Candlenut

Noix de bancoul

What it is

The kernel is oily enough to burn: across the Pacific they were threaded onto a palm rib and lit end to end, a few minutes of light per nut, which is where the English name comes from. Kukui is the state tree of Hawaii, where the same nut is roasted, pounded with salt into inamona and eaten with raw fish.

In the kitchen

Always toast before grinding and always cook the paste: raw candlenut is purgative, and the toast is also what lets it grind smooth instead of pasty. Four to six nuts thicken a curry for four — they are doing the work of both fat and flour, so cut the oil accordingly.

Goes with

Galangal Lemongrass Shallot Turmeric Chili pepper Coconut milk Fermented shrimp paste (belacan) Garlic

Also used with

Indonesian bay leaf (daun salam) Turmeric leaf

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