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    Home Β» Fall

    Published: Jul 28, 2022 Β· Modified: Jan 16, 2023 by Zen Β· This post may contain affiliate links.

    12 Sweet & Savory Nut Recipes

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    12 easy and delicious Asian-inspired Sweet & Savory Nut Recipes that go beyond roasted spiced nuts.

    Cantonese walnut cookies for Chinese New Year with red packets
    Jump to:
    • History
    • Warning
    • Appetisers
    • Curries
    • Noodles
    • Vegan
    • Desserts
    • πŸ’¬ Comments

    If you've a ton of nuts left over from making classic Chinese nut cookies- traditional peanut cookies, Chinese almond cookies, cashew cookies, old-school walnut cookies, sesame brittle and what not- here are some sweet and savory nut recipes to help you use up your stash!

    History

    Peanuts were introduced to China by Portuguese traders and they're locally known as: Changshengguo ("long-life fruit"), Didou (meaning "earth bean"), Qiansuizi (meaning "thousand-year-old offspring") etc... As you can see, many of their names are related to life!

    At traditional Chinese weddings, nuts are usually included as the word "peanut" in Chinese θŠ±η”Ÿ is a homonym for giving birth and thus symbolise fertility. In the past, the wedding bed would have some nuts on it, but since it's 2022, why not feature some of these Asian sweet and savoury Nut recipes on the menu instead?

    Warning

    Nut allergies, in particular to peanuts, can lead to anaphylaxis and severe shock so always check guests' dietary requirements before preparing a nut dish! Symptoms of a nut allergy range from hives and swollen lips to nausea or a tight feeling in the throat.

    Appetisers

    Asian slaw with cashews

    A plate filled with slaw and cashews in an Asian-inspired sauce
    Asian slaw with cashews
    Asian cuisine doesn't have a lot of traditional salad dishes, but Asian inspired sauces, using soy sauce, fish sauce and/ or chilli, go really well with some salads. My fave is mango, avocado and prawn tossed in nuoc cham (water-garlic-sugar-lime juice-fish sauce) but this Joyful Dumplings slaw is a close runner up!
    Click here for the Asian coleslaw recipe.
    A plate filled with slaw and cashews in an Asian-inspired sauce

    Ikan bilis and kacang goreng

    Another easy peanut recipe would be to fry the nuts with ikan bilis (anchovies) and sliced garlic- this crunchy topping keeps for weeks at room temperature (in an airtight container) and is delicious with rice, noodles, porridge or on its own!

    Just make sure the oil is hot enough before frying (there should be bubbles forming around your wooden chopsticks when you insert it into the oil) and fry the nuts before the ikan bilis, as they turn the oil black easily!

    Chinese Braised peanuts

    A scoop of braised Chinese peanuts with the ingredients in the background.

    This is a peanut dish that you see at almost every bak kut teh restaurant. It's also a great side dish for Teochew porridge.

    You will need large shelled peanuts. Put them in a pot with Chinese 5-spice powder, dark soy sauce, rock sugar and water. Braise till they are soft and melt in the mouth.

    Tip: to get the peanuts as tender as possible, a slow cooker, pressure cooker or instant pot would be very handy!

    Curries

    You wouldn't be able to tell that many Singaporean curries contain nuts. They actually use candlenuts, or buah kemiri in the local language, as a binder for the curry sauce. If you can't get this, macadamias or 1 of the other substitutes in the link will do in a pinch!

    Singaporean Tamarind Coconut Fish Curry
    An 8-ingredient curry with flaky fish in a spiced, creamy curry sauce. The tamarind juice gives the flavorful Singapore Tamarind Coconut Fish Curry a delicious citrusy acidity (and makes sure there is no fishy flavor)- unusual for a curry, but makes for a super satisfying meal with white rice. (Dairy-free) (Stovetop)
    Click here for the Singapore fish curry recipe.
    Close-up of a white plate of tamarind fish curry with coconut and rice.

    Noodles

    Zucchini noodles with cashews

    Zucchini noodles with cashews
    If you've been overindulging lately but crave noodles, make them out of zucchini as shown in this Cooktoria recipe! (A spiralizer would come in handy here) Note: I have several nut noodle recipes on this list but the sauces are all different- try them to see which is your fave!
    Click here for the zucchini noodles recipe.
    A close-up of a pan full of zucchini noodles and cashews

    Spicy Thai Noodles

    Spicy Thai peanut noodles
    Like most Thai dishes, this is sweet, spicy and savoury- the only thing I'd change about this Recipe52 recipe is to use chicken legs instead of breast meat but that, of course, is a matter of personal preference!
    Click here for the Peanut Noodles Recipe.
    A bowl of stir-fried noodles tossed in a Thai peanut sauce in a blue bowl

    Vegan

    Sweet potato curry

    A plate of sweet potato curry with a Indonesian-inspired sauce

    Using peanut butter to cook Asian food can be a little controversial as purists frown on it.

    However, as long as you use pure peanut butter - the pricey one in the supermarkets LOL- with no shortening or other additives, it can make for very delicious yet easy to make Asian-inspired nut recipes!

