Xiamen Huang Zehe Peanut Soup

Xiamen Huang Zehe Peanut Soup

　　　　Huang Zehe Peanut Soup Shop is named after Huang Zehe, a renowned master of traditional snacks from Xiamen Catering Service Company. Established in 1951, the shop has a history of 48 years and is not only a household name in Xiamen but also enjoys fame both domestically and internationally. The peanut soup here uses carefully selected ingredients, with meticulous soaking and precise cooking time and heat control. The final product features whole, intact peanut slices that are fragrant, tender, melt-in-your-mouth, and served in a sweet yet not cloying broth. It won the “Gold Award” at the 1986 Fujian Provincial Snack Competition. Yu Guangyuan, a famous Chinese economist, visited Xiamen twice—once in the early years of liberation and once more recently—and each time made a special trip to taste the peanut soup. He spoke highly of its delicious flavor and gave it high praise.

　　( Xiamen)

　　　 Peanut soup is a uniquely flavorful sweet soup delicacy from China’s coastal Fujian region—refreshingly sweet and nourishing for the lungs. A Xiamen dialect saying goes: “Flowers bloom on top, fruits form below; everyone, young and old, loves it to death.” It cryptically reveals how much everyone adores peanuts. The naturally witty essay “The Peanut” by southern Fujian writer Xu Dishan vividly describes the various ways peanuts can be cooked and eaten.

　　　　Peanut soup moistens the lungs and promotes saliva production, offering therapeutic benefits similar to medicinal cuisine. It’s affordable, accessible to every household, and suitable for all ages.

　　　　The most famous peanut soup in Xiamen comes from Huang Zehe Peanut Soup Shop located at the head of Zhongshan Road, which has a history of over fifty years. Huang Zehe’s peanut soup is not only well-regarded locally but also widely known among travelers, compatriots from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, as well as overseas Chinese. Its delicious taste leaves a lasting impression that’s hard to forget.

　　　　Peanut soup uses simple ingredients, but the cooking method is quite elaborate. The peanut kernels are blanched in boiling water to remove their skins, then boiled with water and a small amount of sodium carbonate over high heat until the peanuts are cooked, before switching to low heat to simmer until soft. Its characteristics: the peanut kernels are tender and crumb-free, melt in your mouth, the soup is milky white, sweet and refreshing.

　　　　How to Make Peanut Soup

　　　　Main Ingredients: 300g fresh peanut kernels, 200g white sugar, 1500g water, 30g orange peel jam.

　　　　Method

　　　　1. First, place the peanut kernels in a pot, and use another pot to boil water. When the water comes to a rolling boil, pour the hot water into the pot with the peanuts, cover tightly, and let it steep for about 15 minutes. Then pour the mixture into a bamboo sieve, rub the peanuts by hand to remove their skins, rinsing them under running water while rubbing until all the skins are completely removed. Set aside for later use.

　　　　2. Put the skinned peanut kernels into a pot, add 1000g of water (a small amount of sodium carbonate can be added), first bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then switch to low heat and simmer. After simmering for about 1 hour, add another 500g of water, bring it to a boil again, then continue simmering over low heat until the peanut kernels become soft enough to be mashed with a finger press. At this point, add the white sugar and orange peel jam, stirring until evenly mixed (the entire simmering process takes approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes). When serving, pour the sweet peanut soup into a bowl while hot, and it’s ready.

　　　　Characteristics of Peanut Soup: The peanut kernels are tender and crumb-free, melt in your mouth, the soup is milky white, sweet and refreshing.