Vietnamese Boiled Peanuts
Vietnamese Boiled Peanuts put a fresh spin on a Southern classic with fish sauce, rice vinegar, fresh herbs and spicy chilis.
Equipment
- None
Ingredients
- 1 pound green peanuts shell on (also known as young peanuts)
- 2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt + more for serving check substitutions if using Morton’s
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons high quality gluten free fish sauce
- 4 teaspoons gluten free tamari
- 6 cups filtered water more as needed
- 1 cup fresh herbs such as cilantro, culantro, mint and Thai basil washed and chopped
- 1 serrano pepper sliced
- 1 red chili pepper sliced
Instructions
- Wash 1 pound of green peanuts well to loosen and remove any dirt.
- Add the peanuts, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon chili flakes, 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons fish sauce, and 4 teaspoons tamari to a large pot and cover with 6 cups of filtered water. Bring everything to a boil, lower to a simmer and cover with a lid.
- The freshness of the peanuts will determine the cooking time and how easy they are to pop out of their shells, but it’s safe to say they’ll take at least 4 hours to cook, possibly up to 8. The peanuts are done once the inside becomes tender. Add water if necessary to keep the peanuts covered.
- Once the peanuts are finished cooking, strain and reserve the liquid. Toss them with 1 cup of fresh herbs and 1 sliced serrano and 1 sliced red chili pepper. Sprinkle with kosher salt to taste, if desired. Serve in a large bowl. A good host will also provide a clean, smaller bowl for discarded shells.
Notes
For the uninitiated, to eat your peanut you pop the whole thing in your mouth, crack it with your teeth, suck out the juice and separate it. Take the shell out of your mouth and suck the peanuts out of their pod. Place the empty shell with the other discarded ones in the separate bowl and repeat, repeat, repeat!
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