Recipe: Spiced Boiled Peanuts

Again, credit where credit is due, this recipe is adapted from the one within the pages of the stellar publication, Saveur Magazine.

Also, I think Boiled Peanuts are something that allow for great creativity, so do whatever you want and see how it goes.  Any kind of spice would work (mustard seeds, cardamom, etc.) and I think the boiling liquid could be altered in lots of interesting ways (soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, maybe even some red wine, etc.).  The one thing to keep an eye on would be the salt since you don't want to go too heavy on it.  That being said, boiled peanuts are kind of a salty snack, so be aware of that going in!  Also, these are called out as "Spiced", but they're certainly not overly hot.  To read all I had to say about these, you can go here.

Paprika, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, crushed red pepper, cinnamon, bay leaves and garlic do a spicy peanut make.

Ingredients:

2 lb. raw peanuts

1/2 to 1 cup kosher salt (depending on how salty you want them)

¼ cup sugar

1 tbsp. coriander seeds

1 tbsp. fennel seeds

1 tbsp. whole black peppercorns

1 tbsp. crushed red chile flakes

1 tbsp. hot or mild paprika

2 bay leaves

2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed

1 stick cinnamon

1. Rinse the peanuts in a colander thoroughly as they are often dusty.  I've seen some recipes that recommend soaking the peanuts for a bit before boiling, but I did not opt to do that.  It may cut down on cooking time, I suppose.

2. Throw everything you have into an 8 quart pot with a gallon of water and bring it all to a boil.  As you can see in that top photo, the peanuts will be floating, which might cause you to be somewhat distressed, but fear not, they'll eventually get saturated a bit and will settle in to the water (see below).

  

3. Once you reach a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low in order to maintain a good simmer and get ready to wait...for quite a while.  You'll want to stir the peanuts and move them around fairly regularly, but know that you've got a minimum of 4 hours before they're ready and it might be as much as 6 hours.  The longer you cook them, the softer they'll get, but I felt they were good around the 5-1/2 hour mark.  You'll also want to keep adding in water as it boils away and the level drops.  You might be able to prevent this by covering, but I just maintained the level by adding in more water.

4. Sample the peanuts after 4 hours by dipping one out, letting it cool and then cracking it open.  Once you have the texture you like, shut off the heat and let the peanuts cool down IN the liquid.  This is an important step since that when a lot of that brine and the flavor it brings gets into the shell.  You might also want to put a lid on the pot that's slightly too small in order to keep the peanuts submerged.  Let them cool for at least an hour.

5. That's it!  You can eat them warm right from the pot or store them in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.  I'd drain the liquid off before refrigerating.  If you like them warm, you can always reheat in the evil microwave or something like that.  Enjoy and, as I said, you can make adjustments as you see fit (less salt, more spice/heat, etc.).