Chinese Boiled Peanuts Recipe: Soft Yet Crunchy Peanuts!
Crunchy toasted peanuts are great snacks, but these boiled peanuts are a unique preparation full of flavor and aroma. Boiled peanuts become soft yet hold their shapes to give you a nice mouthfeel. It takes about half an hour to make these boiled peanuts and you can serve them as snacks or appetizers.
Here is the Chinese boiled peanuts recipe with detailed steps and an ingredient list. The recipe will help you get all the steps right and make flavorful boiled peanuts. Let’s get into more details.
Table of Contents
Chinese Boiled Peanuts Recipe Overview
Planning your steps will help you complete this recipe within the indicated time in the following chart.
| Course: Snacks | Cuisine: Chinese | Difficulty: Easy | ||
| Total Time: 40 minutes | ||||
| Serving | Preparation Time | Cooking Time | Calories | |
| 4 persons | 10 minutes | 30 minutes | 90 kcal | |
Ingredients Needed for the Recipe
You need raw peanuts and a few aromatic spices to make this recipe. Find the full list of ingredients below.
- Peanut: 200g fresh peanuts
- Salt: 3 tsp
- Cornstarch: 1 tbsp
- White Vinegar: 1 tbsp
- Sichuan Peppercorn: 1 tbsp
- Dried Chili: 7-8 dried chili peppers
- Star Anise: 2 pcs
- Angelica: 2 slices
- Bay Leaves: 2-3 pcs
- Light Soy Sauce: 1 tbsp
That’s it for the ingredients. Let’s now move on to the cooking process.
Chinese Boiled Peanuts Recipe: Step-By-Step Instructions
Peanuts need a good shower before you boil and eat them. Start with the washing.
Step 1: Soak and Clean the Peanuts
Take the peanuts in a rinse basket. Put 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp cornstarch, and 1 tbsp white vinegar on the peanuts and fill the pot with water. Soak the peanuts in the solution for about five minutes. Then, wash the peanuts.
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Step 2: Nip the Peanuts
As peanut shells are pretty thick, they will prevent the seasoning from getting inside. Nip each peanut slightly so that the seasoning can get inside.
Step 3: Toast the Spices
Heat a pan over medium flame. Put 2 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp of Sichuan peppercorn, 7-8 dried chili peppers, two star anise, two slices of angelica, and 2-3 bay leaves onto the pan. Stir-fry the spices on the dry pan for about 30 seconds.
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Step 4: Cook the Peanuts
Once the spices are fragrant, add the washed peanuts to the pan. Add water to the pan and pour about 1 tbsp light soy sauce into it. Cover the pan with the lid and cook the peanuts for about 30 minutes.
Step 5: Cool the Peanuts Down and Serve
Don’t eat the peanuts right after taking them off the heat. Let them cool down and refrigerate if possible. Eat the peanuts the next day to get maximum flavor.
Nutrition Facts of the Recipe
Each serving of boiled peanuts contains about 90 calories. Besides, it has the following nutritional values.
- Total Carbohydrates: 6g
- Protein: 3.8g
- Total Fat: 6.2g
- Saturated Fat: 0.9g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 3.1g
- Total Dietary Fiber: 2.5g
- Total Sugar: 0.7g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 213mg
- Potassium: 51mg
- Calcium: 16mg
- Iron: 0.3mg
- Vitamin E: 7.4mg
Do’s and Don’ts of the Chinese Boiled Peanuts Recipe
Here are a few tips to make your cooking easier. Don’t miss them.
Do’s
- You must soak the peanuts in the cleaning solution to remove as much sediment as possible.
- Keep the cooked peanuts soaked in the juice to make them more flavorful.
Don’ts
- Don’t fry the spices over high heat or for too long. Otherwise, they will get burnt and ruin the flavor.
- Don’t put too much soy sauce as you have already used a lot of salt.
Chinese Boiled Peanuts Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Take the peanuts in a rinse basket. Put 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp cornstarch, and 1 tbsp white vinegar on the peanuts and fill the pot with water. Soak the peanuts in the solution for about five minutes. Then, wash the peanuts.
- Step 2: Nip the Peanuts
- As peanut shells are pretty thick, they will prevent the seasoning from getting inside. Nip each peanut slightly so that the seasoning can get inside.
- Heat a pan over medium flame. Put 2 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp of Sichuan peppercorn, 7-8 dried chili peppers, two star anise, two slices of angelica, and 2-3 bay leaves onto the pan. Stir-fry the spices on the dry pan for about 30 seconds.
- Once the spices are fragrant, add the washed peanuts to the pan. Add water to the pan and pour about 1 tbsp light soy sauce into it. Cover the pan with the lid and cook the peanuts for about 30 minutes.
- Don’t eat the peanuts right after taking them off the heat. Let them cool down and refrigerate if possible. Eat the peanuts the next day to get maximum flavor.
FAQs
The following answers to commonly asked questions will provide valuable information about the recipe.
How long to soak peanuts before boiling?
You need to soak the peanuts for at least five minutes before boiling them. The more you can soak, the better.
Is it necessary to put vinegar in boiled peanuts?
Yes. Putting vinegar in boiled peanuts removes any alkaline impurities from the peanuts. As a result, the boiled peanuts have a nice color and flavor. These impurities might not get removed unless you put vinegar in boiled peanuts.
Are there any specific types of peanuts that work best for the recipe?
No. All types of peanuts work fine for this recipe. You can use whatever peanuts are locally available. Long peanuts usually taste slightly better than short peanuts.
Can I store boiled peanuts in the freeze?
Of course. You can store boiled peanuts in the freeze for about 3-6 months. Then, you can take them out of the freeze and reheat them before serving.
Conclusion
The combined spices give the boiled peanuts their amazing aroma. These boiled peanuts can be the perfect choice for your evening snacks. As no oil is used to cook these peanuts, they can be a healthy option if you follow a no-oil diet.
Make this recipe at home and enjoy aromatic peanuts with the perfect balance of softness and crunch. Treat your friends and families with the unique flavor of these boiled peanuts. Don’t forget to share your experience or if you have any suggestions on how to make these boiled peanuts better.
