I love boiled peanuts.
They also bring back childhood memories of days/evenings spent at the old Honolulu Stadium on King Street. We used to go to watch baseball and football games there (although I'm pretty sure my main intentions were to have some kind of stadium treat and of course to eat the boiled peanuts!)
Once you've tried them, you will be hooked!
In Hawaii, there are two kinds boiled peanuts (that's the only kinds I know of anyway), ones that are "wet" and the kind that are dried. The dried version is apparently just the wet version dried out (sorry no recipe for the dry one). When you bite into the shell to get to the peanuts the sweet salty juices ooze out making it kind of messy but oh so addicting! Perfect to take to any athletic event.
I got these from the "Taste of Hongwanji" and they were only a dollar for a sandwich bag filled to the brim!
I also found this recipe for the wet version on the internet on a site called Recipe Goldmine.
Boiled Peanuts
2 pounds raw peanuts
2 tablespoons Hawaiian rock salt
1 whole bhat gok (star anise)
Soak peanuts in water overnight, weighing down the peanuts with a dish and a weight, like a large can of pork and beans.
The next day, wash and rub peanuts until the water is clear. Put peanuts in a pot with water about 1 1/2 inches above the peanuts. (Hold peanuts down with your hand.)
Add salt and bhat gok. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Taste for doneness. Peanut should be medium to soft, depending on the taster. Cook 30 minutes longer for a softer peanut. Let peanuts stand in water for 1 hour.
Pour off excess water. Package and refrigerate. Boiled peanuts may be frozen until ready to use or eaten right away.
Enjoy!
i wonder if those peanuts in hawaii are the same kind you find in the south of the u.s.
ReplyDeletewhen i lived in atlanta, i tried those brined peanuts everyone kept saying i should try but i didn't like them very much. i think i'd like a dried out version though.
Kat,
ReplyDeleteI've heard of these but never seen a recipe for them. They sound great. And the Hawaiian rock salt is also very intriguing!
Hi Bourgogne,
ReplyDeleteHmm, these seem similar to the brined ones, only with a twist since you'll be using a star anise. I think if you tried the ones in Hawaii, you may forget about the bad experience you had with boiled peanuts in Atlanta. :)
Hi Ivonne,
Most Hawaiian rock salt is a nice reddish color from the red dirt where the sea water dries and I've only seen this on the island of Kauai at a place I think was called Ala'e. It is really coarse stuff! Hope you can find it online or somewhere near you!
Thanks for stopping by you two.
Kat
My family is originally from Africa, and we would always have this whenever we could find "raw" peanuts in the ethnic stores around town. None of my Canadian friends had ever heard of it and found it gross-sounding enough to not even try it!! But ofcourse, I love it, so I was so happy to find that they have them in Japan too!! We use just salt, not star anise or any other spice, but I agree, they are totally addicting. I've only had them "wet". Very funny, I just bought them today for the first time this year, and I now I'm reading your post about them! :)
ReplyDeleteHi TM,
ReplyDeleteI've never seen raw peanuts in Osaka...but I'm crossing my fingers it will turn up in a supermarket during the summer...or when I get back, so I can make some and freeze them!
Take care!
Kat
Hi Kat,
ReplyDeleteI should have made it clear--I didn't actually find raw peanuts, but already boiled ones! And I think they are the "dry" kind that you were talking about. I got them at the local Ito Yokado, in the section where they have the miso coated peanuts, etc. I love the "wet" ones, but I'll take what I can get! ;) I hope you can find them when you come back! :)