Star Anise Boiled Peanuts
水煮花生·(shui zhu hua sheng)
Pau Hana: The Friday Transition
In Hawaii, no backyard potluck or beach day is complete without a massive bag of chilled, aggressively spiced boiled peanuts. Introduced by Chinese immigrants during the plantation era, this iconic local snack relies on a pure, elemental triad: star anise, fresh ginger, and the earthy brine of red alaea salt. The real secret isn't in the boil—it's the steep. As the spiced liquid cools, a vacuum pulls that heavy licorice and ginger right through the shell. It is cheap, incredibly satisfying, and with a modern pressure cooker, requires almost zero active effort to get exactly right.
Before you start
Vigorously wash the raw peanuts.
Raw peanuts grow in the dirt. Rinse them in a large colander under cold running water, tossing them with your hands until the water runs perfectly clear, discarding any cracked or empty shells.
Soak the peanuts overnight.
Because mainland supermarkets sell dried raw peanuts rather than fresh green ones, soaking them for at least four hours—or preferably overnight—rehydrates the shell and kernel so they cook evenly instead of turning out chalky.
Ingredients
- dried raw in-shell peanuts1 1/2 lb
- coarse Hawaiian red alaea sea salt1/3 cup
- whole star anise pods8 small
- fresh ginger3 inch
- whole black peppercorns1 tbsp
- cold water12 cup
Method
- 01
Combine the peanuts, spices, and water in a pressure cooker.
Transfer the soaked and drained peanuts to the insert of an electric pressure cooker. Add the salt, star anise, ginger, peppercorns, and enough fresh cold water to cover the peanuts by about two inches.
- 02
Weigh the peanuts down to keep them submerged.
Peanuts float, and exposed shells will not cook properly. Place a steamer trivet directly on top of the peanuts and weigh it down with a heavy ceramic plate or an upside-down glass ramekin.
- 03
Cook on high pressure for fifty-five minutes.
Seal the lid and set the machine to manual high pressure. When the time is up, let the cooker naturally release its pressure completely, which will take about twenty to thirty minutes.
- 04
Let the peanuts steep in the cooling brine for at least two hours.
Do not skip this step. Flavor does not penetrate the peanut while actively boiling. As the liquid cools, it creates a vacuum inside the shell, physically pulling the salty, anise-laced brine deep into the kernel.
- 05
Drain and chill overnight before serving.
Discard the spices and liquid. Transfer the peanuts to a large container and refrigerate. In Hawaii, these are almost always eaten cold, cracked open by hand with a cold beer nearby.
Notes
Sourcing the peanuts.
Never use roasted peanuts. Look for raw, dried in-shell peanuts in the produce section of an Asian market or order them online.
Salt substitutions.
If you cannot find Hawaiian red alaea salt, use an equal amount of coarse kosher salt like Diamond Crystal. Fine table salt will make the brine inedibly salty.
From Cook Hawaiian in America.