Name: Chaat Masala Peanuts
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ½ cup granulated sugar; 1 large egg white; 4 teaspoons garam masala , divided; 1 tablespoon water; 1½ teaspoons table salt; 3¼ cups (1 pound) unsalted dry-roasted peanuts; 2 teaspoons chaat masala

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted crunchy spiced peanuts that had a compelling array of complex seasoning and wouldn't leave our fingers greasy or sticky. Garam masala (“warm spice blend”)—an incredibly aromatic, sweet, and lightly spicy blend of ingredients such as cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, coriander, and cumin—fit the bill perfectly, complementing these sweet-salty, earthy roasted peanuts beautifully. Bright, tangy, salty chaat masala (a blend that is lesser known in the United States but deserves to be every bit as popular as garam masala) added an irresistible tartness that played off of the warm spices. Tossing the peanuts (we call for dry-roasted peanuts since raw are difficult to source) in a mixture of sugar, egg white, and water before roasting them low and slow in a 300-degree oven yielded peanuts uniformly coated with a delicious, crunchy shell. Seasoning the nuts before and after with our spice blend ensured that they had the full spectrum of the ingredients' flavors, since some spices can be muted with long cooking.

Before You Begin

We developed this recipe using Planters Unsalted Dry-Roasted Peanuts. You can substitute lightly salted dry-roasted peanuts; if you do, reduce the salt to ¾ teaspoon. Do not substitute salted dry-roasted peanuts. You can find chaat masala—a tangy, salty spice blend used to season all manner of snacks (chaat) in Indian cuisine—in Indian supermarkets or online. This recipe can be doubled: Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and bake the nuts on two baking sheets, switching and rotating the sheets halfway through baking.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with vegetable oil spray. Whisk sugar, egg white, 2 teaspoons garam masala, water, and salt together in large bowl. Add peanuts and toss until evenly coated with sugar mixture.

Spread peanut mixture evenly over prepared sheet and bake until peanuts are deep golden brown, dry, and crisp, about 40 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.

Immediately sprinkle chaat masala and remaining 2 teaspoons garam masala evenly over hot peanuts. Transfer peanuts to bowl and stir to incorporate spices and break up any large clumps. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Serve. (Nuts can be stored in airtight container for up to 3 weeks.)