Star Anise Boiled Peanuts
The Backyard Ohana Potluck: Scaling for the Gathering
To understand the local Hawaiian diet is to look at what happens when diverse cultures are thrown together in the sugar cane fields. The boiled peanut is a direct descendant of the Chinese shui zhu hua sheng, stripped of an elaborate spice pantry and distilled to just star anise, fresh ginger, and the earthy punch of coarse red salt. To get that nostalgic, melt-in-your-mouth texture in a modern mainland kitchen, you don't need a four-hour stovetop vigil; you just need a pressure cooker and the patience to let them steep. The true secret of the aunties is that the flavor doesn't penetrate the shell while boiling, but in the cooling, when the dying heat pulls the dark, spiced brine straight into the kernel.
Before you start
Wash the peanuts until the water runs completely clear.
Raw peanuts grow in the dirt. Vigorously agitate them in a large bowl of cold water, discarding any broken or floating empty shells.
Soak the peanuts in cold water overnight.
Cover the clean peanuts with fresh water, weigh them down with a plate to keep them submerged, and let them hydrate for at least four hours. This rehydrates the dried mainland peanuts so they cook evenly.
Ingredients
- raw in-shell dried peanuts1 1/2 lb
- Hawaiian red alaea sea salt1/3 cup
- whole star anise pods8 large
- fresh ginger root3 inch
- whole black peppercorns1 tbsp
- cold water12 cup
Method
- 01
Combine all the ingredients in an electric pressure cooker.
Drain the soaked peanuts and transfer them to the pot along with the sea salt, star anise, ginger, peppercorns, and the cold water.
- 02
Weigh down the peanuts to ensure total submersion.
Peanuts float, which leads to uneven cooking. Place a stainless steel steamer trivet or a heat-safe heavy plate directly on top of them so they remain completely underwater.
- 03
Cook on high pressure for fifty-five minutes.
Seal the lid and cook on manual high pressure. Once the time is up, allow the machine to release its pressure naturally for about twenty to thirty minutes.
- 04
Steep the peanuts in the cooling brine for at least two hours.
This is the ultimate secret to the dish. Turn off the machine and let the peanuts sit in the hot liquid. As the water cools, it creates a vacuum that physically pulls the salty, spiced brine right through the shell and into the kernel.
- 05
Drain and chill overnight before serving.
Discard the aromatics and the liquid. Transfer the peanuts to a sealed container and refrigerate them. In Hawaii, they are meant to be eaten cold, cracked open by hand at the beach or the backyard potluck.
Notes
Sourcing the right salt makes or breaks the brine.
Hawaiian red salt is coarse and milder than standard salt. If you cannot find it, use a coarse Kosher salt like Diamond Crystal. Never substitute with fine table salt, or the batch will be inedibly salty.
Do not attempt this with roasted peanuts.
You must use raw, dried peanuts. The cellular structure of a roasted peanut is permanently altered, and boiling it will only result in unpalatable mush.
From Cook Hawaiian in America.