Lovely Legumes
November 19, 2004
For the past two weeks, I’ve been on the East Coast retracing steps I made in the Big Apple four years ago. Besides getting overstimulated by the dizzying neon lights of Times Square and the swarm of yellow taxis buzzing up and down Broadway, I was greeted by one smell, which I could find only in New York City.
At a handful of subway stops and street corners, you’ll find — or rather, smell — fresh-cooked peanuts in butter and sugar, perfumed by vanilla or cinnamon. The smell is hypnotic: It lures me like a moth to candlelight.
And since November is National Peanut Butter Lovers Month, and Dothan, Ala., just wrapped up its annual National Peanut Festival, I’ve decided to pay homage to the tasty nuggets, which have starring roles in cookies, bridge mix and Asian cuisine.
First thing first: Peanuts are not nuts. Related to the pea family, peanuts are legumes, which are seeds enclosed in shells (or pods) that grow beneath the soil. One of the most interesting facts about peanuts is the way the edible seeds mature. It flowers low on the stem and as the flowers fall, the stem (or peg) grows in a downward motion toward the soil and tunnels beneath it until the pod ripens and peanuts form.
The peanut plant is native to South America, and the Portuguese introduced it to Africa, from which it eventually traveled to America. Today, the United States, India and China are the primary producers.
South Asians use ground peanuts to thicken soups and curries; Indonesians drench eggs and boiled potatoes with a peanut-based sauce; and the Chinese like their peanuts in the spicy Sichuanese favorite, gung pao ji ding.
Unfortunately, the peanut sauces you find at your favorite Thai joints do not really exist in Thailand. All the bottles and jars of creamy peanut pastes and sauces at your “ethnic grocer’s” are Westernized concoctions.
In Thailand, ground peanuts are used to finish off dishes. The “sauce” served with satay and tod mun, fried fish cakes, uses fresh, chopped peanuts combined with curry, sugar, spices, shrimp paste and fish sauce. Actually, most Thai food here in the States uses peanut butter as the base for the sauces, and they taste like it, too.
Packed with protein, fiber, folic acid and an arsenal of vitamins and minerals, peanuts are one of Mother Nature’s most economical and delicious health foods. Peanuts are up to 30 percent protein, 5 to 15 percent carbohydrates and 40 to 50 percent fat. A handful of peanuts keep the heart healthy, but eat in moderation: One ounce has 170 calories and 14 grams of fat.
Since peanuts go hand in hand with cocktail parties, here are some factoids you can share the next time you’re mingling at a get-together or waiting for a bartender.
• Americans eat more than 600 million pounds of peanuts (and 700 million pounds of peanut butter) each year.
• Four types of peanuts are grown in the United States: Runner, Virginia, Spanish and Valencia.
• Four of the top 10 American candy bars contain peanuts or peanut butter.
• Peanuts contribute more than $4 billion to the U.S. economy each year.
• Dr. George Washington Carver researched and developed more than 300 uses for peanuts in the early 1900s; he is considered the “father of the peanut industry.”
• Two peanut farmers have been presidents of the United States: Thomas Jefferson and Jimmy Carter.
• “Peanut gallery” became a popular term in the late 19th century and referred to the rear or uppermost seats in a theater, which were also the cheapest seats. People seated in such a gallery were able to throw peanuts, a common food at theaters, at those seated below them. It also applied to the first row of seats, whose occupants could throw peanuts at the stage, communicating their displeasure.
Courtesy: The National Peanut Board
Nam Jim Tua (Thai Peanut Sauce)
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 shallots
• 1 stalk lemon grass (use bottom half only)
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh galangal ginger
• 2 teaspoons minced cilantro
• 1 - 2 tablespoons curry powder or garam masala
• 5 dried red chilies
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon shrimp paste
• 1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups (or 1 14-ounce can) coconut milk
• 1 - 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 - 2 tablespoons palm or coconut sugar
• 1 tablespoon tamarind water (dissolve 1 teaspoon chunk wet tamarind in 2 tablespoons water)
Sauté or roast garlic and shallots until fragrant and softened; set aside. Trim and discard bottom tip and outer layers of lemon grass, and cut stalk into thin rounds. Mince cilantro, ginger, garlic and shallots into a fine paste. Place in bowl and combine with curry powder, crushed chilies and shrimp paste. Grind or crush peanuts. Heat 2/3 cup of coconut milk, bring to a boil and reduce heat. Add spice mixture, and stir for three to five minutes. Add half of the remaining coconut milk and ground peanuts, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 10 minutes. Add more coconut milk to desired consistency; season with fish sauce, palm sugar and tamarind water. Serve with fried tofu cubes, satay or vegetables.
Recipe adapted from Kasma Loha-unchit.
Reach the Picky Eater at pickyeater@asianweek.com.
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