Peanut Sweet Soup

Public reference · Home adaptation Where the banquet source states the rules of a Quanzhou table it uses two sentences: Quanzhou banquets are strict about their rules; the last of the savoury courses is steamed fish, standing for “a head and a tail”; and the final course of the whole banquet must be sweet, typically peanut soup, fried date balls and other traditional foods in the old Quanzhou taste. The head and the tail belong to the savoury courses; the sweet course is where the whole table ends. The same source gives this soup's standard of acceptance: milky broth, peanut kernels so tender they do not break and melt in the mouth, clean and sweet and refreshing. Four short phrases, like a docket. The same source also records fried date balls as made by kneading a glutinous rice dough and deep-frying it, with crushed peanuts and sugar as the filling — crisp outside, chewy within, fragrant and sweet. Peanut soup and fried date balls are the last of the last; a table is not truly finished until these have been eaten. On the sweet soups themselves, the same source records that besides peanut soup there is also a traditional Minnan red ball sweet soup — glutinous rice balls rolled by hand, coloured red, with ginger juice, meaning something sweet and a life in harmony. This version claims no historical original. **Source and method come from two different places**: the source records only the dish name and its position on the table, not the method; this version's technique comes from the published Xiachufang recipe “the old-taste Xiamen peanut soup”, and has no dedicated correspondence to the Quanzhou banquet table. **The banquet source records the position on the table and the standard the soup is judged by, not the method**: it records that the final course of the whole banquet must be sweet, typically peanut soup, fried date balls and other traditional foods in the old Quanzhou taste; and describes Quanzhou peanut soup as having a milky broth, peanut kernels so tender they do not break and melt in the mouth, and a clean, sweet, refreshing taste. Those four points are a standard of acceptance, not a formula; the source gives no quantities, no soaking method and no cooking times. This version's technique comes from the publicly documented “old taste — Xiamen peanut soup” recipe on Xiachufang and has no dedicated correspondence to the Quanzhou banquet table. **“Tender without breaking” and “clean and sweet” come from slow cooking, not from more sugar**: the cited recipe says to pressure-cook for about 20 minutes and then simmer gently for three to four hours, “until the broth is milky and the peanuts soft and sticky, then add rock sugar”, noting that “no milk is needed at all”. This version follows that and makes the three-to-four-hour gentle simmer the substance of the dish — that stretch cannot be cut short. **Rubbing off the skins is one of the preconditions for a milky broth**: the cited recipe says to soak the raw peanuts in hot water for ten to twenty minutes, start rubbing once the skins look wrinkled, and only then add water and cook. Simmering with the red skins on leaves the broth dark and astringent. This version keeps that and explains it. **The cited recipe gives peanuts to water at roughly 1:2 but adds that “everyone should judge for themselves”**, because the liquid reduces during the long simmer and may need topping up. This version says the same and explains that it is adjusted by the thickness of the finished soup. **“Melts in the mouth” is the standard the banquet source sets; this version gives an operable test**: the peanuts crush under pressure and the broth coats the spoon. If it does not, keep simmering — do not try to cover the gap with more sugar or a starch slurry. **Allergens**: this dish is peanuts, and peanuts are its main ingredient — it must not be eaten by anyone with a peanut allergy. It contains no meat, egg, milk, shellfish, soy, wheat, sesame or tree nuts, so it is a vegetarian sweet soup. The peanuts must be fresh and free of mould; if they are sulphur dioxide-treated this is declared on the pack — check the ingredient list. Sulphite is not listed as an allergen here. This version makes no nutritional, health or therapeutic claim. Contains peanuts, and peanuts are the main ingredient of this dish — it must not be eaten by anyone with a peanut allergy. It contains no meat, egg, milk, shellfish, soy, wheat, sesame or tree nuts, so it is a vegetarian sweet soup. The peanuts must be fresh and free of mould; discard the whole batch if any is mouldy. If they are sulphur dioxide-treated this is declared on the pack — check the ingredient list. Sulphite is not listed as an allergen here. The dish is fairly high in sugar — those monitoring blood sugar should eat it in moderation. It cooks for a long time: mind the pan and electrical safety, and follow the pressure cooker's instructions. AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of a kitchen-tested dish. 泉州人的一生，离不开“吃桌”！·寻味泉州（泉州市人民政府 世界美食之都网站，发布 2024-08-30） — Banquet seat evidence. It records that Quanzhou banquets are strict about their rules, that the last of the savoury courses is steamed fish for “a head and a tail”, and that the final course of the whole banquet must be sweet, typically peanut soup, fried date balls and other traditional foods in the old Quanzhou taste; that “Quanzhou peanut soup has a milky broth, peanut kernels so tender they do not break and melt in the mouth, clean sweet and refreshing”; that fried date balls are made by kneading a glutinous rice dough and deep-frying it with crushed peanuts and sugar as the filling, crisp outside and chewy within; and that besides peanut soup there is also a traditional Minnan red ball sweet soup, glutinous rice balls with ginger juice. It gives the position on the table and the standard the soup is judged by, not quantities, soaking method or cooking times. https://www.quanzhou.gov.cn/gastronomy/ch/msdh/xwqz/202411/t20241122_3107926.htm 下厨房：古早味—厦门花生汤（公开食谱） — Core method. Ingredients on the cited page: 200 g peanuts, water to taste and rock sugar to taste. Steps: (1) soak the raw peanuts in hot water for ten to twenty minutes; (2) once the surface looks wrinkled, start rubbing; (3) after rubbing, add water (roughly 1:2 peanuts to water), put it in a pressure cooker and cook for about 20 minutes, and once the pressure has gone open the lid and simmer gently on low heat — the author says “I simmered about three or four hours”, and notes that if you are worried about the time you can pressure-cook longer and then simmer; (4) simmer until the broth is milky and the peanuts soft and sticky, then add rock sugar to taste, and the page adds that “no milk is needed at all”. Page note: judge the water yourself and top it up as it reduces during the simmer. https://m.xiachufang.com/recipe/104637997/ FDA: Food Allergies — Basis for declaring the peanut allergen; peanuts are the main ingredient here. If the peanuts are sulphur dioxide-treated this must be checked on the ingredient list. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/food-allergies

Source: WorldBite · public-reference adaptation · Source-attributed editorial adaptation; AI illustration; not an authenticated original recipe.