Kemiri, or candle nuts, are an essential ingredient to specialty dishes throughout south and southeast Asia, as well as Polynesia. They are used in Southeast Asian cooking to thicken sauces with a touch of bitter, nuttiness. In Indonesia they are most commonly incorporated into spice pastes.
Kemiri should always be ground and cooked. They can turn rancid in a few months and are best stored in a freezer or refrigerator.