Fried Peanuts with Garlic and Basil

These fried peanuts with their aromatic shallots and garlic are an absolute treasure to snack on. You’ll absolutely love these Fried Peanuts with Garlic and Basil..

Love peanuts as a snack? be sure to check out my Boiled Peanuts snack, a Southern specialty!

we appreciate your support

Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

Looking for more great spiced nut finger food snack ideas? Be sure to check out my Crock pot herbed almonds, Apricots with almonds, Smoked garlic almonds, and Mocha candied almonds.

Are peanuts healthy to eat?

Many roasted salted peanuts that you buy at he store are high in sodium. These Fried Peanuts with garlic and basil with only ¾ teaspoon of salt to 3 cups of peanuts are not high in sodium, so you can enjoy snacking on them knowing that you are not taking in all that extra sodium.

Peanuts are high in many nutrients, and great for overall health.

They have rich nutritional profiles, they support tissue health, and some of the nutrients found in peanuts can even fight disease. Peanuts also provide beneficial fiber and protein.

They are an excellent source of cholesterol-free protein with 8 grams per 1 ounce serving. An excellent source of Niacin and Vitamin E. A good source of folic acid. And, they are a good source of potassium and contain magnesium, which help to maintain normal blood pressure.

American Heart Association research has shown that nuts may reduce the risk of heart disease in individuals with high cholesterol. And additional studies have shown that eating peanuts may cut your risk of heart disease in half.

Indonesian kacang tojin

These fried peanuts are a traditional Indonesian recipe. Fried peanuts have become a tradition and are popularly known as one of the items served in celebrating the Muslim festive season in many parts of Sumatra.

I have seen many variations of the basic kacang tojin recipe, which is based on fried peanuts with onions. This is my variation. I think the basil is not a traditional ingredient, however it adds a great flavor to the dish.

Raw or blanched peanuts

The peanut, also known as the groundnut or the goober, is from the legume family.

Many nuts like peanuts or almonds are grown in their shell. When the shell is removed there is still a skin on the outside of the nutmeat. Blanching is the process that removes the skin from the nutmeat.

You can blanch nuts yourself by putting the nuts in hot water for about a minute then cooling them rapidly and rubbing off the skin. In this recipe, you are blanching the peanuts when you soak them and remove the skins.

If your store only carries blanched peanuts, not simple raw peanuts with skins on, this is fine. It’ll actually save you the time of making sure that the skins are removed. Whichever you buy, raw or blanched peanuts, soak them in hot water like the recipe calls for; you never know how long those peanuts have been sitting around, and the soaking helps them crisp up.

Peeling and slicing a shallot

Shallots are members of the onion family that resemble large cloves of garlic. They have a sweet buttery flavor.

To remove papery outer skin from shallot, cut almost all the way through the stem end of the shallot. Now, flip it over, and cut almost all the way through the root end.

Now, grab the cut part, and peel back the papery skin. This will allow you to easily grab any remaining peel.

To slice them, shallots usually have a flat side. Place this flat side down on the cutting board. Keep your fingers on the highest part of the lump of the shallot, and slice into rings. Once you have sliced half way through the shallot, turn the shallot around and continue slicing, so your fingers are always on the top of the lump.

How to chiffonade basil leaves

Stack the basil leaves on top of each other. Gently roll the leaves up into a cigar shape, and slice them into thin ribbons.

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Recipe

Fried Peanuts with Garlic and Basil

Debi

These fried peanuts with their aromatic shallots and garlic are an absolute treasure to snack on. Just be careful, you won’t be able to stop eating them. Use the servings slider to easily adjust the ingredient amounts.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 22 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Indonesian

Servings 16 servings

Calories 227 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3 cups raw shelled peanuts
• 5 cloves garlic peeled
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 5 large shallots
• ½ cup vegetable oil for frying
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil

Instructions

 

• Soak peanuts in hot water for 1 hour.
• While the peanuts soak, press garlic through a garlic press, and mix with salt; set aside. Peel shallots, and slice very thinly.
• Drain peanuts and remove any remaining skins by rubbing the peanuts in your hands slipping the skins off. Dry peanuts thoroughly. And rub them with the garlic salt mixture. Let sit 10 minutes.
• While the peanuts sit, balance a strainer over a medium glass bowl, and line a large baking sheet with paper towels. Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok.
• When the oil is hot, add the peanuts and fry until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Pour peanuts and oil into the strainer, letting as much oil as possible drain out. Pour the drained peanuts into the paper towel lined baking sheet, and return the hot oil to the pan.
• Heat the oil again, and once hot, add the shallots, frying until browned, about 2-3 minutes. Stain over bowl, letting as much oil as possible drain out again. Spread the drained shallots on the baking sheet with the peanuts.
• Chiffonade or chop the fresh basil leaves.
• Allow the peanuts and shallot to cool, and mix together. Top with fresh basil.
• Leftover peanuts can be stored in the fridge in containers with tight fitting lids.

Nutrition

Calories: 227kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 7gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 112mgPotassium: 211mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 14IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

Keyword fried peanuts, snack

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