Growing up, raw cooked peanuts were a treat in the family. Back then, peanuts had to be cooked and simmered for hours. With the advent of the instant pot, raw peanuts, can be enjoyed with relative ease. Recently we saw raw peanuts on sale at the local supermarket in in yellow netted bags. Being nowhere near where peanuts are freshly harvested, there is an abundance of Asian grocery stores where raw peanuts can be purchased. Following some of the online recipes for cooking raw peanuts resulted in a finished product that was a little undercooked or too salty for our taste. This is the latest method followed that yielded great results. With a family sharing peanuts from young preschool children up to adulthood we kept it simple and kept the spice to a minimum. There are some variations that include hot peppers and different spices.
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds of raw peanuts in the shell
- 1 Head of garlic
- Salt
- Rinse the raw peanuts well several times to get the shells clean. This will help reduce the amount of sediment which comes out during the cooking process. To add, sucking on the shells while eating the peanut becomes a habit so a good cleaning is best.
- Cooking a double batch of raw peanuts in the 8 quart Instant Pot was probably the upper limit. Add 10-12 Cups of water enough to cover the peanuts.
- Add a head of garlic and salt. For the 4 lbs of peanuts, we used 1/4 cup of salt. A few shakes of cayenne pepper for spice. Adding hot peppers to taste is also a optional depending on tastes.
- Selecting the high pressure cooking option, cook for 90 minutes and allow the steam to release naturally.
- Strain the cooked peanuts from the mixture and serve.