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In this recipe, you’ll learn:
- Make crunchy, healthy, roasted peanuts in the microwave – in less than 10 minutes!
- No oil, no fats.
- Variations include: Honey Roasted Peanuts, Chinese Five Spice Peanuts and Japanese Furikake Peanuts.
Make your own crunchy roasted peanuts, with your favorite seasoning, in less than 10 minutes! We love these peanuts as a snack (perfect with a cold beer), to sprinkle on top of Chinese congee, or to even toss in a salad. Make them spicy (add dried chili flakes), sweet (honey), and even savory with Asian spices and seasonings.
Our favorite flavors are the Chinese Five Spice Peanuts and Japanese Furikake Peanuts. I’ve also included a recipe for Honey Roasted Peanuts – and from there you can customize your own flavor.
My Mom first learned this microwave peanut roasting technique years ago, in a Chinese cookbook, but the recipe required using a stovetop and a microwave. We’ve simplified the technique, and made roasted peanuts 100% in the microwave.
What kind of peanut?
You’ll start with shelled, raw peanuts. If you go to an Asian market, you’ll find red-skinned raw peanuts that is perfect for this recipe. Of course, you can use a different raw peanut. Just make sure that they are shelled and raw.
Choose any of these spices
There are so many choices! You can just start with honey and salt, to make Honey Roasted Peanuts in the microwave, or your favorite spice blend – like a bbq rub. Here are some Asian spices:
Chinese Five Spice Powder
This is a blend of star anise, cinnamon, clove, fennel and Sichuan peppercorns, though the spice combination can vary. This spice is easy to find at most grocery stores.
It gives a warm, sweet flavor to stir fries and braises. Chinese Five Spice is concentrated, a little goes a long ways!
Other recipes using Chinese Five Spice:
Star Anise
Star anise has a beautiful licorice flavor, it’s meant to be used whole (but not eaten). It’s used in many Chinese braised dishes, especially meats, and also used in Vietnamese Pho. Star Anise is an essential component to these recipes:
Japanese Furikake
Furikake is dried seasoning made of any combination of: seaweed, bonito flakes, sesame seeds, freeze dried salmon, egg, roe and dehydrated vegetables. Its most common use is to be sprinkled on plain rice, to provide savory, sweet and salty flavor — and to provide a nice crunchy topping.
I love the history and origins of Furikake – in 1912, a Japanese pharmacist combined dried small fish, sesame seeds and seaweed to help with calcium deficiency. Later, during WWI, modern Furikake was created for the masses and military to combat malnourishment.
Today, the condiment has many different flavors, and is used as a topping for many things, other than just rice! I love it sprinkled on popcorn. Furikake sprinkled on our Roasted Peanuts is addictive!
The first step is to combine 1 cup of water with your desired seasonings. Here I’m using soy sauce, sugar, salt, Chinese Five Spice Powder and Star Anise.
2. Cover, microwave for 2 minutes:
3. Add raw peanuts:
4. Cover, microwave for 2 minutes:
5. Drain peanuts:
6. Divide peanuts into 2 batches on large plates in single layer:
7. Microwave, uncovered, for 2 minutes:
8. Give it a good stir:
9. Microwave another 2 minutes:
10. Another good stir:
11. Microwave 30 seconds:
The peanuts should be roasted, golden brown.
A few of the peanuts might be a little more pale – if too many are pale, keep repeating the 30 second microwave/stir until roasted. If you carefully taste the peanut, the texture will still be soft (they will turn crunchy after cooling completely).
Here’s a pale peanut – but since there’s only one of them, I’m just tossing that bad nut out – the rest of the peanuts are perfect.
12. Immediately transfer nuts to baking sheet to cool completely. As the peanuts cool, they’ll be come crispy and crunchy – just be patient and let them cool.
Here are 3 different versions for you to try.
Microwave Honey Roasted Peanuts Recipe
1 cup water
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shelled raw peanuts
1. In microwave -safe cooking dish, stir together water, honey and salt. Microwave 2 minutes.
2. Stir in raw peanuts. Microwave 2 minutes.
3. Drain peanuts, discard water. Spread out half of the peanuts on a plate in single layer, do not crowd. Microwave, uncovered, 2 minutes.
4. Stir peanuts, microwave 2 minutes.
5. Stir peanuts, microwave 30 seconds.
6. Check to see if peanuts roasted (golden brown), if peanuts pale in color, continue in 30 second increments until roasted.
7. Cool on baking sheet until completely cool, about 20 minutes – the peanuts will become crunchy as it cools. Repeat with other batch.
Microwave Japanese Furikake Peanuts Recipe
1 cup water
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar (or honey)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups shelled raw peanuts
2 tablespoons furikake
1. In microwave -safe cooking dish, stir together water, soy sauce, sugar and salt. Microwave 2 minutes.
2. Stir in raw peanuts, cover and microwave 2 minutes.
3. Drain peanuts, discard water. Spread out half of the peanuts on a plate in single layer, do not crowd. Microwave, uncovered, 2 minutes.
4. Stir peanuts, microwave 2 minutes.
5. Stir peanuts, microwave 30 seconds.
6. Check to see if peanuts roasted (golden brown), if peanuts pale in color, continue in 30 second increments until roasted.
7. Cool on baking sheet. Immediately toss with furikake. Let peanuts cool completely, about 20 minutes – the peanuts will become crunchy as it cools. Repeat with other batch.
Microwave Chinese Five Spice Peanuts Recipe
1 cup water
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar (or honey)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
8 star anise (optional)
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns (optional)
1/2 teaspoon dried chili pepper flakes (optional)
2 cups shelled raw peanuts
2 tablespoons furikake
1. In microwave -safe cooking dish, stir together water, soy sauce, sugar, salt, Chinese five spice powder (and star anise/Sichuan peppercorn, chili pepper flakes, if using.) Microwave 2 minutes.
2. Stir in raw peanuts, cover and microwave 2 minutes.
3. Drain peanuts, discard water. You can keep the star anise and Sichuan peppercorns in with the peanuts. Spread out half of the peanuts on a plate in single layer, do not crowd. Microwave, uncovered, 2 minutes.
4. Stir peanuts, microwave 2 minutes.
5. Stir peanuts, microwave 30 seconds.
6. Check to see if peanuts roasted (golden brown), if peanuts pale in color, continue in 30 second increments until roasted.
7. Cool on baking sheet. Let peanuts cool completely, about 20 minutes – the peanuts will become crunchy as it cools. Repeat with other batch.
Source: http://steamykitchen.com/42053-how-to-roast-peanuts-microwave-recipe.html
