Spicy Boiled Peanuts with Jicama – an easy to make Usal, this tasty and nutritious snack/side-dish is suitable for Upvas (religious fast) days too.
Peanuts, just like all nuts, are quite nutrient-dense. Sure, they pack lots of high quality protein, but they also bring a hefty load of fat! So, unless you watch your portion-size carefully, the pounds will pile on before you know it!
I’ve always loved Peanut Usal, called Shengdaanyaachi (Sheng-daan-yaa-chee) Usal (Oo-sull, rhymes with “dull”) in Marathi. Mom used to make it on special Upvas (Oop-Vaas) days, when only specific foods were “allowed”. She boiled the peanuts, then stir-fried them briefly with a spicy Ghee-based Tadka (Thud-kaa), garnishing with fresh coconut and coriander leaves (cilantro). Spicy Boiled Peanuts…. Yumm!
However, as a child, I was never quite satisfied with the small portions she served us – just about 2-3 tablespoons or so. Why didn’t she make more of it so we could have more? “Don’t want to upset your stomach”, she’d say….., and “Everything in moderation….”, said my Dad, the biggest peanut-lover in our family!
How to re-invent the classic Shengdaanyaachi Usal ?
For a long time, I was on a quest: to “re-formulate”, perhaps even “re-invent”, so to speak, this classic Maharashtrian Shengdaanyaachi Usal. I really wanted to be able to eat more than just 2-3 spoonfuls of it, without having to worry about an stomach upset, or piling on extra pounds.
So… I tried to think of “something” that would just add some volume, without adding a lot of extra calories. And Yeah… I also wanted that particular “something” to go well with peanuts and the simple Upvas-style seasonings. Unfortunately, I came up with nothing… Nada!
Then… a few years ago, while doing a Chinese stir-fry with Jicama, I had my “Aha!” moment! This is the “something” that might work, I thought. So I played with it for a while…
Finally, I was done tinkering – I was happy with my “re-invented” classic! And I didn’t really have to change the classic recipe very much at all… All I did was to replace a good portion of the peanuts with Jicama! That simple!
I’ve been making it this way ever since, happy to be able to have a bigger serving, worry-free, of one of my favorite foods. Lots of great peanut taste and texture, complemented beautifully by the juicy, sweet crunch of the Jicama.
Of course, I do still make the original Shengdaanyaachi Usal every now and then…. How can I not?!
Jicama – low in calories, remains tender-crisp after cooking
Why Jicama, you might wonder? Well, first of all, as far as I knew, this root vegetable was “allowed” for Upvas. Also, in contrast to peanuts, Jicama (Hi-cuh-maa; called Shankalu, Miskri Kand in India) is also pretty low in overall calories – low fat, low carbs, low protein. It is no slouch in the micro-nutrient area, though: Jicama has high fiber content, and is packed with several vitamins and minerals. So… nutritionally, it’s the perfectly suited partner for peanuts.
Best of all, unlike most vegetables, it does not become soft and mushy when cooked! It remains decidedly tender-crisp, even after cooking for several minutes. In fact, that’s exactly why I like using it in Asian-style stir-fries – it never goes “limp” on me! I love the soft crunchiness of the Jicama in this Usal.
By the way, this is also why it’s a great substitute for water-chestnuts…. So, if a recipe calls for water chestnuts, and you have fresh Jicama on hand… Well, why open a can of water chestnuts when you can use fresh Jicama instead?
More Upvas-suitable recipes…
Are you looking for more Upvas-suitable recipes? After all, who says you can’t make them when you’re NOT fasting? Check out the following… some are savory and spicy, and some will make your sweet-tooth very happy… I make them quite frequently!
- Lemon Pickle for Upvas – a sweet and spicy condiment
- Sweet potato fritters – with Amaranth batter, a great snack/appetizer
- Peanut Yogurt Chutney – quick and easy, versatile dip
- Daanyaachey Laadoo – sweet peanut balls, protein-rich snack
- Alivaachey Laadoo – sweet garden cress and coconut balls, loaded with nutrients
- Almond Barfi – sweet, fudge-like almond squares, protein-rich snack
Also: Be on the look out for more such recipes… they are in the works, and coming soon!
Special Diets
This modified recipe for spicy boiled peanuts is vegetarian, gluten-free and soy-free. You can make it vegan by replacing the Ghee with your preferred oil. Personally I would recommend swapping out the Ghee with peanut oil, if you plan to make it vegan.
Since the basic ingredient is peanuts, this dish would obviously be impossible to make nut-free. However, perhaps you could try making it with just Jicama, and a small amount of pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds for a bit of nuttiness. I’ve done this a few times for friends with peanut allergies, and it tastes great!. See Recipe Notes for details.
So… if you love peanuts and want to try something a little different… this recipe should fit the bill. Whenever I’ve served this to friends, they can’t stop eating it! I sometimes have to channel my Dad and tell them.. “Hey guys, let’s not go overboard, OK? Everything in moderation and all, you know…!”
Do leave a review and star rating…. many thanks!
Enjoy!
