Why Do Vinegar Peanuts Lower Blood Pressure?
Causes of high blood pressure include constricted blood vessels and eating too much salt. Nutrients that work on both of these are polyphenols, which widen blood vessels and lower blood pressure, and potassium, which helps flush excess salt out of the body. In fact, skin-on peanuts (peanuts with their thin inner skins left on) are rich in both.
The acetic acid in vinegar also works like polyphenols to widen blood vessels and lower blood pressure. Vinegar and peanuts are both foods for managing high blood pressure, and combining them is said to promise an even greater synergistic effect.
“Vinegar × peanuts” seems to be a great match, and it has been featured many times on TV and elsewhere in Japan. This time, we’ll show you how to make “vinegar peanuts” for managing high blood pressure, as introduced on TV.
Ingredients for Vinegar Peanuts
- Skin-on peanuts (unsalted) … 120 g
- Vinegar (brewed vinegar) … 180 ml
- A wide-mouth glass jar with a lid
- Honey (to taste)
How to Make Vinegar Peanuts
This time we’ll make vinegar peanuts with three kinds of vinegar: apple cider vinegar, grain vinegar, and black vinegar.
The key is to soak the peanuts in vinegar with their thin skins still on.
Put the skin-on peanuts into a jar sterilized in boiling water.
Pour 180 ml of vinegar into the jar with the peanuts. To keep them from spoiling, add enough vinegar to cover the peanuts completely. Adding honey to taste softens the sharpness of the vinegar and makes them easier to eat.
Once the peanuts are covered with vinegar, put the lid on and store the jar in the refrigerator. You can eat them after just half a day, but they’re at their best after 3 to 5 days, once the flavor has mellowed.
Your vinegar peanuts are ready.
*As a guide, eat about 20 to 30 peanuts a day and finish them within a month.
Our Ranking of the Easiest Vinegars to Enjoy
When it comes to managing high blood pressure, sticking with it is what matters! We actually made several kinds of vinegar peanuts to find out which vinegar is easiest to eat, and ranked them for you.
No. 1 Apple Cider Vinegar Peanuts Rating ★★★★
[Our Impressions] The sweet, refreshing apple aroma and mild acidity made these easy to eat. Adding honey makes them even easier to enjoy.
No. 2 Black Vinegar Peanuts Rating ★★★
[Our Impressions] Black vinegar is an aged vinegar, so instead of a sharp smell it has its own mellow aroma, and we found its flavor a bit richer than regular vinegar. We recommend eating these as plain, light vinegar peanuts without adding honey.
No. 3 Grain Vinegar Peanuts Rating ★★
[Our Impressions] A clean, refreshing taste with noticeable acidity. People who don’t like vinegar may find these a bit hard to eat.
We Also Made Some Easy-to-Eat Variations on Vinegar Peanuts
[Variation 1] Vinegar Peanuts with Dashi
A simple recipe: just soak peanuts in a 1:1:1 mixture of vinegar, mentsuyu (a Japanese soy sauce–based soup base made with dashi broth), and water.
Ingredients
- Skin-on peanuts (unsalted) … 120 g
- Vinegar of your choice … 60 ml
- Mentsuyu (2x concentrate) … 60 ml
- Water … 60 ml
- A wide-mouth glass jar with a lid
Directions
- Put the skin-on peanuts into a jar sterilized in boiling water.
- Pour 60 ml of vinegar, 60 ml of mentsuyu (2x concentrate), and 60 ml of water into the jar with the peanuts.
- Once the peanuts are covered, put the lid on and store the jar in the refrigerator.
*Because this contains water, finish it within 1 week.
[Our Impressions] The soy sauce flavor with bonito dashi makes these very easy to eat, and the strong soy sauce aroma means you hardly notice the distinctive taste of vinegar. If you’re concerned about salt, we recommend using reduced-sodium mentsuyu. Give it a try if you start getting tired of regular vinegar peanuts (^ ^)
[Variation 2] Peanut and Vegetable Pickles
A simple recipe: just cut up your favorite vegetables and pickle them together with peanuts.
Ingredients
- Skin-on peanuts (unsalted) … 120 g
- Vegetables of your choice (cucumber, tomato, turnip, etc.)
- Water … 100 ml
- Vinegar of your choice … 200 ml
- Sliced dried red chili pepper … a little
- Bay leaf … 1
- Salt … 1 teaspoon (to taste)
- A wide-mouth glass jar with a lid
Directions
- Put the water, vinegar, sliced chili pepper, and bay leaf in a pot.
- Bring the pot to a boil, then turn off the heat and let it cool.
- Put the skin-on peanuts and the vegetables, cut into bite-size pieces, into a jar sterilized in boiling water.
- Pour in the pickling liquid until the peanuts are covered, put the lid on, and store the jar in the refrigerator.
*Because this contains water, finish it within 1 week.
[Our Impressions] Since it uses water as well as vinegar, the distinctive vinegar taste is toned down, and it was light and easy to eat. We also recommend it as a handy side dish to keep in the fridge. You get to eat other vegetables along with the peanuts, and it’s tasty, so we think it’s easy to keep up over time (^-^)
[Variation 3] Chinese-Style Vinegar Peanut Sauce
A simple, sugar-free recipe that tastes great on all sorts of dishes.
Ingredients
- Vinegar peanuts (finely chopped) … 3 tablespoons
- Mayonnaise … 3 tablespoons
- Doubanjiang (Chinese chili bean paste) … 1 teaspoon
- Grated ginger … 1 teaspoon
- Water … 2 teaspoons
Directions
- Just mix everything together!
*Because this contains water, finish it within 1 week.
[Our Impressions] Enjoy it with boiled chicken, pork, beef, or vegetables. It’s also great poured over tofu! The vinegar works really well in a Chinese-style sauce, making it easy to eat. We think it’s perfect as an everyday dressing, including for people watching their sugar intake.
Skin-On Peanuts for Making Vinegar Peanuts
[Great-Value Medium Size] A Week’s Worth of Skin-On Peanuts
These are the skin-on roasted peanuts we used this time. The medium size makes them a great value, yet they’re full of the delicious flavor of peanuts from Chiba, Japan, so they’re easy to keep eating every day.
[Deliciously Large] Roasted Peanuts
We select only the best large kernels of Chiba Handachi (千葉半立), the tastiest variety among Chiba peanuts, and roast them. These skin-on peanuts are perfect for vinegar peanuts, and very delicious eaten just as they are, too.
*Ordering from outside Japan? When you open a product page from overseas, an English shopping cart (WorldShopping BIZ) appears automatically, so you can order and have it shipped to you abroad.
