IP Food: Boiled Peanuts

Happy Birthday to The Help!

The Ds and I got him his birthday gift a few weeks ago. . .a Yeti cooler for his ride.  We managed to find it in the ever-elusive gray color.

We will celebrate later today with a cake.  I am hoping Hilo will not be as crazy as it was this past week. 

Whenever it's Merrie Monarch Festival time, the town takes on a whole different persona.  We get inundated with visitors.  This is great for our economy but creates havoc with the normal flow of business and traffic.  Nakaz said it took him close to an hour to get from his place (just across the "Singing Bridge") to Target!  To put it in perspective, it took The Help, D2 and I about an hour to drive the entire length of the Saddle Road!

In an attempt to escape the craziness in Hilo, The Help, D2 and I ventured to the other side of the island.  Apparently, the rain had the same idea and met us in Kona!  Upon embarking on our journey, we passed a familiar sight...the pop-up tent on the side of the road selling boiled soybeans and peanuts, two of D2's favorite snacks.

Over the past few months, I've made multiple attempts to perfect boiled peanuts in the Instant Pot.  I have found that the ideal cooking time is somewhere between 8-15 minutes.  If you prefer your peanuts on the crunchier side, go for 8 minutes.  If you prefer them softer, then go for 15 minutes.  A 6-quart Instant Pot will hold a pound of raw (dried) peanuts. 

Many other recipes suggest using something inside the pot to keep the nuts submerged.  I have never done that.  I find that by allowing the pressure to come down naturally (about 45 minutes) and waiting an additional 15 minutes, the peanuts will all be submerged when the pot is opened.  This wait time allows the brine to penetrate and flavor the nuts.

If you prefer to make this the conventional way, I posted a recipe a few years ago.  You can find the post here.

 click on recipe title for printable recipe

Instant Pot Boiled Peanuts

     1 pound raw peanuts (dried)

     1 1/2 quarts water

     3 tbsp rock salt

     2 star anise

Place all ingredients in Instant Pot.  Place a heat-proof plate on peanuts to keep submerged. Set cooking time for 8 minutes (crunchy nuts) to 15 minutes (softer nuts) on high pressure.  When cooking is done, leave for 60 minutes before removing from pot.  Drain and serve.

Boiled Peanuts

I barely survived the long weekend (for those of you not familiar with Hawaii history, this past Friday was Statehood Day/Admission Day).  While county and state government employees get the day off, not everyone is pleased with the day.  Many native Hawaiians are still angry at the overthrow of the monarchy and being made the 50th state, so the day is also a day for demonstrations.  While I'm glad to have the day off, I do respect the opinion of others and am sensitive to the fact that not everyone sees this day as a cause for celebration.

The long holiday allowed D2 to host a sleepover for her birthday.  This was the first sleepover party D2 ever hosted...she had friends over for the night before, but 2 girls are a lot different from 8!  I must've been intoxicated when she asked me for permission to have a sleepover.

The party began with a pizza dinner, followed by the showing of Rise of the Guardians dvd with popcorn & kakimochi.  I went to bed before 11 pm, and I was awakened by laughter at 4:00 am.  I fed the kids blueberry muffins and apple strudels for breakfast.  I was planning on making li hing mui lollipops with them, but some kids were already in the pool.  At that point, I decided to forgo the lollipops.  While the kids were playing, The Help went to pick up the birthday cake and enough bentos to feed us all.  Kids had lunch, cake, ice cream, and pinata treats.  Then it was time to go home.

I barely had time to rest before it was time to watch D1 cheering at the 1st football game of the school year...a pre-season duel with the cross-town rival.  It was a great game, especially for my school because we won handily.  I hope this is a sign of a great season for the Viks.  I also got to flash my employee ID to get into the game at a major discount!

In honor of D2's birthday, this week's recipe is something she really enjoys. . .boiled peanuts.  I totally get why she loves this.  Boiled peanuts were one of my favorite snacks when I was younger.  I still can't resist buying a bag when I see it in the stores (supermarkets in Hawaii sell boiled peanuts near the produce department).

I've seen boiled peanuts for sale in the Smithfield Marketplace catalog, and GP, my former coworker, would tell me that boiled peanuts were a popular snack in parts of the south.  But I was taken by surprise one day when he asked me why the peanuts on my plate were so dark.  I told him they were boiled, and it was like he had never seen a boiled goober before.  So now I'm curious about what southern boiled peanuts are like.  The ones I see in Hawaii are all dark.

My buddy Tyson swears that the best peanuts in Hilo are sold at George's Meat Market.  I've had theirs, and he is right.  The salt is just right, and the peanuts are cooked just right.  George's Meat Market has some oddball hours, so if you find yourself jonesing for some good nuts and can't get to George's, you can always make your own.  It only takes a few hours to make, and if you are like me and D2 and have an affinity for flavor of anise, you can throw in a couple of stars for the "Chinese" taste.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Local Style Boiled Peanuts

     2 lbs fresh peanuts
     1/4 c rock salt
     2 star anise
     2 qts water

Place peanuts into large pot.  Cover with water.  Add salt and star anise.  Bring to a rolling boil.  Start timer (25 minutes) when water is at a rolling boil.  Remove pot from heat, but leave peanuts in pot until they all sink to the bottom.  Drain.

6/2014 update:  KTA sells raw peanuts with their signature "1916" label.  These peanuts are huge!  If using these special 1916 peanuts, boil peanuts much longer than 25 minutes.  Begin checking after 45 minutes of boiling.  You will also need to add water during the boiling process.