One 400-g package raw peanuts with skins
on, not roasted
One 1- or 2-inch square piece dried
tangerine peel
3 cups cold water
Two 5-inch cinnamon sticks, broken into halves
4 whole pieces eight-star anise
10 cloves
1 whole nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
Method:
Place all the ingredients in a pot and
bring to a boil over high heat. Stir, reduce the heat to low,
and simmer with the pot lid open a crack for 1½ hours. Stir
often to prevent the peanuts from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and allow to come to room
temperature. Drain the peanuts and allow to dry on a cookie
sheet lined with wax paper. They should not be totally dry, just
free of liquid but a bit moist. Discard all the spices.
Serve immediately or refrigerate in a closed container for up to 1
week - any longer and their fragrance vanishes.