As many of you know, I have a quantity control problem. Some days I think I could have been a champion competitive eater if my life had taken a different path. Instead, I compete with invisible “frenemies” each time I sit down to a meal. In Laos this has proven less problematic than in Africa or the U.S. because most of the food here is very healthy. However, this week I have consumed more than enough peanuts to feed 10 people. No matter how you do the math, that is waaaaay too many peanuts!
One of the central projects of Sai Nyai eco-school is to support our alumni with grass roots development projects. Some alumni take out micro-loans to start frog ponds or mushroom huts, others have started a dried fruit business, several have formed an organic vegetable farming group, and some have started making and selling peanut snacks. Of course there are other projects as well, but I have only visited two villages so far (our students come from at least nine different towns) so I am less knowledgeable about the ones happening outside of Ban Meung and Ban Kheua. In Ban Meung, Bin (a staff member and alumnus), has helped organize a group of women to make peanut goodies to sell for profit. Right now there are two main recipes: sweet and salty. For the sweet peanut snacks, the women fry the peanuts in palm oil, sugar, sesame seeds and a bit of salt. They stir the peanuts until the sugar mixture caramelizes and covers each nut in a delectable and crunchy coating. For the salty recipe, the women similarly fry the peanuts in oil, but this time they add crispy lime leaves and lemongrass. Both recipes are delicious and I have been eating them non-stop!
Here are some photos that my coworker Sarah (the only other foreigner – an awesome girl from Belgium) took.
peanuts for miles!
Sweet recipe
Shelling peanuts
Lemongrass, lime leaves, and salt
