King of  all nuts – Almonds! It is enjoyed almost by all people crossing boundaries, cultures and ages. Its influence is not only in the food but also in myths and literature. In fact, its affluence in Indian romance and beauty is legendary. If someone tells you that you posses almond shaped eyes, its considered a great compliment . It was supposedly the Mughals who introduced almonds to India and it has stuck since. The number of sweetmeats made out of almonds is countless. But to make almost all of them, this first step of blanching is essential which is what we are going to see in my Back to Basics section.

It is immensely simple to do although time consuming. This is perhaps a beautiful excuse to have your family involved. Kids would love it for sure. I remember how every time me and my sister insisted our mother to make any sweets made with almonds, she would ask us to stick to our side of the bargain. yes, blanching! She would do the initial process required and set the almonds on a table. Then my sister and I would hang around discussing ‘life’s philosophy(!!!)’ while our hands kept busy popping up the almonds from their skin. This step by step pictorial is for 1 cup of Almonds

Place the almonds in a bowl. Pour down boiling water over it and let it sit for about a minute or so.

Take care not to let it sit for a long time, since it will make the almonds v soft and not crispy. Remove in a colander and rinse lightly with cold water so that you can handle the almonds.

Take one almond – hold it at its end.

When you put pressure at its end, you will see the skin breaking off from the other end. It should come on its own and peel v easily.

If you have to use nails and scrape off the skin with even little effort, then it means that it did not blanch well. You can repeat the process of pouring hot water and starting again. Remember, the only effort involved is the time not the process itself. Patience is the only thing needed.

Now proceed with any recipes you like with these blanched almonds. This 1 cup of Almonds would take less than 15 minutes to complete in entirety.

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