Street-style Peanuts – made in the Microwave

Street-style peanuts – made in the microwave? Sounds almost too good to be true! I’ve actually been making them this way for a long time – it is almost ridiculous how fast and easy it is to do it! Over the years, I’ve shared my recipe with countless friends and family members, all lovers of this popular snack. I’m posting it today as a way to celebrate my brother’s birthday – an ardent fan of anything ‘Peanuts’. Too bad that I’m not able to travel halfway around the world to make his favorite snack in person. So I thought, why not post the recipe on this blog as my way of celebrating his special day?

I started tinkering with making street-style salted peanuts in the microwave nearly 30 years ago. We had just returned from India, it had been my then 4-year-old son’s first visit. One morning, he said, ‘Mom, when can we make Indian peanuts?’ I immediately knew what he was talking about. On our first day in Mumbai, we had gone out for a walk and saw the street-vendor selling his wares. As the heady smell of warm peanuts reached us, my son asked if we could get some. He watched, fascinated, as the vendor deftly created a little cone-shaped paper-packet, stuffed it with a scoop of peanuts, and handed it to him with a smile. One little bite and my son was hooked!

So, when he asked if we could make ‘Indian peanuts’, I thought, why not ? It took a few tries to perfect it, of course. After one of these experiments, when he declared ‘Mom, they’re perfect! Just like what we ate in India’, my heart swelled! He had given it the Golden Stamp of approval! The love-story with “Indian peanuts” continues to this day, and my brother faces some serious competition when a bowl of peanuts is set out on the table – not just from my son, but his own son as well!

Ever since I earned the “Golden Stamp”, this has been on my list of favorite ‘In a Jiffy’ snacks! Crunchy, with just a hint of salt, it is delicious and nutrient packed, perfect for snacking, anytime, anywhere. Best of all, it is truly a crowd-pleaser; always a hit at gatherings of friends and family, few can resist its enticing taste and texture.

The major challenge, of course, is portion control! Every time I make these, I am reminded of a quote I once read: a definition of self-control – ‘eating one salted peanut!’ I suppose I don’t have much self-control, at least by that definition, anyway!

So, if you’re a peanut lover, go ahead, make some street-style roasted peanuts in the microwave! It may well bring to the surface some precious memories of your own!

Street-style Roasted Peanuts

Rinse the peanuts, add a little water and salt, and microwave on high for a couple of minutes. Stir and continure to cook on low power, about two-minutes at a time, until dry and roasted – about 10 min total. Cool to room temperature before serving.

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Prep Time 2 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

0 minutes mins

Total Time 12 minutes mins

Course Snack

Cuisine American, Indian

Servings 4 people

Calories 214 kcal

Equipment

• microwave oven – with power-level control
• microwave-safe glass or porcelain bowl – Please DO NOT use plastic bowls – even the ones that are labeled microwave-safe. They may warp/melt because the oil in the peanurts becomes extremely hot during the last few minutes of roasting.

Ingredients

  

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• 1 cup Raw peanuts peanuts with skin preferred; if raw peanuts are not available, you can substitue with blancehed peanuts or unsalted roasted peanuts.
• 1/8 tsp salt adjust as desired
• 1/8 tsp sugar adds subtle flavor; helps browning during the roasting stage
• 2 tbsp water may need 1-2 tsp more, depending on the the microwave power and the local weather.

Instructions

 

• Rinse peanuts a couple of times with water – drain all the water – then add water, salt and sugar- mix well to allow salt and sugar to dissolve in the water.
  
• Microwave on hi 2 min- stir well, if it looks completely dry, add 1 tsp water and stir; microwave on hi – 1- 1 1/2 min
• Stir well, microwave 2-3 min on 40% power : this is critical- you need to adjust power level from the default hi 100% setting – you might also hear the peanuts ‘pop’ as they roast during this period

  If your microwave does not allow you to adjust power:

  This process will take a bit longer. Cook the peanuts for 20 seconds on hi power, stir, wait for 1 min, and repeat at least 6-7 times, until the peanuts are dried and roasted. If they still seem a bit moist or soggy, continue the 20 seond heating-1 minute cooling cycle, until the peanuts are completely dry and slightly browned and toasty.
• Stir and check to see if the peanuts feel dry- eat one to test!
• Keep heating 1-2 min at 30-40% power, stirring and checking along the way until the peanuts look and taste dry and roasted (खमंग !) – peanuts should look just a little browned and the skin should lighten to a dusky rose type color . The entire process shouldn’t take more than about 10 min total.
  
• f you don’t stir every couple of min…. they will get burnt in the middle, where the heat is the most concentrated.
• Cool to room temp before serving them up! They won’t be crisp/crunchy while they are hot.
• Enjoy! ?

Notes

A simple recipe, that is pretty fool-proof if you pay the directions carefully. The tricky part is often towards the end- how to know when it is “done”? If you look closely, you can see when a few of the peanuts start to brown and look dry: usually after 5-6 min of cooking time. they might also sizzle a bit, as the oil inside them gets hot and they essentially roast in their own “juices”- their oil! In fact, you will start to see some of the peanuts begin to glisten/shine, as heat causes the oil to ooze out from them. This is a good sign that the moisture has all evaporated, and that the peanuts are now in the “roasting’ stage.

Like most nuts, peanuts are somewhat soft when hot, hardening as they cool. So, while stirring when they are hot, it is not easy to tell if they will become crunchy after cooling.  But no worries! if they do not taste crunchy after they cool, it’s okay- just put them back in the microwave: high power for 30 seconds, then low power for about 2-3 minutes. That should do it!. You may need to tinker with the timing just a little, because different microwaves have different power. that said, 10-12 min should be a fairly consistent time frame for the cooking/roasting process.

Nutrition

Calories: 214kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 9gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 75mgPotassium: 240mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2gCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg

Keyword raw peanuts, roasted peanuts, salted peanuts

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