Recipe- Spicy Baked Masala Peanuts

Baked Masala Peanuts – crunchy, spicy roasted peanuts which are baked in the oven making them a healthier alternative to deep frying.These spiced peanuts make a great snack with chai or coffee. These days one of my favorites are these Baked Masala Peanuts. I make a batch every few weeks and it lasts me for few days. They take no time to put together and result in a great crunchy snack all done in the oven.

Earlier I would make this recipe by frying the peanuts, which was obviously tasty but when you want to munch on it everyday, you look for a healthier option and so I started baking these and they come out just as great.

Ingredients

1 cup raw peanuts 160 grams
2 tablespoons oil 30 ml, I used avocado oil
1/2 cup besan 57 grams, gram flour
2 tablespoons rice flour 28 grams
1.5 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
2 teaspoons kashmiri red chili powder replace 1/2 teaspoon with regular chili powder for spicy peanuts
1/8 teaspoon turmeric optional
1 teaspoon chaat masala
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1.5 tablespoons water as needed

Method

* Pre-heat oven to 375 F degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with a oil spray. Set aside.

* To a large bowl add- besan, rice flour, ginger-garlic paste, kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric (if using), chaat masala and salt. You can replace 1/2 teaspoon of kashmiri red chili powder with regular chili powder if you prefer spicy peanuts.

* Mix until everything is well combined using a whisk. Set this aside.

* To another bowl, add 1 cup of raw peanuts and then add 2 tablespoons oil to peanuts and mix so that the peanuts are coated with the oil.

* Now transfer the prepared besan-rice flour-spice mixture to the bowl of peanuts. Using your hands, mix everything together so that peanuts get coated with the masala.

* Start adding water, little by little until peanuts are just moistened. Around 1 to 1.5 tablespoons water, do not add more water.

* You just want the masala to stick to the peanuts, that's all.

* Arrange the peanuts in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. If you see peanuts which don't have masala stuck to them, just push some of the masala on top of those peanuts.

* Bake at 375 F degrees for 25 minutes. You may stir it once in between. Keep an eye after 20 minutes, every oven is different so keep an eye after 20 minutes so that they don't burn.

* Let the masala peanuts cool completely and then store in an airtight container. Enjoy with chai or coffee!