Peanut Chikki – Peanut Brittle
Few treats bring back memories of Grandad quite like this one—he loved peanuts every bit as much as his Kasaku did. He would give us kids ten cents to run out and buy a square of dark, sticky chikki or a warm paper cone of salted peanuts from the vendors calling out "Njugu Karanga!" outside our Upanga flats in Dar es Salaam.
Ingredients
1.5 cups raw Peanuts preferably without skins
1.5 cups jaggery or brown sugar
3 tbsp water
Cooking Steps
Step 1
Heat a frying pan on medium heat, add the peanuts and dry roast for 5 minutes.
Remove the pan and let the peanuts cool then rub between your hands to remove the skin. Sieve the skin out through a colander.
Step 2
Add 1.5 cups of jaggery to a pan plus 3 tbsp of water. Melt the jaggery on a low heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Add 1 tbsp ghee. Mix well with a wooden spoon and boil for further 2 more minutes.
Test the syrup has a 2-string consistency by dropping a little bit of the sugar syrup in cold water and if it solidifies quickly add the roasted peanuts. Mix well. Cook for 1 minute.
Step 3
Grease the surface of a rolling pin Spread the jaggery mixture on a greased tabletop and roll out to flatten. Cut the chikki into square pieces while its slightly hot. Let it cool completely and store in an airtight tin.