Chinese Spicy Fried Peanuts (黄飞鸿花生, Huang Fei Hong Spicy Peanuts)

Our Chinese spicy fried peanuts are unstoppable! They have the perfect crunch, are salty, a little spicy, with a hint of mind-altering numbness from Sichuan peppercorns. They're perfect for snacking when gathered with friends and family or binging your favorite shows!

Jump to:

• Background: For the Love of Peanuts
• 2 Cooking Methods
• Getting the Perfect Peanut
• 1st Method - Quickest but less infusion of flavor
• 2nd Method - Slightly longer process but more infusion of flavor 
• 📖 Variations and Substitutions
• 🥢 Equipment
• Storage
• 💭 Top tip
• 📖 Recipe
• Food safety
• 💬 Comments

Background: For the Love of Peanuts

Tradition

Peanuts (huasheng 花生) are an old tradition in both Alabama (Mark’s home state) and Gansu, China (Jie’s home province). Half of all peanuts grown in the U.S. are grown in Alabama. Peanuts were first introduced to China by Portuguese traders in the 1600’s and China is now the world largest producer.

Nutrition

It is easy to understand why people love peanuts. When cooked they have a buttery flavor, are crunchy, and can be seasoned in an infinite number of ways. They are also an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and protein – 22-30% of their calories come from protein.

Peanuts in Chinese Cuisine

Peanuts are used in many Chinese dishes and are often served as their own side dish. In the Bay Area we frequently buy fried peanuts when eating at local Sichuan, Shao Kao (Chinese BBQ), and Lanzhou cuisine restaurants. Chinese spicy peanuts have taken on a high level of importance in our house and something feels amiss when the peanut bowl sits empty.  

If you’ve frequented Chinese markets you may have seen Huang Fei Hong Spicy Peanuts (黄飞鸿花生). Huang Fei Hong peanuts are numbing and spicy and are a very popular snack in China (and spreading globally), similar to Doritos or Lays chips in the U.S. Here we are sharing with you our variations of Sichuan and Huang Fei Hong Spicy Peanuts.

2 Cooking Methods

We are providing 2 cooking methods. The first method is a little simpler because the seasonings are sprinkled on after the peanuts are fully cooked.

The second method involves cooking the peanuts until almost done, removing them from the pan, stir-frying red chilis and sichuan peppers in a small amount of hot oil, adding the peanuts back into the wok to incorporate with the flavor infused oil, and then adding Chinese five-spice and white pepper.

Both versions produce an addictive peanut, but the second method produces more depth of flavor. We make both, it just depends on our mood and the flavor we are craving.

Getting the Perfect Peanut

1. The trick is to go low and slow. Unlike many recipes, we advocate for cooking peanuts at a low temperature (around 240°F / 115°C) for around 13-20 minutes. This is a big range, but it really depends on the raw peanuts you start with and the type of oil. Don’t worry! We will show you what to watch for so you’ll know when they are just right – since you are going low and slow, it is easy.
2. Some recipes ask you to peel the skins off each peanut (oh, my – that’s a lot of work). Please, keep the skins on your nuts!  Going to baseball games growing up I always enjoyed cracking open freshly roasted peanuts and eating them skin and all. The skins add a unique flavor that shouldn’t be missed. When I was in China, I continued the tradition by buying freshly roasted peanuts at the local market - the skins were always bright red and flavorful.
3. The hot oil keeps cooking the peanuts for a couple of minutes after they are removed from the wok, so remove them a little before your desired doneness. We will go into more detail later.

1st Method - Quickest but less infusion of flavor

Ingredients for 1st Method

Everything you'll need for the perfect Chinese spicy fried peanuts.

• Raw peanuts – We use raw peanuts with the skin on, but if you find peeled raw peanuts that will work also. Raw peanuts can usually be found at Chinese or Korean markets, or can be ordered online.
• Ground red chili peppers – Use ground dried red chili peppers - Sichuan varieties if possible. These are not to be confused with Sichuan peppercorns (hua jiao) below. Sichuan red chili peppers have more depth of flavor and provide medium heat as opposed to cayenne pepper (don’t substitute cayenne pepper). You can also use Korean chili peppers. These can be found at your local Chinese or Korean market, on Amazon, or online at the Mala Market.
• Ground Sichuan pepper (hua jiao) – Check out our article on Sichuan peppercorns to learn all about this electric spice. For novices, one of the first things you will notice when eating hua jiao is a pleasant tingling numbing effect. This is due to a molecule called sanshool. Like many of the dry ingredients in our recipes, these can be purchased on Amazon, or for the best quality, order from The Mala Market.
• Cooking oil – Use an oil with a high smoke point. We prefer canola (rapeseed) or peanut oil. You can use olive oil since the peanuts are fried at a lower temperature, although it will change the flavor of the peanuts slightly.
• Salt

See recipe card for quantities.

🔪 Instructions for 1st Method

Step 1

Line a baking sheet with paper towels. The peanuts will be transferred to the paper towel lined baking sheet after cooking in order to cool and drain the oil. Gather all your ingredients in preparation for cooking.

Place the peanuts in a cold wok or large pan with high enough sides to contain the oil. Pour enough oil into the wok to barely cover the peanuts. Don’t worry, the peanuts do not absorb much oil and you can even reuse the leftover oil.

Step 2

Turn the stove on medium heat. When the peanuts start to simmer turn the heat to medium-low. Try to keep the temperature around 240°F / 115°C. Remember, low and slow – this requires patience, but it’s worth it! If you cook them at too high a temperature the peanuts will burn and taste bitter.

