Confusion Snacks – Chili Masala Dry Roasted Peanuts
Salty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰
Sour/Tangy: ⭐✰✰✰✰
Sweet: ⭐✰✰✰✰
Umami: ⭐✰✰✰✰
Heat: ⭐✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰
Quick Flavor Notes: Eggy, sulfurous, slightly tangy
Recommended: Conditional
Texture: Slightly crunchy with some give
Ingredients: Dry Roasted Peanuts, Non-GMO Avocado Oil, Kashmiri Red Chili, Himalayan Black Salt, Dry Mango Powder, Cumin, Black Pepper, Salt
Confusion Snacks was founded by Aadit Patel, an Indian-American who during his adolescent years felt confusion between his Indian and American identities. Over time he learned to embrace both and founded the snack brand in order to create fusions that were uniquely Indian and American. This flavor, their Chili Masala, is the spiciest of the three they offer (there is also an Original Masala which has no chili in it and a Black Truffle Masala which is milder than this one but does contain some chili). As I love peanuts I thought these would be fun to try.
On both their website and their bag they make a point of specifying that the use avocado oil and all natural ingredients in their peanuts. I always appreciate a company that commits to clean ingredients lists. These start off with dry roasted peanuts which are roasted in avocado oil. Next up come Kashmiri chiles, also known in India as Lal Mirch. Kashmiri chiles are used in Indian cuisine for their deep color and fruity smoky flavor but they are one of the lowest heat Indian chile peppers. Next up is Himalayan Black Salt. This is a salt harvested from volcanic regions in the Himalayas before being kiln dried at high temperatures. It’s naturally high in sulfurous compounds gives it a flavor similar to hard boiled eggs. Dried Mango Powder, also known as amchoor in India, is often used to add tanginess and sourness to Indian dishes and spice blends. Finally we have some common spices such as cumin, black pepper, and regular salt.
These have a nice soft crunch to them. The peanut quality isn’t as good as what I get with 50Hertz Tingly Peanuts, but I haven’t found anyone who comes close to them in terms of peanut quality. These do come with a nice amount of spice on the nuts though with the use of the Kashmiri chili I did expect a deeper red color. The black salt is a dominant flavor and not one that I’m sure I enjoy. It’s a flavor I’ve had in other Indian snacks and it will come down to how much you like the flavor of sulfur in your food. I personally would have preferred to see regular salt, or pink Himalayan salt used instead so that the chili flavor could come through more and the eggy taste wouldn’t be present. As it is there’s more Kashmiri Chili in the aroma than there is in the flavor. There’s a tiny bit of sourness and tang from the mango powder but again I’d have liked to see more of that and less of the eggy sulfur salt. Similarly I don’t get a lot of cumin flavor here and just a hint of the black pepper. The black salt is just so overpowering it steps over all of the other flavors on these peanuts. The heat level is quite mild, mostly just a slightly warm glow but not what anyone could consider to be actually hot.
While I can appreciate the founder’s story about wanting to bridge his Indian and American sides by creating a snack that reflected both and his dedication to using all natural ingredients I can’t say that I love the flavor of these. I feel that there’s something great in the possibility here but for me that black salt eggy sulfur flavor is just way too overpowering. I’ll give these a conditional recommendation based on how much you like that particular Indian flavor. If you’re a black salt fiend you’ll love these. If you’re sensitive that that kind of flavor, best to steer away. These peanuts are all natural with no artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, or thickeners.
