Xiamen Peanut Soup
A steaming bowl of peanut soup is essential to Xiamen mornings. This street food carries the essence of local life, can also be made at home.
What is Peanut Soup?
This is a classic sweet soup in southern Fujian. Its aroma often wafts from breakfast stalls in the streets and alleys! The highlight is that the peanuts are boiled until soft and sandy. The soup base is milky white and slightly sweet. Drinking a warm bowl is especially good for soothing the throat.
What makes this peanut soup unique is the balance between the aroma and sweetness of the peanuts. It's not too greasy, allowing you to enjoy the natural sweetness and fragrance of the peanuts.
Typically in Xiamen, locals regard this peanut soup as a post-meal dessert or snack.
Why is it so popular?
Gentle texture
Half of the peanuts are ground into a paste, making the soup base as smooth as silk. The other half of the peanuts retain their shape and are cooked until they turn sandy with just a gentle sip.
Perfect sweetness
The light sweetness of rock sugar is combined with the milky flavor of condensed milk. The sweetness is mild and won't overly sweeten the taste buds.
A breakfast memory of people in southern Fujian
Many local people have been drinking it since childhood. In the early morning, at a roadside stall with a low table set up, a bowl of peanut soup paired with a freshly fried dough stick. Tear the dough stick into pieces and soak them in the soup. After absorbing the soup, the dough stick is soft on the outside and crispy on the inside. It's a home flavor deeply ingrained in people's hearts.
Time-consuming but effortless
Although it takes a long time to cook, the steps are so simple that it's almost impossible to fail. Just use a pressure cooker and then you can do other things. Adjust the sweetness five minutes before taking it out of the pot.
Highly inclusive
It's good for nourishing the stomach when drunk warm, and can relieve heat when chilled. It can serve as a filling breakfast or a non-greasy late-night snack.
What kind of peanuts are most suitable for this recipe?
For making peanut soup, the first choice is small red-skinned peanuts (also known as pearl peanuts). They are small in size but high in starch content, making them easy to cook until soft and sandy. Their thin skins are also easier to peel! If you can't get hold of them, ordinary white-skinned peanuts will do, but remember to soak them in warm water for 1 hour in advance and extend the cooking time by 10 minutes accordingly.
Pitfall Warnings:
Don't choose peanuts that are too large or stale, as they tend not to soften even after long cooking.
Peanuts in the shell should be shelled just before use to ensure freshness (it's best if the peanut kernels can be easily crushed and the cross-section is snow-white without yellow spots).
INGREDIENTS
Main Ingredients
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·200g of peanuts
Additional Ingredients
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·2 tbsp of condensed milk
Seasonings
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·1 small bowl of rock sugar
COOKING STEP
Step 1
Boil the peanuts, let them cool & remove the skins.
Step 2
Rinse them once with clean water for easy draining.
Step 3
Put the washed peanuts into a pressure cooker. Set aside a small portion of peanuts, add water & blend in a blender.
Step 4
Pour the blended peanut liquid into the pressure cooker.
Step 5
Add proper boiling water (water level 2cm above the peanuts). Pressure-cook for 30min to ensure soft peanuts.
Step 6
After pressure-cooking, add 1 small bowl of rock sugar & 2 tbsp of condensed milk.
Step 7
Bring to a boil again, stir well until sugar dissolves & it's done.
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Precautions for this recipe
Be patient when peeling
It's easiest to peel the peanuts while they're still warm after boiling! If they get cold and are difficult to peel, soak them in hot water for 1 minute and try again. Leaving the skins on will leave a bitter taste and affect the smoothness of the soup.
The heat determines the texture
The peanuts need to be pressure-cooked for a full 30 minutes to become completely soft and mushy (for an old-fashioned pot, extend the time to 40 minutes). If there's still a hard core in the peanuts after opening the lid, return them to the pot and simmer over low heat for another 10 minutes.
The key to the consistency
When blending the peanuts in the blender, don't add too much water (just enough to cover the peanuts is fine), otherwise the soup will be too thin. If you prefer a thicker consistency, blend more peanuts.
Flexibly adjust the sweetness
Add the rock sugar and condensed milk in two steps: first, add the rock sugar and taste after it melts, then add the condensed milk for fine-tuning. The sweetness will fade after refrigeration, so it's recommended to make it a bit sweeter while it's still warm.
Secret to prevent boiling over
Don't let the water level in the pressure cooker exceed 2/3. Put a ceramic spoon in the pot while cooking to reduce the risk of the soup boiling over!
Pairing suggestions
Classic way of eating: Serve with freshly fried dough sticks! Tear the dough sticks into small pieces and soak them in the soup. After soaking up the soup, they will be soft on the outside and crispy on the inside. This is a standard combination for breakfast in southern Fujian.
An anti-greasy companion: Serve with a plate of pickled radishes or pickled carambolas. Take a bite when you reach the second half of the sweet soup, and the fresh taste will immediately reset your taste buds!
Upgraded dessert: After chilling, add a spoonful of taro balls or sago pearls, and sprinkle some dried osmanthus flowers. It instantly turns into the signature dessert of a summer sweet soup shop.
A filling combination: Serve hot peanut soup with freshly steamed Malay cake or brown sugar steamed buns. Dip the soft pastries into the thick soup to warm your stomach and satisfy your hunger.
Suggestions for entertaining guests: Pour the soup into small cups and sprinkle a few roasted pine nuts or almond flakes. Serve it as a sweet soup after the banquet to enhance the delicate atmosphere.
Little reminders:
Pairing sweet soup with savory snacks creates a more balanced taste (such as vegetable buns or meat dumplings).
If serving it to children, you can add a spoonful of milk for a stronger milk flavor.
For those controlling sugar intake, replace rock sugar with artificial sweeteners and reduce the amount of condensed milk by half. The taste will still be rich and mellow.
Storage tips for the remaining peanut soup
If there's any peanut soup left over and not consumed on the same day, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days. When reheating, add some water or milk to prevent the soup base from being too thick.
If you want to store it for a longer period, freezing is a good option, and it can be stored for up to a week. However, the texture of the peanut soup may be a bit grainy after being frozen, and it won't be as smooth when drinking.
FAQs:
You can also cut the peanuts into small pieces with a knife. Although the texture will be a bit different, it can also allow the aroma of the peanuts to blend better into the soup.
Although the peanut skins are nutritious, they have a rough texture. Removing them can make the soup more delicate and the texture smoother.
First, boil the peanuts and then let them cool. Place them on a towel or a clean cloth and rub them with your hands. The peanut skins will fall off more easily.
If there are still some residues, you can stir the peanuts in water. The skins will float, and you just need to skim them off.
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