No skills required - Braised Peanuts 焖花生

There's this Chinese restaurant that we love to go to and the moment we settled down they would serve these delicious little plates of braised peanuts as appetiser. My son would demand, "peanuts!" and us the servants would pour a few at a time into his kiddy bowl. Before the food arrived he would have polished off at least a third of the plate. Back before we had kids, the both of us can leisurely enjoy the delicious plate of peanuts while we chat. Now it's like a competition. If you eat any slower the kid would finish all the food! -_-"

But as a parent I'm always on a lookout for food inspirations. Especially food that the kids like to eat! I did a little research on the internet and I was a little surprised that this dish is really a no-brainer. But to be honest, the 1st time I did struggle to catch the perfect cooking time. Those peanuts sure take a long time to cook! Once I got the timing right, it's really a too easy recipe. To me, the peanuts have to be soft and NOT crunchy. BUT, it should still hold it's shape. That would be perfect. No wonder the kids love it!

1 cup of raw peanuts
3 cups water (double the height of the peanuts in the pot)
2 tablespoons light soya sauce
1 tablespoon dark soya sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/4 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder
a few dash of pepper

Put everything into a pressure cooker and stir well.

• Pressure Cookers:
1. Bring to pressure using high heat.
2. Bring to low heat and cook for 1 hour and 50 minutes.

• Regular Pots:
1. Bring to boil using high heat.
2. Bring to low heat and cook for 2-3 hours.
3. Check every 30-45 minutes to make sure it doesn't dry out. Add water if necessary.

And that's it! Sorry but it really is that simple. Haha, but it's so good, you cannot stop at just one. Yummy! Here's a video tutorial.