Gill Meller
LATIN NAME
Arachis hypogea
ALSO KNOWN AS
Groundnut
MORE RECIPES
Raw carrot salad with peanut and cumin dressing; Sweet and sour barbecued courgettes; Banana and peanut butter ice cream
Ground, salted, dry-roasted, chocolate-covered, sugared, processed into a butter, pressed for oil – there doesn’t seem to be much you can’t do with this versatile, protein-packed, nutrient-rich little nut. Or, I should say, bean. Peanuts actually belong to the legume family, being the seeds of a low-growing bush. They’re not a nut at all.
The peanut (or groundnut) was domesticated in South America around 2000 BC. It was initially an important animal feed crop but slowly caught on as a culinary ingredient. In the West, peanuts are largely eaten as a snack, often simply salted or dry roasted, though it’s worth reminding yourself of the pleasure of buying the nuts still in their puckered shells and releasing them one by one for a messy but satisfying feast. And, of course, they are processed into peanut butter. But in other parts of the world, they have been adopted as a cooking ingredient in their own right. Typically crushed, chopped or ground into sauces and dressings, stews and soups, they form a rich, thick, slightly sweet backdrop to a host of spicy and aromatic flavours.
You will find peanuts in Indonesian, Malaysian and Thai cuisines, ground and combined with garlic, ginger and chilli, fish sauce or shrimp paste. Peanuts are important in West Africa, where they are used in stews and soups, and in their homelands of South and Central America, where they thicken moles and sauces.
Today, more peanuts are cultivated in China than anywhere else in the world. Most of the 15 million tonnes grown there annually are crushed for oil (more often labelled as ‘groundnut oil’). Peanuts have a very high fat content, and their oil can be refined into an almost flavourless, general-purpose cooking medium. It has a relatively high monounsaturated fat content and a high smoke point so is useful for high-temperature frying. It contains polyunsaturated fats too. However, with a high proportion of omega-6 and almost no omega-3 fatty acids, it is one of the oils being suggested as a potential source of inflammation in the body (see Sunflower seeds & oil).
Peanut butter is made by roasting, skinning and grinding the nuts with salt and, more often than not, sugar. It is completely dairy-free: the butteriness comes from the peanut oil that solidifies as the puréed peanuts cool. Like any high-fat food, it should not be eaten to excess. But it’s a delicious source of protein and energy and very useful in raw and vegan baking, where it binds, thickens and enriches in place of eggs, butter and gluten. Look for sugar-free versions and those that don’t contain palm oil.
Peanut flour isn’t yet widely available but is becoming more popular. It’s very low in fat because the oil is extracted before the nut is refined. Gluten-free and low-carb, it’s full of peanut flavour and rich in protein. It’s used to enhance dishes rather than as a basic staple: it can be sprinkled on to porridge, added to bread doughs and flapjacks, even spooned into your favourite smoothie before blending. It’s also a natural thickener and can be added to soups, stews and sauces.
Aflatoxins
Some people choose to avoid peanuts because they may be a source of aflatoxins. These are naturally occurring toxins produced by a fungus and may be found in a range of foods including nuts, maize, rice, dried foods, spices, crude vegetable oils and cocoa beans. There is a particular risk with foods stored in warm, humid conditions. Aflatoxins are carcinogenic and, at high levels, pretty lethal. Because aflatoxins are so widespread in foods, it’s virtually impossible to eliminate them altogether but bodies such as the World Health Organisation recommend that levels should be reduced as far as is practicably possible. EU law sets strict limits on the levels of aflatoxins allowed in certain foods, including peanuts, and manufacturers of products such as peanut butter must test for these toxins too.
NOODLE SALAD WITH SPICY PEANUT BUTTER DRESSING
This dressing has all the wonderful flavours you’ll find in a classic satay sauce. Aside from this lovely salad, you could use it to trickle over ricey platters or couscous dishes, as well as chicken and pork. Serves 4
1 cucumber
1 red pepper, quartered, deseeded and thinly sliced
6 spring onions, cut into 1cm slices
A small bunch of coriander
A small bunch of mint
150g rice noodles
A little rapeseed or toasted sesame oil
FOR THE DRESSING
5 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
2 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
Juice of 2 limes
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 medium red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, grated
A finger-sized piece of root ginger, grated
To make the dressing, work the peanut butter, tamari and lime juice together, then stir in the rest of the dressing ingredients. If necessary, add a little water to thin it slightly. It wants to be loose enough to spoon over the noodles. Taste and add a little more lime or tamari if required.
Peel the cucumber, halve lengthways and scoop out the seeds, then slice and place in a large bowl with the pepper and spring onions.
Pick the coriander and mint leaves from their stalks and chop them.
Cook the noodles according to the pack instructions. Drain and refresh in cold water to stop them cooking. Drain again and toss with a little oil to prevent them sticking. Use a pair of scissors to cut the noodles into shorter lengths.
Add the noodles, two-thirds of the peanut dressing and the herbs to the vegetables and toss gently to combine. Arrange the salad over one large platter or individual plates. Spoon over the remaining dressing and serve.