Boiled Peanuts Salad

Snacking on boiled peanuts when I was a kid back home was a delight. I have not had boiled peanuts for years except every so often here in the States, when we would take a trip to the country towards East Texas that we would sometimes find them for sale on the side of the country highways.  Those peanuts were boiled in the shells but they were always too salty so I never thought about it again until recently that I bought a 5 lb bag of raw, shelled peanuts.

I cook them like roasted peanuts but I fry them instead with a lot of garlic that everybody loves.  They are called “adobong mani” or peanuts adobo.

I would only do them in batches like one pound at a time.  I still have a lot of raw peanuts left and the taste of boiled peanuts somehow came upon my brain.  I have to make some.

• 1 cup raw shelled peanuts
• 2 cups water
• 2 tsp. salt

Heat the water with the peanuts and salt to a rolling boil.  Turn heat to low and simmer covered for 45 minutes or so.  Taste a peanut or two and see if they are done.  They have to be al dente, sort of, and not too soft.  Drain.

To make the salad:

• The boiled peanuts
• 1 large ripe tomato, diced
• 2 TBS. chopped cilantro or more to taste
• A few chopped fresh chile or jalapeno (fresh or pickled)
• 2 TBS. lime juice
• Salt to taste

Good and delicious eaten as a snack, side dish or as a salad.