In Hawaii the Candlenut tree is a symbol of enlightenment, protection and peace. Candlenut was considered to be the body form of Kamapua'a, the pig god. One of the legends told about a woman who, despite her best efforts to please her husband, was routinely beaten. Finally, the husband beat her to death and buried her under a kukui tree. Being a kind and just woman, she was given new life, and the husband was eventually killed.

Habitat and Description
Candlenut trees are native to the tropical northern rainforests of Australia, the Moluccas Islands, Malaysia, and are found on many islands in the South Pacific. The botanical name Aleurites is derived from the Greek word for 'floury' in reference to the silvery, powdered appearance of its young leaves. The common name is derived from the tradition of making a crude candle by threading the midrib of a palm leaf through the raw nut like a wick and lighting it. Due to the high oil content in the nut this device will burn like a candle. Candle nuts have been used in the manufacture of paints, varnish and soap, and the oil extracted for lamp oil. Roasted candle nuts have been a source of food for the Australian Aborigines and other Pacific peoples.

Candle nuts are cream-colored, soft, oily seeds within a hard-shelled nut which comes from a tropical tree related to the castor-oil plant. The nut is similar (though "rougher") in flavor and texture to the macadamia nut, which has a similarly high oil content. It is mildly toxic when raw. Like many members of the Euphorbia family, the fresh nut is toxic, losing its toxicity on roasting or cooking. Uncooked candle nuts have little discernible fragrance and a soapy, bland flavor. Roasted slivers or shavings of candle nut have a pleasing, nutty, almond-like flavor without the background bitterness characteristic of almonds. The surrounding fruit is not eaten by humans.

After harvesting, the nuts are generally roasted and shelled prior to being sold in the markets of Malaysia and Indonesia. Due to their high oil content, candle nuts are prone to rancidity, so it is best to buy small quantities and store them in a cool dry place. As you may not be sure as to whether the nuts have been roasted prior to shelling, be sure to cook them to remove any toxicity before eating.

Culinary Uses of Candlenut
Candlenuts are used in many Asian dishes as a thickening agent, most commonly being found in Malaysian recipes, especially for satay. Candlenuts are best ground up finely before adding to other ingredients. An interesting alternative way to use them is by shaving off slivers, dry roasting them in a pan and then adding the tasty, roasted pieces to curries, satay sauces or sprinkling over the top of rice dishes.

The nut is often used cooked in Indonesian and Malaysian cuisine, where it is called kemiri in Indonesian or buah keras in Malay. On the island of Java in Indonesia, it is used to make a thick sauce that is eaten with vegetables and rice. Outside of Southeast Asia, macadamia nuts are sometimes substituted for candlenuts when they are not available, as they have a similarly high oil content and texture when pounded. The flavor, however, is quite different, as the candlenut is much more bitter. A Hawaiian condiment known as ʻInamona is made from roasted kukui (candlenuts) mixed into a paste with salt. ʻInamona is a key ingredient in traditional Hawaiian poke. Because the nuts contains saponin and phorbol, they are mildly toxic when raw.

Attributed Medicinal Properties
Several parts of the plant have been used in traditional medicine in most of the areas where it is native. The oil is an irritant and purgative and sometimes used like castor oil. It is also used as a hair stimulant or additive to hair treatment systems. The seed kernels have a laxative effect.

Modern cultivation is mostly for the oil. In plantations, each tree will produce 30–80 kg of nuts, and the nuts yield 15 to 20% of their weight in oil. Most of the oil is used locally rather than figuring in international trade.

Other Names
kemiri kernels buah keras
BURMESE: kyainthee
INDONESIAN: kemiri
MALAY: buah keras, kemiri
PHILIPPINO: lumbang bato
SRI LANKAN: kekuna

Recipes Using Candlenut

Shrimp Sambal

Almost any type of seafood, meat, or vegetable is superb cooked in a sambal, the fiery spice mixture that is a mainstay of Malay cooking.

yield: Makes 4 Servings

For sambal paste
• 3 small dried red chilies such as cayenne or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried hot red pepper flakes
• a 1-inch piece fresh gingerroot, peeled
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 candlenuts or 4 macadamia nuts
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp (about 30)
• 1 1/2 medium red onions
• 2 tablespoons corn or safflower oil
• 1 cup well-stirred canned unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste

• Accompaniment: steamed rice

Make sambal paste:
To a food processor with motor running add sambal paste ingredients, 1 at a time through feed tube, and purée mixture to a paste.

