Sichuanese Boiled Peanuts

Taste: Not as crunchy as roasted peanuts, more of a soft, delicate crunch, slightly spicy, and very aromatic with only a hint of salt.

This is a really simple recipe that produces interesting and surprising results, I made these for a holiday party and they turned out great.

You will need:

• unsalted peanuts
• a variety of spices, whatever is to your liking
• the recipe I followed used star anise, fennel, coriander and chili powder, I think you would probably do just as well with cumin, turmeric, and smoked paprika or a Cajun blend
• salt

The key is to flavor the water enough so that the taste seeps into the peanuts. (Incidentally, I’ll bet this will work perfectly well with almonds too.) Bring the water with the spices to a boil, then add the peanuts and cook for 25-30 minutes, drain, cool, and serve. You can sprinkle some kosher or sea salt for some added texture if you like.

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