Recipes by their Ingredients

peanuts

  • Chex Bar Mix

    Chex Bar Mix
    Chex Bar Mix
    (Serves 1 Bar or 24 people)

    Dry Snack Ingredients
    4 cups peanuts
    3 cups goldfish
    3 cups miniature pretzels
    1 (31oz) bag of chex corn cereal, (or make your own blend of wheat, corn & rice chex)

    Spices
    1 ½ tblsp cayenne pepper
    2 tblsp garlic powder/granulated
    2 tblsp onion powder/granulated
    2 tblsp salt
    2 tblsp white pepper
    2 tblsp thyme

    Liquids
    8 oz clarified unsalted butter
    2 tblsp Tobasco sauce

    NOTES: To clarify butter, slowly warm it up in a sauce pan once its hot, skim off the foam on top and discard, then carefully pour the top layer (the clarified butter) into a different small bowl, do not include any of the runny milky substance at the bottom, discard that stuff.
     

    Preheat the oven to 250° F.

    Clarify the butter, then add the Tobasco sauce, mix well and set aside.
    Mix the spices together in a small bowl, then add them to the clarified butter and Tobasco mixture and stir until mixed well.

    In a large bowl, mix all your dry snack ingredients together then drizzle the spiced butter mixture over, a little at a time, mixing/tossing the ingredients until you have an evenly coated mixture.

    Spread the coated mixture evenly across a sheet pan (or 2 or 3 or 4) depending on the volume you make. At the bar we did two pans at a time.

    Bake for 7 minutes, then turn the mixture over and place back in oven for 7 more minutes. Keep repeating until the mixture looks dried and not wet.

    After the cool down, keep them fresh in an air tight zip lock bag or Tupperware, that is if there's any left!

  • Chicken Larb

    Chicken Larb

    Chicken Larb


    (Serves 6-8)

    1 Head of Boston Lettuce or similar, separated into individual 'lettuce cups'
    2 large chicken breasts
    2 Thai bird chilies or a Serrano chili, minced
    1 tsp lemon grass (optional)
    2 tblsp toasted rice flour
    2 shallots, minced
    ¼ small red onion, minced
    juice of 3 limes
    2 tsp sambal oelek (chili sauce)
    ½ bunch mint, minced
    ½ bunch of cilantro, minced
    1 tsp salt
    ¼ cup crushed peanuts, garnish (optional)

    NOTES: Serve hot or cold. I used Jasmin rice for the toasted rice powder and after toasting it till golden in a frying pan over low heat, I ground it to powder using a spice grinder.

    Remove any fat from the chicken breast and mince the meat, either use a food processor or a knife and make tiny pieces. In a frying pan on medium heat quickly cook the chicken, don't over cook it.

    If you're making hot larb, continue adding the ingredients to the fry pan, liquids first then chilies and spices and then the toasted rice flour and lastly herbs. Turn off the heat and serve in the lettuce cups.

    If you are making cold larb, remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes. Add the toasted rice powder, stir in well. Add the rest of the ingredients and let sit 10 minutes before serving in lettuce cups.

    Top with crushed nuts if you are using them.

  • Kung Pau Shrimp

    King Pau
    Kung Pao
    (Serves 4)


    Protein
    1 lb your choice: shrimp, beef, pork, chicken or firm tofu, cut into equal 1 inch pieces (keep shrimp whole if using, but de-shell and de-vein)
    3-4 tblsp peanut oil, for shallow frying your protein OR 2 cups vegetable oil for deep frying your protein

    Protein Marinade
    1 tblsp mirin (rice wine)
    1 tsp salt
    1 tsp onion powder, optional

    Protein Slurry
    1 lg egg white
    2 tblsp corn starch

    Kung Pao Sauce
    1 tblsp Dou Ban Jiang (Broad Bean Paste)
    1 tbsp of light soy sauce
    1 tsp of dark soy sauce
    1.5 tbsp of black vinegar
    a handful of red dried chilies
    1 tsp of Sichuan (Szechuan) peppercorns, ground
    1 tbsp of garlic
    1 tsp of ginger
    2 tbsp of brown sugar
    1/2 cup of water
    2 tsp of cornstarch

