Cashew Nuts

I get excited every time I see the cashew apples on the trees. This is because from where I come from, cashew nut trees do not even exist! The first time I saw a cashew nut tree was when I moved here to KT. Pity me...kan???.. Here in Peninsular Malaysia, cashew nut trees can be found mostly in the East Coast particularly in Kelantan and Terengganu. I am not sure whether they can be found in other parts of Malaysia but definitely NOT in Selangor or Kuala Lumpur.

Last month I noticed that there were a lot of cashew apples on the trees ....There were the yellow apples and the red apples but I only managed to snap the photos of the yellow ones.

The fruit is called Cashew Apple. It is edible, and has a strong "sweet" smell and a sweet taste. ..

The cashew nut (seed) hangs at the bottom of the apple, and is c-shaped. The pulp of the cashew apple is very juicy and sweet. Nak makan kena petik sendiri kat pokok sbb tak jual kat mana2 pun..

Cashew apples and cashew nuts are excellent sources of nutrition. The cashew apple contains five times more vitamin C than an orange and contains more calcium, iron and vitamin B1 than other fruit such as citrus, avocados and bananas.

Ni buah yang tak berapa nak sihat ye! They are cashew apples from a tree we found by the roadside. Dari pokok terbiar..

The nuts look like boxing gloves..

Cashew tree by the roadside..

Butter toasted cashew nuts and sesame coated cashew nuts I bought in Rantau Panjang...Thailand mari ma..I especially love the sesame coated cashew nut. Sedap tau!

Cashews are a delicious snack that are good for us. They contain healthy mono-unsaturated fats, magnesium, and copper which help prevent heart disease, promote strong bones, and give you energy. I also found out that eating cashews may also reduce your risk of getting Colon Cancer.

Young leaves of cashew nut plants. Just like the fruit, the leaves are packed with vitamins. Ni beli kat pasar..

Here in the East Coast, the young leaves are often eaten raw as salad or with sambal belacan(shrimp paste mixed with chili and lime) or Budu (Anchovy Sauce). I love it you know. I suka ulam- ulaman- apa apa ulam pun I makan... I especially love to have it with Ikan Singgang and Budu! Peeergghhh!

Adding Cashews to any dish is also a great way to add taste and important nutrients to your diet. Cashew nuts are mostly common in Thai, Chinese and Indian cuisines.

You can also garnish your dish with cashew nuts..... This is Sweet Sour Meatball from Ummidishes..... Ni pinjam gambar from Umi hehe..

Well, till then. Have a beautiful weekend everyone... Tomorrow is a public holiday for us in Terengganu because Terengganu became the overall champion in SUKMA 2010. Congratulation to Trengganu and org2 Ganu kite!!!