Indian Cooking Tips: How To Open Hard-Shelled Pistachio Nuts

Indian Cooking Tips: Indian kitchens are stocked with nuts and seeds of all varieties, primarily because Indian cuisine makes use of these in abundance. Whether you use them in desserts or in rich and flavourful curries, both nuts and seeds add a grainy, dense texture to dishes that only enhances the look, feel and taste of various delights. Talking about nuts, there's one of them all that is not only enjoyed as is but also makes for an intrinsic part of most Indian dishes in the form of toppings and garnishes! We're talking about pistachios. This humble nut makes an appearance in most festive desserts and also tastes great in the form of roasted snacks. 

While there is no denying the fact that pistachios add to the taste quotient of various dishes, a common problem that most of us face while including pistachios in our dishes is when we try to shell them off their hard skin. Pistachio nuts have a hard and stubborn shell that refuses to open no matter how hard we try. While opening the shell of two or three pistachios is not that a  big deal, the problem arises when you are preparing a dish that requires pistachios in a considerable amount and you have no option left but to shell a large batch of hard pistachio nuts!

(Also Read: 6 Health Benefits of Pistachios (Pista): From Weight Loss to Heart Health)

_{This humble nut makes an appearance in most festive desserts}

Not only is the entire process extremely tiring, but it also consumes a lot of time and effort. To save you from the hassle, we bring to you a super-easy and quick hack that will help you shell hard pistachio nuts like a pro. 

 How To Open Hard-Shelled Pistachio Nuts | How To Shell Pistachios

Cracking a pistachio nut is fairly easy and to get started, get yourself a discarded pistachio nut shell and use only its half part. Now hold the partially opened pistachio nut in one hand and the discarded half nut shell in another. The catch here is to insert the empty shell into the partially opened pistachio crack. Once you've done that, just twist the empty shell clockwise or anti-clockwise and you'll see the pistachio nut shell getting separated from the nut with a lot of ease and minimal effort.

Now that we have shared with you this quick hack, use it to your rescue and get going. If you know of more such cooking tips and hacks, do share with us in the comments section below.