peanuts/groundnuts

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Peanuts are traditionally roasted using sand but there are other ways to roast peanuts/groundnuts. Some people feel a certain way about roasting their peanuts/grounds with sand which is a more traditional way to roast peanuts. They have a valid concern especially when you think about sand contamination. In addition to roasting peanuts/groundnuts with sand, there are other ways to roast peanuts/groundnuts without much concern of contamination. You can pan fry your peanuts or even roast them using salt or cornmeal.

• Heat up enough water (about 8 cups) and bring it to a boil. Add  salt  to the boiling water until it is salty. Turn off the heat and add the peanuts/groundnuts. Brine/blanch the peanuts/groundnuts for about 5 - 10 minutes. Then drain it and spread it out to sun/air dry. You could also set it under a fan to air dry.
• To pan roast the peanuts, measure 1 cup of peanuts/groundnuts and add to a pan. Turn on the heat to medium or medium high. Continue to stir it until the peanuts develop a darker shade. To check if it is ready. try to peel off the skin of the peanut by rubbing with your fingers. If the skin comes off that mean it is well roasted. But if it does not come off, continue roasting and checking until it is ready. It usually takes about 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from heat and spread it out to cool. Once it cools, you can peel off the skin by rubbing it off with your hands. Separate the skin from the peanuts and enjoy!
• To roast the peanuts using hot sand, heat up some well cleaned and sanitized cooking sand (enough sand to cover the bottom of the pan) over medium heat. Once the sand heats up, add a cup of peanuts and continue to stir same way as with the pan fried peanuts. Sand is a good conductor of heat so the peanuts/groundnuts can burn quickly if not stirred frequently. After a while, the color would begin to change, then you can start checking to see if the peanut is ready. Repeat the same actions as with the pan pan fried peanut. Once ready, sift out the sand with a sieve, shake the peanuts multiple times in order to get rid of the sand. Then spread the peanuts out to cool and once it has cooled down, peel off the skin. Same way as the pan fried peanuts.
• For the salt and cornmeal methods, repeat the same process as with the sand roasted peanuts. The only difference is instead of sand, you would be using salt or cornmeal.
• You can store your roasted peanuts in an airtight bottle or container.

4 cups raw peanuts/groundnuts

Salt

Cornmeal

Sterilized sand