Summer Reads Recipe: Masala Peanuts from A History of Burning
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These make a great shareable snack—perfect for a book club meeting—with the ideal blend of crunch, spice, salt, and of course, a hint of sweet.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 cups small red peanuts
- 1 tbsp Canola oil
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp salt
- pinch of sugar
- 1-2 lemon wedges
- onion (optional)
Directions
- Heat oil in a deep frying pan
- Add a peanut to test if hot enough – it should start sizzling straight away
- Add the peanuts a few at a time to fry. Peanuts are ready when they change color slightly but before they turn brown
- Remove from pan using a slotted spoon and place on a sheet of paper towel to absorb excess oil
- Transfer to a bowl and add salt, sugar, and red chili powder while the nuts are still hot, shaking to mix. Adjust to taste.
- Before eating, serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. You can also add chopped raw onions at this stage.
Note: Peanuts can be substituted for other nuts such as cashews or almonds
“Remarkable….a haunting, symphonic tale” —New York Times Book Review
In 1898, Pirbhai, a teenage boy looking for work, is taken from his village in India to labor for the British on the East African Railway. Far from home, Pirbhai commits a brutal act in the name of survival that will haunt him and his family for years to come.
So begins Janika Oza’s masterful, richly told epic, where the embers of this desperate act are fanned into flame over four generations, four continents, throughout the twentieth century. Pirbhai’s children are born in Uganda during the waning days of British colonial rule, and as the country moves toward independence, his granddaughters, three sisters, come of age in a divided nation. Latika is an aspiring journalist, who will put everything on the line for what she believes in; Mayuri’s ambitions will take her farther away from home than she ever imagined; and fearless Kiya will have to carry the weight of her family’s silence and secrets.
In 1972, the entire family is forced to flee under Idi Amin’s military dictatorship. Pirbhai’s grandchildren are now scattered across the world, struggling to find their way back to each other. One day a letter arrives with news that makes each generation question how far they are willing to go, and who they are willing to defy, to secure their own place in the world.
A History of Burning is an unforgettable tour de force, an intimate family saga of complicity and resistance, about the stories we share, the ones that remain unspoken, and the eternal search for home.
Includes a Reading Group Guide.