Nuts
Kernel
Candlenut kernels are the shelled oily meats of Aleurites moluccanus destined for cooking, not for raw snack bowls. Toast or simmer them until the raw bitter edge softens and the paste turns mild, rich, and binding for rempah and Peranakan spice bases. High oil means small cool lots; rancid kernels smell like paint and ruin an entire curry base. Sort out shrivelled pieces before grinding. Hawaiian kukui, Indonesian kemiri, and Malaysian buah keras share this cook-first rule. Treat as a tree-nut style oilseed and always heat before eating.
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Nutrition
Typical values per 100 g edible portion. Nutrient names open the reference page.
Nutrition Facts
Per 100 g edible portion
Amount per 100 g
- Total Fat 63 g
- Saturated Fat 4.64 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat 18.6 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 39.8 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Sodium 4.95 mg
- Salt 0.01 g
- Total Carbohydrate 10 g
- Dietary Fibre 4 g
- Total Sugars 2 g
- Complex / starch 1 g
- Protein 19 g
- Water 5 g
- Energy 683 kcal
- Water 5 g
- Carbohydrates 10 g
- Protein 19 g
- Fat 63 g
- Saturated Fat 4.64 g
- Monounsaturated Fat 18.6 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 39.8 g
- Omega-3 3.18 g
- Vitamins 77.3 mg
- Vitamin A 15 µg
- Vitamin B1 — Thiamine 0.19 mg
- Vitamin B2 — Riboflavin 0.14 mg
- Vitamin B3 — Niacin 1.85 mg
- Vitamin B5 — Pantothenic Acid 0.46 mg
- Vitamin B6 0.14 mg
- Vitamin B7 — Biotin 13.4 µg
- Vitamin B9 — Folate 35.5 µg
- Vitamin C 2 mg
- Vitamin E 4.34 mg
- Vitamin K 4.3 µg
- Minerals 360 mg
- Major Minerals 359 mg
- Trace Minerals 1.5 mg
- Iron 1.5 mg
- Salt 0.01 g
Vitamins
vitamin-c: 2 · vitamin-a: 15 · vitamin-b1-thiamine: 0.19 · vitamin-b2-riboflavin: 0.14 · vitamin-b3-niacin: 1.85 · vitamin-b5-pantothenic-acid: 0.46 · vitamin-b6: 0.14 · vitamin-b7-biotin: 13.4 · vitamin-b9-folate: 35.5 · vitamin-e: 4.34 · vitamin-k: 4.3 ·
Minerals
Candlenut (kukui) kernel: oil-rich, traditionally cooked before eating.
History
Austronesian cooks used candlenut as an oily thickener in spice pastes across Island Southeast Asia.
Candlenut (kemiri) became embedded in Indonesian and Malay spice-paste grammar.
Hawaiian kukui held cultural importance as oil and food plant beyond pure cuisine.
Diaspora groceries made candlenuts available to cooks outside the tropics.