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Xiamen sweet peanut soup
Huāshēng tāng (花生汤): peanuts simmered slowly until they melt on the tongue, in a light sweet broth
In Xiamen on the Fujian coast, peanut soup is breakfast, mid-morning snack and late-night treat, sold from steaming pots in the old arcades along Zhongshan Road. The peanuts are cooked so slowly that they become soft and creamy while keeping their shape, and the broth turns milky and lightly sweet. Locals often dunk a fried dough stick into it. Chef's tip: soak the peanuts, then freeze them overnight; the ice crystals break down the cell walls and the peanuts cook to that melting texture much faster.
- Total time
- 135 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Rinse 10 ½ oz raw peanuts, skinned and soak in 4 ¼ cups cold water for 8 hours or overnight. Rub off any skins still clinging on; they would turn the soup brown.
Step 2: Drain, spread on a tray and freeze for at least 4 hours, or bag them and keep for weeks. This is optional, but it halves the cooking time.
Step 3: Put the frozen peanuts in a heavy pan with 6 ¼ cups water and bring slowly to the boil. Skim off any foam, then turn the heat as low as it goes and cover with the lid slightly ajar.
10 minStep 4: Simmer very gently for 1½–2 hours, until a peanut crushes to a cream between your tongue and the roof of your mouth. Common mistake: letting it boil hard, which breaks the peanuts up and makes the broth cloudy and grey.
110 minStep 5: Stir in 3 ½ oz rock sugar or white sugar and 1 pinch salt and simmer for 5 more minutes, until dissolved. The broth should be pale and milky. Serve hot, or chill and eat cold in summer.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does xiamen sweet peanut soup take?
- About 135 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of rock sugar or white sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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