Skip to main content

Seasoned Fried Peanuts

Add these seasoned peanuts to your som tum.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
2 cups raw peanuts, skin-on, if possible
Kosher salt
12 makrut lime leaves
2 tablespoons thinly sliced lemongrass
8 small dried chiles (bird’s eye chiles, pulla, or árbol), or to taste

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pour enough oil into a wok or deep saucepan to come halfway up the sides. Heat the oil over medium high to 350°F. (Throw in a grain of uncooked rice; if it pops up and starts sizzling right away, the oil is ready. Or use a thermometer.) Add all the peanuts and fry until they turn golden-brown and become fragrant, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Drain on paper towels, spacing out the nuts so they stay crisp. Sprinkle a teaspoon or so of salt over the nuts while warm.

    Step 2

    Repeat the frying process in the same oil with the lime leaves, lemongrass, and chiles, cooking each separately until fragrant and golden brown (less than a minute), then draining on paper towels. Transfer the peanuts to an airtight container and crush the fried aromatics over the top, tossing to mix. Store in a sealed container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 month.

Cover of Night + Market cookbook, bright pink, with table of Thai food.
Excerpted from Night + Market: Delicious Thai Food To Facilitate Drinking And Fun-Having Amongst Friends by Kris Yenbamroong with Garrett Snyder, copyright 2017. Photographs by Marcus Nilsson. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Buy the full book from Amazon, Penguin Random House, or Bookshop.
Read More
Scoop up these warmly spiced chickpeas with any flatbread or spoon them onto rice.
Serve these as you would falafel: in a pita, on top of a salad, or as a snack with a dip.
Developed in the 1980s by a chef in Hong Kong, this sauce is all about umami.
Making your own crusty loaves is surprisingly easy.
A satisfying weeknight dinner from Tiffy Chen. Serve with rice or noodles.
This refreshing melon and cucumber salad works as a snack, starter, or side dish.
Khao niaow ma muang, or steamed coconut sticky rice with ripe mango, is a classic in Thai cuisine—and you can make it at home.
Tangy and sunny, this curd can be made with either fresh or frozen pulp.