The roasting work, the weight lost in the roast, and the shorter fresh life the shop carries. The gap on our shelf is small: Rs 150 a kilo.

WD Foods is the online store of Wahid Nimco, working from Quetta since 1990. We deliver across Pakistan in 3 to 5 business days. Both cashew lines sit in our kaju collection, and the season's rates are in the dry fruits price list.