This traditional roasted spicy peanuts recipe makes the deliciously addictive beer drinking snack that typically accompanies a bia hoi session in Hanoi. I’ve been obsessed with making these spiced roasted peanuts since we lived in the Vietnam capital years ago.
Our traditional roasted spicy peanuts recipe will make you the addictive spiced nuts that are usually offered as a drinking snack during a bia hoi session in Hanoi and it’s one of our best recipes with nuts.
In some bia hoi joints – casual local pubs that serve Hanoi’s famous effervescent fresh beer – peanuts in shells are served as a complimentary snack and these spiced nuts are sold separately. There are also loads of other delicious dishes to soak up the booze, from crispy fried tofu to salty pork ribs, but it’s hard to stop eating these nuts!
I’ve been obsessed with making my own variations of these Vietnamese roasted spicy peanuts at home here in Cambodia’s Siem Reap. When we were living on Food Street in Hanoi, during a very cold winter, the aromas of the peanuts being slowly roasted that emanated from nearby shophouses were irresistible.
Traditional Roasted Spicy Peanuts Recipe for the Popular Hanoi Drinking Snack
It’s no coincidence that I’m posting this Vietnamese roasted spicy peanuts recipe for the addictive Hanoi bia hoi drinking snack right before Chinese New Year. The Chinese believe that peanuts symbolise vitality and prosperity and eat them unshelled at this time of year.
We love fresh, unshelled peanuts too, but this recipe is such a great party snack this is how we’ll be serving them – along with some Tsingtao beer.
Cambodia has its own style of spicy peanuts, that often include sugar, chilli and kaffir lime leaves. While Lara loves them, they’re a little too sweet for me, although I do love the chilli and kaffir lime leaves.
I’m also a big fan of five spice and while I used to make my own in Australia, I’m quite happy to keep a store-bought one-kilo bag in our pantry, as we use it so often. Five spice is a key ingredient of this traditional roasted spicy peanuts recipe for the Hanoi bia hoi drinking snack.
I only have a few tips to making this traditional roasted spicy peanuts recipe for the Hanoi bia hoi snack as it’s super easy.
Tips for Traditional Roasted Spicy Peanuts
I only have a couple of tips to making this Vietnamese roasted spicy peanuts recipe for the popular Hanoi drinking snack as it’s really very easy.
Many cooks use a lot of vegetable oil, some even putting the oil in with the peanuts when the wok is cold.
That’s not a good thing. The only reason we use any oil is because the oil coming from the nuts as they cook is not enough to get the spices to ‘stick’ to the nuts.
If I can get the spices to coat the nuts with less oil, I might not use all of the oil indicated in the recipe.
Traditional Roasted Spicy Peanuts Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 grams shelled raw peanuts - peanut 'skins' still on
- ½ tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ tsp sea salt - or more to taste
- ½ tbsp of five spice powder
- ½ tsp sugar
- 2 small chillies - deseeded and chopped finely
- 6 kaffir lime leaves - centre torn out and sliced finely
Instructions
- Heat a large wok over high heat.
- Add the peanuts, stir constantly, and reduce the heat to medium-low after around a couple of minutes.
- Once the peanuts start to colour (after about 5 minutes), turn the heat to low.
- Keep stirring and add the oil slowly.
- Add the five spice powder, salt and the sugar and stir well.
- Add the chillies.
- The nuts are fully roasted when they are bright red. A little bit of brown is good too. Add the kaffir lime leaves.
- Remove the nuts from the wok and place on an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper and allow to cool.
- Serve with some Vietnamese beer!
Nutrition
Please do let us know in the comments below if you make our traditional roasted spicy peanuts recipe as we’d love to hear how it turned out for you.
Such a delicious snack.
I couldn’t stop eating them and I think they will fast become a firm favourite.
Thanks, Abby! Pleased you enjoyed them. We’ll be adding more spicy nut recipes soon!
Crazily addictive. Worth the wok time! I’ve made them before in the oven but you get a better ‘feel’ for how they’re cooking in a wok. Thanks!
Hi Sharon, I agree. I always walk away from the oven for too long. It’s time well spent!
T