    Vegetables
    4 or 5 green onions, sliced
    1/2 onion, sliced in half then thin
    1/2 green bell pepper, sliced thin
    1/2 Serrano chili, optional
    Optional, Another half cup of vegetables, your choice, like green beans, carrots, etc, sliced thin

    At the end extras
    1/4 cup shelled peanuts, toasted
    5-10 dried chilis, toasted
    1 cup Jasmin rice, cooked

    NOTES: I add the Serrano chili for extra heat, you do not have to. You can make this with cut up chicken breast and have kung pao chicken. The Szechuan Peppercorns give a numbing floral quality which is key to the Sichuan province in China where the dish comes from. At the 3:46 second mark of this video will show you the "velveting" technique. Technically you would finish the "velveting" process by dunking the protein briefly in hot oil or water, which we are not doing here. To cook the rice, rinse the rice in a bowl of water, drain and repeat 3 times (or until the water runs clear). Add rice to sauce pan, add water 1/3 inch over the top of the rice. Add a pinch of salt. Bring the rice to a boil and reduce the heat immediately to simmer and cover the pot and set your timer for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, unless there's excess water, turn off the heat, using a fork fluff the rice and then keep covered for an additional few minutes. If there's additional water after 8 minutes you can turn up the heat briefly until the water evaporates.
     

    Mix the shrimp, salt, onion powder and mirin. Add the cornstarch and the egg white in the side of the bowl with the shrimp and mix the white and starch together so there are no lumps, then using the velveting technique, hand mix the shrimp until the egg whites and starch have evenly coated the shrimp and seem to take on a smoother "velvety" texture, let the shrimp rest for 30 minutes before frying.

    Make your sauce by mixing all of the sauce ingredients together. Set Aside, in the fridge if your letting your protein sit for over an hour.

    Shallow or deep fry your protein, a handful at a time, do not crowd the pan. Once you are finished with all of your protein.

    Add the shrimp (or whatever protein you are using) back to your shallow fry pan, if you deep fried, using a new pan, heat it up and add your fried protein, mix in any vegetables you like, mix in the peanuts and chilis, toss until all incorporated. toss for a few minutes to warm it all through, then add your sauce, 1/2 at a time until you are happy with the taste. Serve over Jasmin rice and sprinkle with remaining green onions.
  • Peanut Brittle (Soft)

    Soft Peanut Brittle
    Soft Peanut Brittle
    (Makes @2lbs)


    2 cups chunky peanut butter
    1½ cups sugar
    1½ cups light corn syrup
    ¼ cup, plus 1 teaspoon water
    2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    2 cups peanuts
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1 teaspoon vanilla


    NOTES:
     

    Butter 2 baking sheets or a large marble slab.
    In a double boiler heat the peanut butter over low, keeping it warm until it's needed.

    In a large sauce pan combine the sugar, corn syrup and ¼ cup of water.
    Cook over high heat to 275°F, lower the heat to medium, add butter, stirring until melted. Now add the peanuts and continue to stir until the candy starts turning brown and reaches 300°F, about 5 minutes.

    Remove from heat, stir in the baking soda mixture that has been dissolved in a tsp of water along with the vanilla. Working quickly, fold in the warm peanut butter until well blended.
    Pour the candy onto a marble slab or greased cookie sheet spreading it ¼ to ½ inch thick. Break into pieces after it has cooled

  • Soft Peanut Brittle

    Soft Peanut Brittle
    Soft Peanut Brittle
    (Makes @2lbs)


    2 cups chunky peanut butter
    1½ cups sugar
    1½ cups light corn syrup
    ¼ cup, plus 1 teaspoon water
    2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    2 cups peanuts
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1 teaspoon vanilla


    NOTES:
     

    Butter 2 baking sheets or a large marble slab.
    In a double boiler heat the peanut butter over low, keeping it warm until it's needed.

    In a large sauce pan combine the sugar, corn syrup and ¼ cup of water.
    Cook over high heat to 275°F, lower the heat to medium, add butter, stirring until melted. Now add the peanuts and continue to stir until the candy starts turning brown and reaches 300°F, about 5 minutes.

    Remove from heat, stir in the baking soda mixture that has been dissolved in a tsp of water along with the vanilla. Working quickly, fold in the warm peanut butter until well blended.
    Pour the candy onto a marble slab or greased cookie sheet spreading it ¼ to ½ inch thick. Break into pieces after it has cooled