Boiled Peanuts

If you are in Mumbai or Maharashtra in monsoon season, you cannot miss out onto deliciously boiled peanuts. Just before it starts to rain, peanut crop is harvested and boiled salted peanuts are sold everywhere on the streets. It becomes one of the popular street food of Mumbai and nearby areas during monsoon. Specially popular in Lonavala, a hill station or a hilly region few km. away from Mumbai which is a beautiful and scenic destination for tourists specially in monsoons. Lush greenery, beautiful waterfalls,  and cold, water-filled clouds kissing us. Walking in between clouds... the feeling is just amazing!
As soon as these peanuts are available in the market, we boil peanuts and it makes a great weekend or picnic snack for us. Even in California, raw peanuts in shells are easily available at the Indian grocery store. We just buy a big bag of raw ones and enjoy weekend movies with delicious snack!

Very simple ingredients:
4 cups fresh, raw peanuts in shells
1 cup salt
1 tbsp. turmeric powder

• Firstly, wash peanuts well in regular tap water. Rinse them 3-4 times to get rid of dirt & debris.
• Put peanuts in the pressure cooker and pour water over them. You need enough water as all the peanuts need to be submerged in water and water level being around 2 cm. over the peanuts. Peanuts will float in water.
• Add salt and turmeric.
• Pressure cook for 45 minutes or till you here 5-6 whistles on medium to low heat.
• Turn of the heat. Let the pressure settle and them open the pressure cooker. 
• Use a strainer to remove boiled peanuts and enjoy while watching a movie :) 
• It makes a great nutritious snack too!

You can use boiled peanuts to garnish khichdi or rice dish or faradi misal. Or make boiled peanut raita by mixing peanuts with yogurt.

Fresh Peanuts available at a Vegetable Vendor.

Enjoy Mumbai Rainy Food!!