Chinese Vinegar Peanuts

In June 2019, a number of family members travelled to China to celebrate the wedding of Mike and Shuyan. We had an amazing time and ate so much amazing food. I would love to try to re-create many of the recipes, but for now, I'll start with the easy recipes. With many meals, cold vinegar peanuts were served. And, yes, we ate them with chop sticks. I found these peanuts to be delicious--sweet, salty, and tangy peanuts. After some internet sleuthing, I was able to come up with the recipe below that I think is a close approximation of these peanuts.

One of the hardest parts about this recipe might be finding raw peanuts. I had no luck in American grocery stores. But, I did find them in my local Asian grocery store. The other item that I had trouble finding was ground coriander seeds. I found coriander seeds in my local African grocery, so just ground the seeds myself. Coriander seed is from the plant that has leaves that we call cilantro, but coriander does not really taste the same as cilantro. Rather, coriander is somewhat citrusy and nutty in flavor. If you cannot find coriander seed, caraway seed might be a good substitute. These peanuts should be stored in the refrigerator because they are best cold.

Chinese Vinegar Peanuts 

• 1/2 pound raw peanuts with skins
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 Tbsp. vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. ground coriander seed
• green onion or chives for garnish

Add the oil and peanuts to a skillet and heat on low-medium for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon. The peanuts are done when the skins darken. Make sure not to burn the peanuts. Remove the peanuts using a slotted spoon to a plate covered with a paper towel. Allow to cool for a few minutes. In a bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, garlic powder, and ground coriander seed. Then, add the peanuts to the sauce bowl and stir to coat. Refrigerate for at least an hour. When ready to serve, stir the nuts and garnish with green onion or chives. Enjoy!