Shell shrimp, leaving tail and connecting shell segment intact, and devein. In a colander rinse shrimp and drain well. Halve onions lengthwise and cut halves lengthwise into julienne strips.

Heat a large heavy skillet over moderately low heat until hot. Cook sambal paste in oil, stirring, until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook, stirring, until softened. Stir in coconut milk, brown sugar, and salt and bring to a boil. Add shrimp and lime juice and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are just cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Divide shrimp sambal among 4 plates and serve with rice.

Ambila Chicken
Braised Chicken with Chilies and Chinese Long Beans

The intoxicating seasoning paste in this Eurasian stew may be used to flavor chicken, beef, lamb, or seafood.

yield: Makes 4 to 6 serving

For the paste:
• 2 fresh jalapeño chilies
• 15 fresh hot red cherry peppers or eight 4-inch-long fresh red chilies
• 2 large or 4 small stalks fresh lemongrass
• 1-inch piece fresh gingerroot, peeled
• 3/4 pound small shallots (about 20), halved
• 6 garlic cloves
• 3 candlenuts or 5 macadamia nuts
• 1/2 teaspoon dried shrimp paste
• 1 teaspoon turmeric

• 1 pound Chinese long beans or green beans
• 1/3 cup corn or safflower oil
• a 3/4- to 4-pound chicken, cut into 16 serving pieces
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

• Accompaniment: steamed rice

Make seasoning paste:
Wearing rubber gloves, seed and devein jalapeños and about half of cherry peppers or red chilies for a moderately hot dish. Trim root ends and tough tops of lemongrass, discarding dry outer leaves, and slice thin. Cut gingerroot into 4 pieces.
To a food processor with motor running add jalapeños, cherry peppers or red chilies, lemongrass, gingerroot, and remaining seasoning paste ingredients, 1 at a time through feed tube, and purée to a paste.

Trim beans and cut into 2-inch pieces. Heat a 6-quart heavy kettle over moderately low heat until hot. Add oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Cook seasoning paste, stirring frequently, until dry and very fragrant, about 25 minutes. Add chicken and cook over moderate heat, stirring, 10 minutes. Add water and simmer chicken, covered, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes, or until almost cooked through. Skim any fat from surface.

Stir in beans and simmer, covered, until beans are almost tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, soy sauce, sugar, and salt and simmer, covered, 5 minutes, or until beans are tender.
Serve braised chicken with rice.

Spicy Noodle Soup
Tony Tan's Laksa Lemak

yield: Makes 4 servings

For spice paste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons blacan (shrimp paste)
• 2 thick or 3 thin stalks fresh lemongrass
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh or frozen galangal
• 1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh or frozen turmeric or 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 6 fresh hot red chiles (such as Thai or serrano), seeded if desired and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 5 candlenuts (do not eat raw) or macadamia nuts, chopped
• 2 tablespoons water

• 6 fried bean-curd puffs
• 2 chicken breast halves with skin and bones
• 3 1/2 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade)
• 6 oz fresh bean sprouts (21/2 cups), threadlike tails discarded
• 1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil
• 14-oz can well-shaken unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 lb fresh round (not flat) rice noodles or wheat noodles or 1/2 lb dried egg noodles

• Garnish: fresh cilantro sprigs

Make spice paste:
Preheat oven to 300°F.

Wrap blacan tightly in a piece of foil and roast in middle of oven 10 minutes. Unwrap and cool. Discard tough outer leaves of lemongrass and trim root ends. Thinly slice lower 6 inches of stalks. Fold upper stalks into thirds and tie into a bundle with kitchen string. In 2 batches, purée blacan, sliced lemongrass, and remaining spice paste ingredients in a mini food processor until almost smooth.

Make noodle soup:
Soak bean-curd puffs in hot water in a bowl, weighted with another bowl of water to keep puffs immersed, 20 minutes. Squeeze as much water as possible from puffs and halve diagonally. While puffs soak, simmer chicken in stock in a saucepan, turning occasionally, until just cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes, and cool chicken in a bowl. Pour stock through a fine sieve into another bowl. Discard chicken skin and bones and shred or slice chicken. Blanch bean sprouts in a pot of boiling water 15 seconds and drain well.