Step 3

The peanuts cook for around 13- 20 minutes (ours take about 15 minutes). Times vary due to exact cooking temperature and the type of peanuts and oil used. Stir the peanuts every 3- 5 minutes to ensure they cook evenly. Watch for the peanuts to separate ever so slightly at their halves and for their color to change to a milky coffee color (see picture below).

Peanuts will continue to cook for a couple of minutes after removing them from the pan due to the hot oil – remove them from the pan 1 -2 minutes before they are done to your liking.

Step 4

Remove the peanuts from the wok using a mesh skimmer and place them on your paper towel lined sheet pan.

Sprinkle the seasonings over the peanuts while they are still moist with oil so the seasonings will stick. You are welcome to adjust the seasoning to your preferences. As we always say, make it your own!

2nd Method - Slightly longer process but more infusion of flavor 

Ingredients for 2nd Method

• Raw peanuts – We use raw peanuts with the skin on, but if you find peeled raw peanuts that will work also. Raw peanuts can usually be found at Chinese or Korean markets, or can be ordered online.
• Red chili peppers – We use whole peppers and then snip them into small sections. Sichuan varieties if possible. These are not to be confused with Sichuan peppercorns (hua jiao) below. Sichuan red chili peppers have more depth of flavor and provide medium heat as opposed to cayenne pepper (don’t substitute cayenne pepper). You can also use Korean chili peppers. These can be found at your local Chinese or Korean market, on Amazon, or online at the Mala Market.
• Whole Sichuan peppercorns (hua jiao) – Check out our article on Sichuan peppercorns to learn all about this electric spice. For novices, one of the first things you will notice when eating hua jiao is a pleasant tingling numbing effect. This is due to a molecule called sanshool. Like many of the dry ingredients in our recipes, these can be purchased on Amazon, or for the best quality, order from The Mala Market.
• Chinese Five-Spice - You can see our recipe for five-spice to learn how to make it yourself or to learn where to buy it.
• Cooking oil – Use an oil with a high smoke point. We prefer canola (rapeseed) or peanut oil. You can use olive oil since the peanuts are fried at a lower temperature, although it will change the flavor of the peanuts slightly.
• Salt

🔪 Instructions for 2nd Method

Step 1

Line a baking sheet with paper towels. The peanuts will be transferred to the paper towel lined baking sheet after cooking in order to cool and drain the oil. Gather all your ingredients in preparation for cooking.

Place the peanuts in a cold wok or large pan with high enough sides to contain the oil. Pour enough oil into the wok to barely cover the peanuts. Don’t worry, the peanuts do not absorb much oil and you can even reuse the leftover oil.

Step 2

Turn the stove on medium heat. When the peanuts start to simmer turn the heat to medium-low. Try to keep the temperature around 240°F / 115°C. Remember, low and slow – this requires patience, but it’s worth it! If you cook them at too high a temperature the peanuts will burn and taste bitter.

Step 3

The peanuts cook for around 13- 20 minutes (ours take about 15 minutes). Times vary due to exact cooking temperature and the type of peanuts and oil used. Stir the peanuts every 3- 5 minutes to ensure they cook evenly. Watch for the peanuts to separate ever so slightly at their halves and for their color to change to a milky coffee color (see picture below).

Step 4

When the peanuts are about 3 minutes from being finished, remove them from the wok with a mesh skimmer and place them on a plate until you are ready to add them back into the wok.

Step 5

Carefully pour off all but 2 tablespoons of oil from your wok or pan. Turn the heat to medium and add the dried red chili peppers and whole Sichuan peppers.

Stir-fry the spices about 1 minute until fragrant. You want the chilis and Sichuan pepper to start infusing their flavor into the oil, but you want to be careful not to burn them.

Step 6

Add the peanuts back into the wok/pan and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Next add the remaining seasonings and continue stir-frying about 2 more minutes until all of the flavors are well incorporated.

Step 7

Once the peanuts are roasted and cooked to your liking, remove them from the wok using a mesh skimmer and place them on the paper towel lined sheet pan. If you prefer your peanuts more heavily seasoned, you can sprinkle with additional seasoning while they are cooling.

Hint

• Caution – these will disappear if you leave them lying around!
  
• Peanuts will continue to cook for a couple of minutes after removing them from the pan due to the hot oil – remove them from the pan 1 -2 minutes before they are done to your liking.
  
• Our Chinese spicy fried peanuts go well by themselves or as a side dish accompanying our stir-fried water spinach and chilies. You can also add a dollop of our homemade chili oil on top of a bowl of peanuts – use chopsticks to eat the mouthwatering morsels.
  

📖 Variations and Substitutions

• Fried peanuts with garlic – When we are feeling groovy we add garlic during the cooking process. To do this, add 2-3 whole cloves of fresh garlic to the oil while the peanuts are cooking. Once the garlic is browned on the outside, and your oil has the amazing aroma of roasted garlic, carefully remove the cloves from the oil with chopsticks or tongs.
• Chipotle – while we definitely prefer mala (spicy and numbing) flavors from Sichuan, you can add any seasonings that you like. Try adding chipotle seasoning in place ground Sichuan chili peppers used in the first method.

🥢 Equipment

• Wok or heavy high sided pan (a wok will require less oil due to the sloped sides)
• Mesh skimmer
• Sheet pan
• Paper towels

Storage

Keep fried peanuts in an airtight container for up to one month.

💭 Top tip

Remember, go low and slow. If you fry at too high of a temperature the peanuts will burn and become bitter.

Since the hot oil keeps cooking the peanuts for a couple of minutes after they are removed from the pan, make sure to remove them a 1-2 minutes before your desired doneness.

📖 Recipe

Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
• Wash hands after touching raw meat.
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods (less than 2 hours is recommended by the CDC).
• Never leave cooking food unattended.
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.

See more guidelines at the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention website.