This totally yummilicious little nutty snack was inspired by an appetizer that appeared briefly on the menu of a fav Sichuan restaurant of ours. I think the most excellent chef there likes to try out different things which is great, except when you discover a new favorite dish only to have it disappear a month later. 😩
But, as even in that short time we became obsessed with these peanuts, we decided to make our own version of Chinese Soy & Spice Braised Peanuts 水煮五香花生. Easy to make but oh man so yummy to nom, nom on, these cooked til soft and savory peanuts are soaked through and through with the most delicious Chinese spice flavored soy braising sauce. Nom, nom, indeed…
Okay then. The first order of business is to find yourself some raw peanuts. These puppies are not available everywhere, mind you, so you might have to search a bit for a source. The most likely place is somewhere like the HK wet markets, kinda like our local HK version of a farmer’s market.
You might be wondering why we braised the peanuts with the shells on. Well, that’s how we had them at the restaurant and it turns out that, when braised peanuts are served with the shell on, the braising liquid is not only soaked lusciously into the shell but also a bit of it is trapped inside each shell, just the right amount to slurp in as you eat the yummy soft peanuts. It was such a delight to eat that we ended up chewing the shells for the flavor before spitting them out, he, he…
The peanuts are braised in soy sauce, sugar and traditonal Chinese spices. The spices that we chose to use are, clockwise from 12 noon: bittersweet licorice root 甘草, warm & funky black cardomom 草果, sweet and spicy cloves, sweet woody Chinese cinnamon (cassia cinnamon), citrusy chenpi 陳皮 (dried tangerine peel) and licorice-y star anise 八角 in the middle. One spice I forgot to add is the tongue numbing sichuan pepper 花椒, oopsie, but yeah, that would totally add the final touch to the flavor!
Look for these Chinese spices at HK wet markets. Check with vendors selling dried food goods: they should stock alot of different spices. Sometimes you might find a vendor selling just spices, so cool! You can also find these spices at asian grocery markets. Or you can click on the links in the recipe ingredients below to locate them online.
Note that you can always mix the spices up a bit to your preference, adding or subtracting as you wish, it’s all good! And if you don’t want to round up all these spices you can sub in 2 teaspoons of five spice powder instead of the spices.
Once you’ve gathered all your lovely spices, making these soy and spice braised peanuts couldn’t be easier. Toss all your peanuts, soy sauce, spices and rock sugar into a pot and let it all simmer!
It’s going to be a slow and sure boil. Make sure your nuts are covered with liquid as they simmer. Cook at a medium heat for an hour and half and presto, your delectable soy braised peanuts are ready to snack on. Or, if you want to fancy it up, cook at a low heat for a couple of more hours to really soften the shells and let the flavors super absorb into both the peanuts and the shells.
Nom, nom, totally slurpable, snackable Chinese Soy & Spice Braised Phueanuts! Enjoy the nuttiness!
Chinese Soy & Spice Braised Peanuts
(10 servings) Prep time: 2 mins Cook time: 1 1/2 hour
Ingredients:
Put peanuts, soy sauce, water (enough to cover the nuts by an inch), star anise, sichuan peppers, cinnamon stick, cloves, chenpi, licorice root, cardamoms and 2 pieces of rock sugar in a large pot. If not using actual spices add 2 tsp five spice powder instead.
Heat over high heat until boiling and then turn down to medium low heat and let simmer for 1 1/2 hour. Keep an eye on the water level and add water if the level goes below that of the peanuts. Towards the end of boiling taste the braising liquid and add rock sugar if needed.
If you would like to chew on the shells and have softer peanuts, further cook the peanuts at a low simmer for an extra 1-2 hours.
When peanuts are cooked to your desire, sample the braising liquid and add boiled water to dilute to taste if necessary.
Let the peanuts cool to room temperature and then chill in the fridge before serving. If not serving right away store covered in the braising liquid in the fridge for up to a week. Enjoy the nuttiness!
