What Are Cashew Pieces Used For? From Splits to Cashew Flour

Shelling a cashew without breaking it is hard, so a good share of kernels ends up in pieces. These are sorted and sold on their own, and they're every bit as tasty as whole nuts. We explain how breakage happens in cashew grades explained.

Pieces are graded by the size of sieve they can pass through. According to the Global Cashew Council, large pieces are those that won't pass a 4.75 mm sieve, small pieces a 2.80 mm sieve, and very small pieces a 2.36 mm sieve. The tiniest, called baby bites or granules, won't pass a 1.70 mm sieve.

Whole kernels go into snacks and into confectionery and bakery. Large and small pieces are used in breakfast cereals, sweets and baked goods. Diced bits are popular as a topping for cereals and ice cream. And cashew flour or meal, ground fine, is used to make pastes, nut butters and curries.

At home, pieces are a bargain for cooking. In a Sri Lankan kitchen they're perfect for blending into curry gravies, for fried rice, for sweets like aluwa, and for cashew milk and cream. For those, you don't need a perfect-looking nut. Our Cooking Cashew is plain cashews made for exactly these jobs, and our Cashew Powder gives you the flour shortcut.

No. A piece of cashew tastes exactly like a whole one, because it is the same nut. The differences are in the look, the bite and the price. Whole kernels look generous in a gift box or a snack bowl, while pieces make no difference once they are chopped, ground or blended into a dish. That is why cooks often choose them, and why they are a sensible way to cook with cashews more often.

As a guide, a quarter to half a cup of cashew pieces, blended with a little water into a smooth paste, is enough to enrich a family-sized curry. Stir the paste in near the end of cooking on a low heat so it thickens the gravy without catching on the pan. The amount is a starting point, so add more if you like a richer, creamier gravy.

For rice dishes, fry the pieces gently in a little oil or ghee until golden, then stir them through the rice at the end so they stay crisp.

To use pieces as a topping, toast them in a dry pan over a medium heat for two to three minutes, shaking the pan often, until they are golden and smell nutty. Watch them closely because small pieces brown quickly. Scatter them over porridge, yoghurt, ice cream, a salad or a rice dish just before serving. Let them cool before you store them in an airtight jar, as we explain in how to store roasted cashews.

See cashew recipes for a kaju curry and cashew aluwa, which both work well with pieces or powder. Because pieces cost less per kilo than whole nuts, they're also a good way to cook with cashews more often. Compare in our price guide.