Afghan Paper Shell Almonds (Badam Kaghazi)

Afghan Paper Shell Almonds arrive still in the shell, and the shell is the point: it is thin and brittle enough to crack between finger and thumb. The kernel inside is mildly sweet and buttery with a softer bite than a hard shell almond, closer to a fresh almond than to a dry roasted one.

This is a distinct Afghan variety, known at home as badam kaghazi, literally paper almond. Because the shell is so light, the nuts look large for their weight and no nutcracker is needed. Buying them in shell also means the kernel sits protected until you open it.

How to use them

Most often they are cracked and eaten by hand with green tea, alongside raisins and dried fruit on a mewa platter at Eid and Nowruz. Once shelled, use them sliced over Kabuli pulao and qabili, ground into halwa and sheer payra, or coated as noql. They also carry into baklava, granola, trail mix, almond milk and pastry. Technique tip: crack a batch, then dry-toast the kernels in a pan for a few minutes before using them as a garnish, which deepens the flavour and firms the bite.

Details

Also known as

Badam Kaghazi, Badam Post-e-Nazuk, Paper Shell Almonds, Soft Shell Almonds, Thin Shell Almonds, Easy Shell Almonds, بادام کاغذی (Dari), بادام پوست نازک (Pashto), بادام پوست کاغذی (Persian), لوز بقشرة رقيقة (Arabic), पतली छिलके वाली बादाम (Hindi), Ince Kabuklu Badem (Turkish), 薄壳杏仁 (Chinese), Amandes a coque fine (French), Almendras de cascara delgada (Spanish)