Heat oil in a 6- to 7-quart heavy pot over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and stir in spice paste. (Oil should be hot enough for spice paste to sizzle when added.) Cook, stirring constantly, until spice paste begins to stick to bottom of pot, 8 to 10 minutes. (Oil will separate out, and mixture will appear curdled. Paste will reduce and turn a shade darker; do not let brown.) Add coconut milk, sugar, stock, and lemongrass bundle and bring to a simmer, stirring. Stir in puffs and gently simmer 20 minutes. Stir in shrimp and simmer until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in chicken and salt to taste.

While laksa simmers, bring a large pot of water to a boil for noodles. If using fresh noodles, cook 1 minute and drain well, rinsing briefly under water if sticking occurs. If using dried noodles, cook according to package directions. Divide noodles, bean sprouts, shrimp, chicken, and puffs among 4 deep bowls and ladle laksa broth over.

Poached chicken salad with candlenuts and namjim

Namjim is a staple sauce found in Thai cooking. Its hot, sour, salty, sweet flavour is delicious. It is, however, important to balance the flavours so that no one taste dominates the others.

Serves 4

For the namjim
1 bunch of coriander
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
A pinch of salt
2 green birds eye chillies, chopped
2tbsp palm sugar
2tbsp fish sauce
3tbsp lime juice
2 red shallots, peeled and finely chopped
1 small organic free-range chicken
1 small knob of ginger
1 bunch of coriander
3 kaffir lime leaves

For the salad
2 small carrots
2 small cucumbers (or half a large one)
8-10 candlenuts or cashew nuts
A handful of coriander leaves
10 or 12 basil leaves

To make the namjim, pound the coriander stalks (the roots and stalks of coriander are used in cooking; the leaves are reserved for garnishes and salads), with the garlic and salt in a pestle and mortar until well crushed. Add the chillies and continue to pound.

Mix in the sugar, fish sauce and lime juice, and then the chopped shallots. Set aside.

Wash and pat dry the chicken, then place it in a large pot. Add the ginger, coriander and lime leaves, and cover with cold water. Place over a medium heat, bring to the boil then turn to a simmer - you want the chicken to cook gently. Poach for 40 minutes.
Take the pot off the heat and allow it to cool for a while, before removing the chicken from the cooking broth. Poaching is a lovely way to cook chicken that's to be served at room temperature - it remains deliciously soft and moist.

For the salad, peel the carrots and cut into fine matchsticks. Slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a teaspoon. Cut into fine matchsticks. Gently roast the nuts in the oven until golden brown. Remove and allow to cool, then chop roughly.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the flesh from the bones and shred it with your fingers. Place in a bowl, alongside the carrots, cucumber, coriander, basil and toasted nuts. Dress with the namjim and serve immediately.

Candlenut and Lemongrass Fried Chicken
Ayam Goreng Bumbu Kemiri dan Serai

4 chicken thighs
1 lime
5 candlenuts, grated
1/4 cup frozen ground lemongrass, thawed
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp sambal ulek (you can add more)
salt as desired (only if you need)

Rinse off chicken under running cold water. Place in a bowl, drizzle and rub lime over and let stand for 15 minutes.

Rinse off chicken under running cold water again. Combine candlenuts, lemongrass, garlic, and sambal ulek. Marinate chicken with candlenuts mixture for 20 minutes.

Deep fry chicken until golden brown. Serve with warmed rice, sambal terasi, and vegetables.

Recipe: Fish Fillets With Curry Sauce

1 tablespoon Oil
1Onion, sliced thickly from top to base
1 teaspoon Fresh ginger, grated
8 Candlenuts, chopped into 8 pieces
1 teaspoon Curry powder
2 teaspoons Light soy sauce
2 teaspoons Lemon juice
1 cup Water
4 Fish fillets
2 Spring onions, chopped

Heat oil in frying pan, add onions, stir-fry until tender. Add ginger, candlenuts and curry powder, stir-fry over low heat for 3 minutes.

Add soy sauce, lemon juice and water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes.

Add fish cutlets in single layer, cover, simmer for 5 minutes on each side or until just cooked through.

NOTE: Any white fish cutlets or fillets are suitable for use with this recipe.

Candlenut, exclusive to the Epicentre. Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.