Peanut

The seed of the groundnut (Arachis hypogaea); soup kitchens use raw peanuts with the red-brown papery skin left on. Long boiling makes them soft and creamy rather than crunchy, adding richness, body and a sweet nuttiness to classics like black-eyed bean chicken-feet soup or papaya soup.

TCM properties

Nature · neutral　Flavour · sweet　Meridians · spleen、lung

Traditional food therapy

In Cantonese food therapy peanut is used to strengthen the spleen, moisten the lungs and nurture the stomach; boiled with its red skins on, folk tradition credits it with nourishing the blood.

Cautions: read first

• Absolutely off limits for anyone with a peanut allergy.
• People with gout, gallbladder trouble or high blood lipids should keep to a moderate amount.
• Mouldy peanuts carry aflatoxin, so never use them.

Preparation

Soak for 30 minutes with the red skins left on.

Origin

Shandong is the traditional main producing province. Australian retail stock is Australian-grown (skin-on and skinless)

Availability in Australia

Easy to find

Pairs well with