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Peanut Oil
Peanut oil, called groundnut oil in the UK, is made from steam-cooked peanuts, which have been shelled and crushed. It is pale yellow in color and does not transfer or absorb flavors, making it very good for cooking.
Its relatively bland flavor and high smoke point mean that peanut oil is commonly used when frying food, such as chicken or French fries. It can be strained and reused. Because of these qualities, this oil is the most widely used in professional kitchens.
This oil can also be used on salads. Peanut oil is also used to make margarine, lubricants, and soap. Two thirds of the worldwide peanut crop is used to make peanut oil.
Peanut oil is widely used in South Asian cuisine but the peanut oil used there is unrefined, making the peanut flavor stronger. If you have authentic Asian peanut oil, you can dilute it with a more flavorless oil such as sunflower oil or Western peanut oil, which smells and tastes only mildly of peanuts. Peanut oil is delicious when used in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cooking and is often flavored with a small amount of oriental sesame oil.
Health Benefits of Peanut Oil
Peanut oil is considered just as effective as olive oil if you are trying to reduce "bad" cholesterol and triglycerides. It also maintains "good" HDL cholesterol.
A balanced diet requires the intake of fats and peanut oil is much lower in saturated fats than butter, cottonseed oil, or animal fat. Peanut oil is quite high in saturated fats but these do not turn to trans fatty acids when heated, which is another health benefit. It is also high in omega 3 fatty acids, which are thought to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
Peanut Oil Recipe - Asian Chicken and Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients -
2 teaspoons peanut oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon grated, peeled ginger
3 skinless, boneless chick breast halves
¼ cup smooth peanut butter
¼ cup chicken broth
18 large Bibb lettuce leaves, cleaned and dried
4 green onions, trimmed
¾ cup honey-roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons mango chutney
1 cup snow peas, trimmed
1 medium bell pepper, seeded
Preparation:
Heat the oils together in a wok over a medium high heat. Cut the chicken into 2 inch strips and stir fry it for 4 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic. Sauté for another minute or until the chicken is no longer pink.
Turn down the heat and add the broth, chutney, and peanut butter. Stir until smooth and heat through for about 3 minutes. Cut the snow peas, bell pepper, and green onion lengthwise into 2 inch thin matchsticks.
To assemble, lay the lettuce leaves on a work surface and place equal amounts of snow peas, bell pepper, and green onion matchsticks in the middle of each leaf. Spoon the chicken mixture on top and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts. Roll each lettuce leaf up and serve 3 on each plate. These are delicious served warm.
(Serves 6)
Wine Suggestion:
Wine to Serve with Asian Chicken and Lettuce Wraps
This typical Asian flavored dish is best served with a bold white wine. Gewurztraminer would be a good choice and the tropical fruity flavors of this wine, which include apricot and peach, accompanied by its typical spicy aroma, would make it a nice option. You can get sweet or dry Gewurztraminer.
Another good wine to serve with this peanut oil and chicken recipe would be Riesling. The floral aroma of this wine might make you think the flavor will be sweet but you can get bone dry Rieslings as well as syrupy sweet ones, depending on where it comes from. Californian Riesling is usually sweeter than German Riesling which is also sweet but balanced out with more acidity than its Californian cousin.