Spicy Boiled Peanuts with Jicama – Easy to Make
Equipment
- pressure cooker preferred – for cooking peanuts if not available, can be made on stove-top, but will take much longer; see Recipe Notes for details
- small stainless steel insert container that fits inside the pressure cooker pot for cooking peanuts in the pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raw Peanuts small-medium sized peanuts preferred American Redskin peanuts may be too big; Spanish peanuts OK;
- 2 cups Jicama – peeled and diced; about 300 g fresh Jicama; if not available, use water-chestnuts (singoda/singada, Pani-Phal)
- 1 whole Serrano pepper- slit lengthwise into quarters divide into 2 equal portions
- 1 tsp Ginger – finely chopped: divided into 2 portions: 1/2 tsp each
- 1 tsp Ghee For vegan: use any mild flavored oil; I recommend peanut oil.
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds – divided into 2 portions: 1/2 tsp each
- 1/2 tsp Salt – divided into 2 portions: 1/4 tsp each
- 1 tsp Sugar
Garnish
- 1 tbsp fresh grated coconut
- 2 tbsp fresh Coriander leaves (cilantro) – trimmed and chopped
- 1 whole lime/lemon, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Add 1/2 cup water to raw peanuts in a stainless steel bowl or pressure cooker insert container. Add 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 of the green chilli pepper, one portion of ginger and 1/4 tsp salt; soak for 10 min.
- Place a rack in the pressure cooker pot and add 2 cups water. Place the peanut container on the rack, close the lid and pressure cook for 5 min.
- Remove lid after natural pressure release – about 10 min
- While peanuts are cooking, peel and dice the Jicama: Slice the peeled Jicama into 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) slices; cut slices into 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) sticks; turn 90degrees and cut into 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) cubes m
- 2 cups diced Jicama
- Heat Ghee in a medium (2 quart/liter) heavy bottom saucepan or frying pan. Add cumin seeds, ginger and green chillies
- Add diced Jicama
- Splash about 1 tbsp water and saute for 2-3 minutes. the Jicama becomes a little translucent as it cooks
- Add the boiled peanuts
- Stir, cover and and simmer for 4-5 min, to let flavors blend
- Meanwhile, wash and chop the fresh coriander (cilantro)
- Garnish with chopped coriander and fresh grated coconut.
- Serve hot with a lime/lemon wedge on the side
- Enjoy!
Notes
No Pressure cooker?
No worries… Cook the peanuts on the stove-top in a heavy bottom pot as follows:- Place about 2 cups water in a heavy bottom pot
- Add peanuts and seasonings: salt, cumin seeds, ginger and green chillies
- Stir and let peanuts soak for about 10 min
- Bring the mixture to a boil on high heat, then lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, about 20-25 min, stirring occasionally. Add more water (1/2-3/4 cup) if it seems as if it is evaporating too quickly
- peanuts should be cooked and the cooking liquid is mostly absorbed or evaporated: there should be about 1/2 cup liquid left.
To make this recipe without peanuts:
If you want to make this dish for someone with peanut allergies, follow these directions:- Heat 1 tsp Ghee, and add 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, green chillies and ginger
- Add 2 tbsp sunflower seeds (or Pumpkin seeds) and stir-fry for about 1 min on low-medium heat
- Add 2 cups diced Jicama, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar; stir, cover and simmer 4-5 min.
- Garnish with fresh coriander and fresh grated cconut.
- Serve immediately, with a lime/lemon wedge on the side.
Storing Leftovers:
Cook leftovers briefly in the microwave for 1-2 min on Hi: this will prevent the coconut garnish from spoiling. Cool to room temperature before transferring to lidded storage containers – I prefer to store in glass containers, rather than plastic. In refrigerator:- Consume within 2-3 days
- Reheat in microwave or on the stove-top before serving
- Good for 3-4 weeks, perhaps longer
- Thaw, then reheat in microwave or on the stove-top before serving
looks so ymmy. Jicama is like our suran ?
Jicama is actually a little different from Suran, even though it grows underground, like Suran.
I have not seen it in Mumbai (may be available around this time of year), but it is widely available in Bihar, Bengal, Assam – they call it Miskri Kand or Shankalu (because it is shaped a bit like a Shankh) – it has white flesh, and is juicy and tender-crisp, almost like an crisp apple/pear. It originated in Mexico, and the Spanish people took it to Philippines, from there it cam to the eastern part of India.
In Bengal it is offered as Prasad during Saraswati Puja because of its white flesh – only white items are offered to Saraswati – bananas, rasgullas, coconut barfi…..
Also, unlike Suran, you can eat Jicama raw (un-cooked), and it remains crisp even after cooking – it does not become soft, like most fruits and vegetables. If you see it in the market, get it, just to try it… I love it! It is quite unusual… you can also eat it with a little salt and chilli powder, like cucumber or Guava.
It is a bit like Singada, water-chestnuts – this too, does not become soft when cooked. If you find fresh Singada, you can use that in this recipe instead of Jicama.
Came out really well. Only had jumbo peanuts in my pantry. Will use the non jumbo ones next time as it does take over the jicama crunch or maybe will reduce the peanut portion to 3/4 cup. Served it as an appetizer and its a filling snack too.
Came out really well. Only had jumbo peanuts in my pantry. Will use the non jumbo ones next time as it does take over the jicama crunch or maybe will reduce the peanut portion to 3/4 cup. Served it as an appetizer and its a filling snack too.
So glad you enjoyed it, Bina. See if you can get Spanish peanuts – those are small too and I think they are also more tasty than the Jumbo peanuts. I love having it as a snack, super easy when I have leftovers!
I tried this recipe at a friends place and am sold…. DELICIOUS 😋
I will be following your recipes from now on. Thank you!
Thanks Varsha. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.