Sweet Braised Peanuts

Ingredients

• 800 g raw ground peanuts (soaked)
• 3 tablespoons Dark soy sauce
• 3-4 tablespoons Oyster sauce
• 4 tablespoons Sweet soy sauce
• 2 tsp Chinese Five Spices powder
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 star anise
• 3 pods cardamom
• 1/3 cup Rock Sugar (or more)
• 1 tbsp Corn flour + 3 tbsp water

Steps

1. Well-braised peanuts are very soft and tastes creamy, sweet and lightly salty. Cooking time varies depending on how and what you use to braise. It can be done using pressure cooker, slow cooker or the normal pot-on-the-stove, cook until peanuts are soft, like, very soft. Using pressure cooker is pretty easy and it helps to shorten the cooking time. Otherwise, it's best to soak the peanuts overnight. Below is the example of the raw peanuts we use. Choose raw peanuts with skins.
2. Soak peanuts overnight, drain soaked peanuts and tranfer to a pot. Add all the ingredients listed in A. Pour in the water, making sure the water is 5-10 cm above the peanuts. Stir to mix everything then cover.
3. Bring to a rolling boil and then simmer over medium low for 1 and half hour to 2 hours or until peanuts are soft. Check occasionally to make sure there is still enough water in the pot & add more if needed, and continue to simmer until peanuts are well done. To check if peanuts are ready, take and taste for the flavour and texture, or use the back of the spoon to mash one and should be able to mash it easily.
4. Next, Adjust seasonings and sweetness to your liking. Mix corn flour and water listed in B, add this slurry to the pot and stir. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Leave peanuts in the pot to cool. Serve as it is, as appetizer, side dish or add to other dishes like porridge or soy sauce chicken.
5. Note: This braised peanuts are extremely easy and simple to prepare. There is no standard or exact measurement used. Ingredients can be adjusted accordingly. Braised peanuts can also be found in cans/tins and sold in many Asian or chinese stores. See some examples of canned braised peanuts below.