TAJ Uncooked Phool Makhana 14oz Bulk Pack | Fox Nut, Popped Lotus Seed

This kind of reminds me of real chewy, white hominy. I mean it's totally different, but I treat it similarly when cooking. I do not use it as a snack, but rather a side dish. I cook it well and add flavors like Sofrito or Birria sauce. I do fry in bacon grease to give it a tasty finish. It's fairly bland but takes on the flavor you add, and it makes a good side dish or can even be used in place of rice for saucy main dishes.

This is a really big bag of puffed lotus seeds. I tried these many years ago at someone's home, but I had to do a few minutes of online reading to learn how to make them. There are various methods, but I pan fried them for a few minutes with a bit of butter and then added a light sprinkle of chili powder and salt. The phool makhana itself doesn’t have a lot of flavor, so it takes on the flavor of what you add to it. I’m looking forward to trying more of it with different seasoning blends.

I like to put a bit of Knorr shrimp bullion powder or other seasonings in a small amount of oil, stir the the lotus seeds around in it until browning crispy then transfer to a bowl and toss with a bit more of the seasoning. It's a good hot crispy snack while watching TV and the seasonings can be varied to keep it interesting.

Not crazy about the taste or texture, but at least it is a healthy snack and like it at least as well as the unhealthy GMO pop corn and no stick between your teeth bits. I heat it in a pan with some butter and salt so quick and easy snack while watching a vid.

I wasn’t aware I had to season them but they are nice and crunchy. They taste a little bland though so called up a good friend and she’s helping me season it up a bit. Wasn’t are you can or should fry themComes in a huge bag ! Probably a lot for someone trying it for the first time. It’s nice that it could be used for salty or sweet. No staleness !

I got this to try for the first time as I had heard a lot about this from other friends. These are very lightweight with the look and feel of a popcorn but tougher in texture as these are uncooked.I had to look up some videos to understand how to process these and initial try was okay. These were cooked for 7-9 minutes on medium heat with some salt and other condiments added to taste. Some of these came out nice and crunchy while others were still mushy and probably needed to be cooked a bit longer.The challenge is getting the ballpark cooking time right so these are not undercooked. Kids liked it so that tells me I am on the right track but need to try a bit more to get these cooked to perfect texture.A nice snack overall and not that filling. The sizes are mixed so that also presents a challenge as these can get overcooked as well.

As compared to popcorn, these are very easy to make. I put them in the air fryer for 5 minutes at 380 degrees. It is also nice that there are no kernels to worry about. They are pleasantly crunchy, though they do dissolve and stick to your teeth a bit. They can use the same toppings as popcorn, like butter, salt, cheese powder, or ranch powder. However, these have a flavor that I do not care for. I would describe it as similar to white pepper, which I do not like. It could be slightly mushroom-y or fishy, but I think white pepper is the best description. This is not a fault of the product, it just doesn't meet my personal tastes.

Arrived stale