Frying of peanuts/ groundnuts can be very simple to do, yet a high level of care and attentionarerequired for one to successfully roast or fry a pan of peanuts/ groundnuts on a stovetop without them turning black. Peanuts or groundnuts are often used interchangeably, they both meanthe same thing and areoften used for different recipes such as groundnut soup,cakes, candies or for snacking and extraction of cooking oil. There are different ways to fry or roast peanuts at home, whether you want to roast your peanuts in the oven or fry your peanuts on the stovetop, the result will still be perfect and achievable.
Even if you want to fry groundnuts for sale or for eating you can always make use of any of these methods, they all work. You can use sand to fry groundnuts or if you are in Nigeria, you can fry your peanuts/ groundnuts without sand by using garri.
Groundnuts or peanuts can also be fried at home without sand and without garri as well. If you wish to fry your groundnuts at home without using garri or sand, all you need to do is to coat your fresh peanuts/groundnuts with salt and leave to rest for 5 minutes and then transfer the nuts into a pan, place it on a low heat while you stir till you what you want. The same time and attention is needed when you want to fry groundnuts/ peanuts using any of the three methods.
However, this article explains how to fry groundnuts/ peanuts with garriat home; garri is used as the base for the nuts, this will prevents the peanuts from getting burned and therefore helps to distribute the heat evenly to all the peanuts without them touching the hot pan directly.
The idea on whether to use sand or garri for frying of groundnuts is dependent on an individuals preference. Garri is mostly preferred to sand when frying groundnuts by some people simply because the sand may contain dust, which might lead to cough and other irritation. Garriis also used to fry groundnuts simply to avoid sand particles sticking to the skin of the nuts after they are fried; you can imagine what it means to bit sand with your teeth when snacking on roasted groundnuts unknowingly. For this reason, majority prefer to roast their peanuts with garri instead of sand.
However, other people still prefer to use sand to roast their peanuts/groundnut because the garri easily get burned on high heat, making the groundnuts to burn as well. See how to fry peanuts/groundnuts with sand. When using garri to fry groundnuts, always make sure that the heatis on a medium setting to enable the groundnuts fry evenly without getting burned or leaving some behind.
Table of Contents
The few things I do before or while frying my peanuts/ groundnuts on a stovetop are:
- Sprinkle salted water into the peanuts for a better flavour and taste.
- Make sure I add the salt to my taste, but not too much to ruin the real taste of the nuts.
- Drain the peanuts for a while after wetting them with salted water.
- Make sure my garri is dried and ready for the process.
- My heat is not too high for the precious nuts, but just enough to get the peanuts/ groundnuts cook evenly.
- Make sure I stand by and stir the peanuts/ groundnut constantly until I achieve the cute golden colour at the end of it all.
Ingredients for frying of peanuts/groundnuts with garri
- 3 cups ofraw peanuts/groundnuts
- 1 Table spoon of salt (optional)
- Frying pan
- Wooden spatula (garri turner) or frying spoon
- 1 Cup of garri
- Kitchen napkin
Roasted peanuts/ groundnuts ingredients
Steps on how to Roast or fry peanuts/ groundnuts with garri
- Fetch a teaspoon of salt in to a plate; add 2 tables spoon of water to the salt to dissolve it.
- Pour the salted water into a bowl containing your peanuts/groundnuts.
- Toast the peanuts to mix with the salt, drain excess liquid and set aside for 2-5 minutes.
- Place a wide pan on the stove , add in the dried garri and stir with a spatula
- Once the garri is heated, bring the peanuts into the pan and stir.
- You will notice the garri beginning to change colourand may become smoky; dont panic yet, reduce the heat to a medium low. It is only the garri that will turn black since it’sthe base, the peanuts/groundnuts are safe as long asyou stir continuously.
- Continue to stir the peanuts/ groundnut for about 15 minutes on a medium heat.
- Take out a nut and peel to see if it is brown or golden, you are almost there. Stir the peanuts for another 5 minutes until you are pleased with the colour.
- Once you have achieved that golden brown colour, take the peanuts off from heat and leave to cool completely.
- Peel the peanuts/groundnuts and blow out the skin.
- Store your fried peanut/groundnut in a transparent bottle with cover and snack on it whenever you feel like.
Easy steps on how to roast or fry peanuts/ groundnuts with garri
1.Fetch a teaspoon of salt in to a plate; add 2 tables spoon of water to the salt to dissolve it. That should be to your taste
2. Pour the salted water into a bowl containing your peanuts/groundnuts.
3. Toast the peanuts to mix with the salt, drain excess liquid and set aside for 2-5 minutes.
Raw peanuts/groundnuts toasted with salt
4. Place a wide pan on the stove , add in the dried garri and stir with a spatula to spread
Heating of garri for frying of peanuts/ groundnuts
5. Once the garri is heated, bring the peanuts into the pan and stir.
Frying of peanuts/groundnuts with garri on a stovetop
6. You will notice the garri beginning to change colour or may become smoky; dont panic yet, reduce the heat to a medium-low. It is only the garri that will turn black since It’sthe base, the peanuts/groundnuts are safe as long as you stir continuously.
Frying process of peanuts/groundnut- You can reduce your heat when it’s too hot so that the heat will spread evenly
7. Continue to stir the peanuts/ groundnut for about 15 minutes on a medium heat.
8. Take out a nut and peel to see if it is brown or golden, you are almost there. Stir the peanuts for another 5 minutes until you are pleased with the colour.
When you’ve peeled the peanut and you are happy with the look, take it off from heat
9. Once you have achieved that golden brown colour, take the peanuts off from heat and leave to cool completely.
Leave the peanut to cool completely before peeling off the skin
10. Peel the peanut/groundnutand take it outside to blow out the skin.
The best way to preserve fried or roasted peanuts/groundnut is to store them in an air tight bottle
11. Store your fried peanut/groundnut in a transparent bottle with cover and snack on it whenever you feel like.
Fried peanuts/groundnuts in an air-tight bottle