    Vegan Sweet potato curry with peanut butter
    Chickpeas are super healthy, so I've always wanted to incorporate more in my diet but struggle to do so! VeganPunks had a genius idea to include them in this curry- the Indonesian flavours are delicious!
    Click here for the Vegan Curry Recipe.
    A plate of sweet potato curry with a Indonesian-inspired sauce

    Peanut noodles

    These noodles go really well with jasmine bubble tea!

    A skillet brimming over with noodles cooked in a peanut sauce and tofu
    Vegan peanut noodles
    Love this My Plantiful Cooking recipe for its super versatile sauce- if you don't feel like noodles, you can always use it to coat pan-fried tofu or, if you're not vegan, baked chicken!
    Click here for the vegan tofu and noodle recipe.
    A skillet brimming over with noodles cooked in a peanut sauce and tofu

    Cashew Garlic Sauce

    And if you still have cashews left over after the Asian slaw, give it a whizz with garlic and a bit of water in the blender to get a creamy yet vegan garlic sauce!

    Desserts

    Korean sweet pancakes (hotteok)

    A close up of a hotteok oozing syrup
    What's your favourite hotteok filling? I sometimes make mine with Gula Melaka, pandan and coconut- not very Korean! πŸ˜›

    Another of my favourite nut recipes is Korean sweet pancakes, or hotteok. They're pretty much pan-fried bread filled with nuts, cinnamon and brown sugar. Heaven! The type of nut is pretty flexible and you can use walnuts, peanuts or even sunflower seeds!

    How to use hotteok mix
    Hotteok is a sweet Korean street food that is like a Cinnamon Roll in pancake form, but even better! Learn to make it using a box mix.
    Click here for a hotteok mix recipe.
    5 Korean hotteok pancakes on a serving board next to a cup of tea.

    Traditional Singaporean muah chee

    A plate of homemade steamed muah chee, or Chinese mochi, coated with peanuts
    Not a fan of peanuts? Use other crushed nuts, black sesame or even cocoa powder instead!
    Muah Chee (Peanut Mochi) (5 Methods)
    An easy recipe for this South Chinese street snack that can be steamed, fried, microwaved, air fried or made in a rice cooker!
    Check out the traditional Chinese glutinous rice snack here.
    Someone holding a piece of peanut coated traditional muah chee.

    Vegetarian Hup Toh Soh

    Chinese Walnut Cookies with Chinese New Year red packets
    Chinese Walnut Cookies (Hup Toh Soh)
    Also known as He Tao Su, these classic vegetarian cookies are easy to make at home, using store cupboard ingredients, and can be made vegan as well (info below). Crispy, crumbly and fragrant, they go well with coffee or milk tea!
    Check out the Chinese Walnut Cookie here.
    Chinese Walnut Cookies with Chinese New Year red packets

    CNY Peanut cookies

    Note: these addictive cookies are naturally vegan.

    Traditional Chinese Peanut Cookies (CNY 2023)
    The Best CNY peanut cookie recipe ever- developed after baking 2000 cookies, it's crunchy yet melts in the mouth! Someone once bought 20 jars of this from me at a go!
    Check out this Chinese New Year peanut snack here.
    12 types of Chinese peanut cookies made from 12 different recipes on a plate

    Butter Almond Cookies

    6 American style Chinese walnut cookies on a Peranakan plate.
    Chinese Almond Cookies 2023 (Buttery)
    These Chinese Almond Cookies are the Asian-American version: they have a sweet, buttery and crisp texture, making them utterly delicious!
    Click here for the American Cantonese Almond Cookies.
    Close-up of a hand picking up a Chinese almond cookie.

    Which of these savory nut recipes was your favourite? Tag me on social media (@greedygirlgourmet) if you make any of them!

    I have other recipes you may like here! :)

    • Close-up of a homemade white chocolate mocha with ice.
      Starbucks Iced White Chocolate Mocha
    • Close-up of a Korean soy sauce marinated egg banchan.
      Mayak Eggs
    • Overheat shot of scrambled eggs with cheese and kimchi on a white plate.
      16 Best Authentic Asian Egg Recipes
    • A tall glass of Nutella Latte Coffee with a foamy top.
      How to Froth Milk without Frother (Step-by-Step)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Gregory Halpen says

      January 06, 2022 at 2:42 pm

      These look amazing! I want to try the pancake and the slaw. So excited to try these. Yum!!

      Reply
      • Zen says

        January 07, 2022 at 2:39 pm

        Thanks Gregory! Let me know if you like them!

        Reply
    2. Rosann says

      January 05, 2022 at 4:26 pm

      Those peanut noodles are becoming my dinner for sure! And I’m definitely trying several others, thank you so much for this

      Reply
      • Zen says

        January 06, 2022 at 5:44 am

        So glad to hear Rosann, enjoy the peanut noodles and happy 2022!

        Reply
    3. Giangi Townsend says

      January 05, 2022 at 12:39 pm

      I love Chinese peanut cookies and your recipe suggestions are great, thank you for sharing.

      Reply
      • Zen says

        January 05, 2022 at 1:02 pm

        Thanks Giangi, so glad to meet someone else who loves peanut cookies!

        Reply

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    Hi I'm Zhen also known as GGG! I couldn't boil water till I was 18 but after living abroad (in St. Andrews then London) for 11 years and having to cook for myself, I now love cooking for friends and family. Learning to cook late, I make sure my recipes go into enough detail for those new to Asian cuisine or who love a test kitchen approach to cooking!

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