Baked Hazelnut: The Story

When I was shopping at the Asia Market,with Hariz and ustaz Nabir, I happened to see hazelnuts, or 'buah berangan', I called it in Kelantan. It brings back my memory during childhood, eating it fried or baked.

However, I forgot on how to bake it the way my mum do it. Hmm, secret recipe or better call it home-made recipe. So, I called home just to ask about it. It is as simple as ABC, or the British says easy-peasy, which means very easy but knowing little things always makes the difference at certain time.

First, you need to soak them in the water for two days or night. After dispacing the water, you need to make some cleft or cut on each of them just to avoid them from exploding in your oven. To explain it, when the air inside the husk getting hot, it tries to get out and build up pressures, and boom, boom.

Just need around 15 to 20 minutes to have it properly cooked, with medium heat (120-150 Celsius)

I enjoyed eating it with my housemate Ikram (who thinks it tastes like 'biji cempedak rebus'), Ustaz Faisal, his children Fakri, Faiz and Faiq.

A picture of my original baked hazelnut

The benefit of hazelnut

In the health point of view, Corylus avellana, its scientific name, has several important benefits protecting against diseases. Having special combination of oil (especially oleic acid rich oil structure), proteins, carbohydrate, beta-sitosterol, essential vitamins and minerals, giving hazelnut a special place among other nuts for its unique ability to protect against diseases. It is known that consuming only 25-30 gr of hazelnuts a day, is enough for daily vitamin E needs and a very good way of protecting against heart-vein diseases and cancer

Hazelnut and hazelnut oil is the best known source for Vitamin E which is essential for the healthy heart muscles and other muscles of the body as well. It is also necessary for normal functioning of the reproduction system. Vitamin E prevents the disintegration of red blood cells, thus it serves as a protection against deficiency of blood which is called anemia. Another benefit of Vitamin E which is found in hazelnut is to prevent the factors which prepare the basis for cancer disease. If cancer is already formed in the body, then it fights to defuse the harmful cells. Beta-sitosterol, which is found amply in hazelnut, is an important mean of decreasing cholesterol and preventing cancer (breast cancer and prostate cancer).

Apart from that, hazelnut is a good source for B1, B2 and B6 vitamins. These vitamins are essential in blood formation and mental health, especially for those of children in development age.

Currently, Turkey is the major supplier of hazelnuts, along with Spain and Italy, but they do grow wild in the hedgerows around Britain. To my surprise, hazelnut is extensively used in confectionery, chocolate spread such as Nutella, Cadbury chocolate, and as coffee flavouring.

Selamat Mencuba!