AI-generated image
Amendoim cozido
Boiled peanuts
Amendoim cozido: raw peanuts boiled in their shells in salted water, a June festival snack
Steaming paper bags of boiled peanuts are sold in São João squares from Campina Grande to the interior of São Paulo, and families cook pots of them at home when the fresh peanut harvest comes in around June. Boiled in the shell in well-salted water, the peanuts turn soft, juicy and almost bean-like, with a savoury, slightly sweet taste quite different from roasted peanuts. You crack them open with your fingers and slurp the salty water out with the nut. You need raw peanuts in the shell, either fresh (green) or dried; roasted ones never soften. Under-salting is the beginner's slip: the shell blocks a lot of salt, so the water should taste like the sea. Chef's tip: let the peanuts sit in their cooking water for 30 minutes off the heat before draining, so the salt soaks through to the nut.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb raw peanuts in the shellfresh or dried, not roasted
- 12 ½ cups water
- 3 tbsp coarse salt
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Rinse 1 ⅛ lb raw peanuts in the shell well in a bowl of water, rubbing off any soil, and drain. Throw away any that float with cracked or empty shells.
Step 2: Put the peanuts in a large pan with 12 ½ cups water and 3 tbsp coarse salt. Put a small plate on top to keep them under the water.
Step 3: Bring to the boil, then simmer for 50 minutes for fresh peanuts, or up to 1 hour 30 minutes for dried ones, until the nut inside is soft like a cooked bean. Top up with boiling water as needed.
50 minStep 4: Turn off the heat and leave the peanuts in the water for 30 minutes, then taste one; leave longer if you want them saltier.
Step 5: Drain and serve warm in bowls, with a second bowl for the shells.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does amendoim cozido take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 55 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Masala khakhraCrisp roasted wheat crackers
Khakhra are thin chapaties roasted slowly on a griddle until they turn crisp, like a cracker. This masala version adds gram flour, fresh fenugreek, turmeric and chilli to the wheat dough. They are a light Gujarati breakfast or tea-time snack, and lovely with pickle, chutney or a smear of butter. You can also make them in a roti maker.
Indian
MathiaMoong and urad dal wafers
Mathia are thin, crisp, slightly sweet and peppery wafers made from mathia flour, a mix of ground husked moong and urad dal. They are a classic Gujarati Diwali snack. The dough is pounded until pale, rolled very thin between plastic sheets and fried one at a time. They are fragile, so store them gently. To make mathia flour, finely grind 4 parts husked green gram lentils with 1 part husked black gram lentils.
PingadoHot milk with coffee
Order 'um pingado' at the balcão of any São Paulo padaria at 7 in the morning and the attendant pours hot milk into a ridged glass tumbler (the copo americano) and 'drips' in a splash of strong coffee, hence the name. It is milkier and gentler than a média (half coffee, half milk), creamy and lightly sweet, usually drunk standing up with a pão na chapa, a toasted buttered roll. At home you need strong filter coffee and milk heated until steaming. Scalding the milk is the frequent mistake, as boiled milk tastes flat and forms a skin. Chef's tip: froth the hot milk for a few seconds with a whisk or by pouring it back and forth between two jugs before adding the coffee, as padaria machines do.
