Steamed Groundnuts (Arachis Hypogaea, kacang tanah)

Steamed groundnuts and .....................................groundnut plants in my backyard!

Freshly harvested groundnuts are sweet if eaten raw on the spot. However the natural flavours would slowly dissipate as the harvested nuts aged. Have you ever thought of why we call this great little snack food groundnuts? Actually after pollination, the stalk of the yellow flowers would extend and bury itself in the ground. Then the groundnuts would form inside the soil, hence the name ‘groundnut’. Groundnut plants are used in nitrogen fixation, a process where groundnut plants are planted to enrich the soil with nitrogen. Other types of plant normally used up all the nitrogen in the soil. Nitrogen is an important compound that plant uses in protein formation. Do you know that China is the biggest producer of groundnuts in the world? My wifey bought a bag of fresh groundnuts from the wet market, knowing that it is one of my favourite snacks. They look really succulent and sweet. After cleaning the groundnuts, we rub some salt on them. We put it in the steamer for 45 minutes. Surprisingly the peanut (seeds) inside was tender after being steamed for such a short period. Anyway, we finished eating them so fast once it was cooked. I am going to buy more next week! Mmmmm, I wonder if there is any other ways to cook these fresh groundnuts.