Hawaiian Style Boiled Peanuts

The first time I had Hawaiian boiled peanuts was at a luau in Maui over 20 years ago, and they were served cold. I found them highly addictive and they were perfect for munching through the entire luau show. The the next I had it was at my wife’s mom’s house and she had boiled some peanuts for us to take home. Then I saw them yet again in 2010 when wifey and I were at a gas station in Mississippi and I scooped up a bunch into a styrofoam cup and ate them as we went about our roadtrip. Each time was a different flavor profile, but always super addicting.

They're completely different from the crunchy roasted peanuts most of us are used to. The shells get soft, the peanuts become tender, and they soak up all that salty, savory flavor from the cooking liquid. I even tend to just suck on the nut…shell.

This version is really simple and leans into a local Hawaiian-style but my daughter swears it tastes like Vietnamese pho. These peanuts are laced with ginger, star anise, Hawaiian salt, and a little hot sauce. I like cooking them until the shells get really soft, so they're easy to crack open and the peanuts have plenty of time to soak up all that flavor.

Ingredients:

1 pound raw peanuts in the shell
10 cups water, or enough to completely cover the peanuts
¼ cup Hawaiian sea salt or kosher salt
4–5 whole star anise
1 piece fresh ginger, about 2–3 inches, sliced
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1–2 tablespoons hot sauce

1. Place the raw peanuts in a colander and rinse them thoroughly under cold water. Because you're cooking the peanuts in their shells, give them a good rinse to remove any dirt or debris.

2. Place the peanuts in a large stockpot. Add the water, salt, star anise, sliced ginger, black peppercorns, and hot sauce. Make sure the peanuts are completely submerged. Place a heatproof plate on top of the peanuts. The plate weighs the peanuts down and keeps them underneath the cooking liquid as they simmer.

3. Bring the pot to a full boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. You want a gentle simmer, not an aggressive boil. Cook the peanuts for approximately 2 1/2 hours, checking occasionally to make sure they're still submerged. If the water level gets low, add more hot water. Start testing the peanuts around 2 hours. The peanuts should be soft and tender rather than crunchy.

4. Once the peanuts are cooked, turn off the heat and let them sit in the seasoned cooking liquid for about 30 minutes. This extra soaking time allows the peanuts to absorb even more of the salty, aromatic broth.

5. Drain the peanuts, mindful to pick out the ginger and star anise pieces. These can be served warm but you can also refrigerate them and enjoy them cold. Either way, they're a fantastic snack.

Make sure you're using raw peanuts in the shell