Taiwanese Braised Peanuts with Star Anise

About This Recipe

Braised peanuts (lu hua sheng) are a beloved Taiwanese snack, raw peanuts with their skins still on simmered for hours in a broth built from star anise, five-spice powder, soy sauce and a little sugar until the peanuts turn tender enough to squeeze apart with your fingers while staying intact in their skins. It's a dish that requires almost no active effort but plenty of patience, since the long simmer is what allows the peanuts to fully absorb the fragrant, savory-sweet braising liquid all the way through. Unlike roasted or fried peanuts, braised peanuts have a soft, almost creamy texture, closer to a well-cooked bean than a crunchy snack nut — a texture that surprises people trying it for the first time but that's specifically prized in Taiwan. They're sold everywhere from night market stalls to convenience stores, often served cold or at room temperature as a beer snack, alongside braised eggs and tofu using the same master braising liquid. The braising liquid itself, once made, becomes a reusable master sauce in many Taiwanese households, topped up and reused to braise eggs, tofu or other peanuts again and again, growing more flavorful with each use.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 500 graw peanuts(skin-on, soaked 2 hours)
• 4 cupswater
• 0.33 cupsoy sauce
• 3star anise
• 1 tspfive-spice powder
• 2 tbspsugar
• 3 slicesfresh ginger
• 2dried bay leaves
• 1.5 tspfine sea salt

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the peanuts

   Soak raw peanuts in water for at least 2 hours, or overnight, to help them cook evenly. Drain.

2. 2

   Build the braising liquid

   Combine water, soy sauce, star anise, five-spice, sugar, ginger, bay leaves and salt in a pot. Bring to a boil.

3. 3

   Add the peanuts

   Add drained peanuts, return to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer.

4. 4

   Simmer slowly

   Partially cover and simmer for 90-120 minutes, checking occasionally, until the peanuts are soft enough to mash easily between your fingers.

   Longer, gentler simmering gives a better result than trying to rush it at a higher heat — the peanuts need time to soften fully through their skins.

5. 5

   Cool in the liquid

   Turn off the heat and let the peanuts cool in the braising liquid for at least an hour — they continue absorbing flavor as they cool.

6. 6

   Serve

   Serve at room temperature or chilled, as a snack or side, spooning a little braising liquid over the top.

Variations

• •

  Add whole boiled eggs to the same braising liquid in the last 30 minutes for classic Taiwanese braised eggs.

• •

  Add a few dried chilies to the braising liquid for a spicier version.

• •

  Use the same technique with dried soybeans instead of peanuts for a different textured snack.

Storage

Refrigerate peanuts in their braising liquid for up to a week; the flavor improves with time. The strained liquid itself can be frozen and reused as a master braise for future batches.

Frequently Asked Questions